222 THE BIOC08MOS PARTICULARIZED. 



protoplasm, which, however, must first be ox- 

 idized decomposed and set on fire by oxygen 

 taken from the air. This is the act of Res- 

 piration, for Plants in their way breathe 

 (through the stomates) and aerate the vegetal 

 protoplasm. That is, through Respiration, 

 they set free the energy which results from 

 burning their stored carbon, turning this 

 again into the carbon dioxide which they at 

 first decomposed in Alimentation through the 

 so-called photosynthesis. In the one case the 

 carbon dioxide was taken from the air and 

 decomposed, in the other case it was recom- 

 posed and sent back to the air. Thus Res- 

 piration undoes the work of Alimentation in 

 order that the Organism may employ for its 

 own use that imprisoned energy which came 

 originally from the Sun with its diacosmical 

 radiants. Here we see the double action of 

 the Plant : it throws off oxygen in one pro- 

 cess and takes it up in another; also it takes 

 up carbonic oxide in one process and throws 

 it off in another ; thus we behold a twofold and 

 counter round of circulation of these two 

 gases. The purpose of this significant double 

 arrangement is to catch and chain up first the 

 force from the outside universe by Alimenta- 

 tion, and then to loosen it and to distribute it 

 wherever needed in the Organism by circula- 

 tion. 



