140 THE BIOCOSMOS CELLULAR. 



as her very starting-point and source of ex- 

 istence 1 The result of this search is research 

 which insists upon searching again and again, 

 and approaching closer and closer toward the 

 small and smallest ; much is indeed picked up 

 on the way, even if the end be as yet un- 

 reached whereof the record is set down in 

 works of biology, and constitutes the main 

 subject-matter of this science. 



In this aspect pre-cellular Life has its 

 striking analogy to Ether. Both are hypo- 

 thetical concepts lying far back at the source 

 of their respective stages of Nature. One 

 is the ultimate of the Biocosmos, the other is 

 the ultimate of the Diacosmos, each is con- 

 ceived as the last constituent, as well as the 

 primal origin of its own distinct sphere. 

 Hence one is the ideal goal of the biologist 

 which he wishes to find real ; the other is the 

 ideal goal of the physicist, which he seeks 

 to see in its sensuous counterpart. Psychi- 

 cally, therefore, both scientists are quite 

 alike in their different fields of research ; each 

 is hurrying to overtake the incorporate 

 Psyche at its start, to behold the ideal and 

 the real just at the first point of their con- 

 junction. Still further we may push the 

 thought: the ultimate unit of Ether (say the 

 Etherion) may be found to be one with the 

 ultimate unit of Life (say the gemmule), 



