394 THE WORLD OF LIFE 



CHAP. 



the various elements of matter, which, under the influence of 

 such laws and forces as gravitation, heat, and electricity, 

 would thenceforth begin to form those vast systems of 

 nebulae and suns which constitute our stellar universe. 



Then we may imagine these hosts of angels, to whom 

 a thousand years are as one day, watching the development 

 of this vast system of suns and planets until some one or 

 more of them combined in itself all those conditions of size, 

 of elementary constitution, of atmosphere, of mass of water 

 and requisite distance from its source of heat, as to ensure 

 a stability of constitution and uniformity of temperature for 

 a given minimum of millions of years or of ages, as would 

 be required for the full development of a life-world from 

 Amoeba to Man, with a surplus of a few hundred millions 

 for his adequate development. 



Thought- Transference as an Agent in Creation 



In my Man's Place in the Universe I have pointed out 

 the very narrow range of the quantitative and qualitative 

 conditions which such a world must possess ; and the next 

 step in the process of what may be well termed " creation " 

 would be the initiation of life by the same or a subordinate 

 body of spirit-workers, whose duty would be, when the waters 

 of the cooling earth had reached a proper temperature and 

 were sufficiently saturated with gases and carbon-compounds, 

 to infuse into it suitable life-centres to begin the process of 

 organisation, which, as Huxley acknowledged, implies life 

 as its cause. How this was done it is impossible for us to 

 know, and useless to speculate ; but there are certain guides. 

 From Haeckel's concession of" cell-souls " possessing volition, 

 but a minimum of sensation, we have one conceivable starting- 

 point. From Weismann's vivid description of cell-growth 

 and cell-division, with its complex apparatus, its purposive 

 motions so evidently adapted to bring about a definite result, 

 and its invariable onward march to that result, we as surely 

 imply an intelligence and power far beyond anything we 

 know or can clearly conceive. 



We are led, therefore, to postulate a body of what we 

 may term organising spirits, who would be charged with 

 the duty of so influencing the myriads of cell-souls as to 



