VITALITY NOT A PROPERTY OF MATTER. 21 



simple physiology of simple living matter ? 

 One would have thought that this was just the 

 point from which Mr. Mill, or Mr. Herbert 

 Spencer, would have desired to start. Here is 

 a thing increasing in size and then separating 

 so as to produce many like things. How does 

 it increase ? Of course by drawing matter to 

 itself. But by virtue of what property does it 

 draw and select ? What physical property 

 enables it to chose one thing and reject another ? 

 How does it divide, and why does one portion 

 separate from another portion ? Matter that is 

 alive first draws matter towards it, and then 

 this same matter separates itself, and at length 

 one portion moves away from the rest. Simple 

 phenomena, easily stated, easily demonstrated, 

 doubtless due to antecedent phenomena and 

 these to their antecedents ; but is this the only 

 explanation that is possible ? Doubtless if it 

 were not that physiology is embarrassed by 

 " natural difficulties " (Mill) these things would 

 have been explained by physicists long ago ; 

 but if we argue as if we understood them 

 when we do not understand anything about 

 them, what do we gain by the process, however 

 successfully carried out ? 



