﻿76 LIVING PI.ANTvS 



fore, be considered the property of living 

 lieings by which they defend themselves 

 against injury, secure food, and obtain the 

 best conditions for existence. But there is no 

 efficiency in irritability unless the organism is 

 enabled to change its position or the position 

 of some of its organs upon stimulation, that 

 is, it must be capable of molar motion. How 

 molar motion originated is a question into 

 which I shall not enter, although a most im- 

 portant one in a full exposition of the subject; 

 neither shall I touch upon the origin of organs 

 and some other related matters of philosoph- 

 ical importance. It will suffice in this con- 

 nection to point out that the preliminary 

 to every vital movement, not automatic, is 

 an effort. That all plant and animal move- 

 ments, not accidental, are related to the wel- 

 fare of the organism is a proposition that will 

 be generalh' admitted ; and such movements 

 may consequently l^e classed as adaptive. 

 That all movement having significance must 

 at first have been adaptive seems to be suffi- 

 ciently clear, and therefore automatic move- 

 ments must necessarily have been derived from 

 conscious ones. This, I am aware, is the re- 

 verse of the usual course of reasoning, and as 

 the form in which I have stated it is too con- 

 cise to be readily apprehended, it will be best 

 to give a few lines to its elaboration. 



