1 1 6 Protoplasm. 



the subject of his affirmation and of his denial. 

 Dr. Stirling concludes his refutation of them in 

 a sentence to which Professor Huxley has at- 

 tempted a reply. The sentence is this: 



" In short, the whole position of Mr. Huxley, that all 

 organisms consist alike of the same life-matter, which 

 lifd-matter is, for its part, due only to chemistry, must be 

 ' pronounced untenable,' nor less untenable the material- 

 ism he would found on it." * 



And this is the reply: 



" The paragraph contains three distinct assertions con- 

 cerning my views, and just the same number of utter mis- 

 representations of them." The first [that " all organisms 

 consist alike of the same life-matter "] " turns on the 

 ambiguity of the word ' same ' " ; the second [that this 

 "life-matter is due only to chemistry"] "is in my judg- 

 ment absurd, and certainly I have never said anything 

 resembling it ; while as to Number 3, one great object 

 of my Essay * was to show that what is called ' mate- 

 rialism ' has no sound philosophical basis." * 



1 "As Regards Protoplasm." By James Hutchinson 

 Stirling, F.R.C.S., and LL.D. Edinburgh. Longmans, 



1872, p. 58. 



2 " ' One great object of my Essay,' says Mr. Huxley ! 

 Yes, truly ; but what of the other great, greater, and 

 greatest object ? ' Utter misrepresentation ! ' The only 



utter misrepresentation concerned here is Pshaw ! the 



whole thing is beneath speech." ("As Regards Proto- 

 plasm," ut sup., p. 59.) 



s " Yeast," in " Critiques and Addresses." Macmillan, 



1873, P- 90. 



