EARTH-LIFE /A 7 GENERAL. 37 } 



death, like the mere insect or indeed the 

 microscopic cell. Thus a vast life-scale of liv- 

 ing things presents itself to the mind, from 

 the duration of a few hours or a few moments 

 even, up to uncounted aeons. But each Life, 

 short or long, is individualized, and has the 

 same general cycle of existence the separa- 

 tion from and return to its elemental source. 

 Earth-life would seem to be no exception. 



The further problem arises : If the Earth 

 with its Life be only one individual, are there 

 other similar individuals in the universe 

 which are passing through their vital cycles? 

 These may be as varied as our plants and 

 animals, and Earth-life may be only a kind 

 of amoeba in the universal Life. Proof there 

 is none, but imagination winged by science is 

 prompted to take a far-off flight into the void 

 of the cosmos. But for our present sight, the 

 Earth with its Life appears a kind of uni- 

 versal individual, embracing all living things, 

 originating them as well as receiving them 

 back into its bosom. 



Though we may not with our senses be able 

 to get back to the primal transitional forma- 

 tion of Earth-life, we can observe that its 

 first function is to transmute the Inorganic 

 into the Organic. This is the step to indi- 

 viduation, and each living individual must 

 draw on the original storehouse of Life, not 



