ORGANIC EVOLUTION 37 



beginning, in an egg-cell. But the egg-cell of man has 

 altogether different potential energy from that of the 

 worm. This difference is not perceptible until the 

 development occurs. In its development, however, the 

 embryo of man is not differentiated from that of 

 other animals, until after the third month. Two cells 

 appearing alike may develop, one into a man, and 

 another into a worm. It does not seem that even 

 microscopy can discern in the cell forms, the potential 

 difference of the two cells. 



In chapter 4 of the "Principles of Biology," Spencer 

 treats of the proximate definition of life, and shows that 

 it means the same as his definition of evolution given 

 heretofore. The phrase "from homogeneity to hetero- 

 geneity, ' ' means the evolving of the higher forms of life 

 from the lower. The term, ' ' higher form, ' ' means a more 

 heterogeneous structure and function. The "moner" of 

 Haeckel is the lowest evidence of life that we read about, 

 it being a splotch of organic matter, without form, and 

 having no cell formation. The matter of the "moner" is 

 as nearly homogeneous as any organic matter can be. 

 From this first life substance, or protoplasm, it is reason- 

 able to infer, that the cell was slowly evolved, which 

 probably has taken more time, as geology marks time, 

 than all the ages since the first cell was formed. 



TIME. It is necessary in the above sentence to insert 

 the expression "as geology marks time," and it seems 

 pertinent to interject here some observations on "time." 

 There is no time, as our ordinary intellect conceives it. 

 The only way we mark it, is either by the measurement 

 of space, as the second, minute, hour, day, week, year, 

 etc., or by noting the changes in phenomena, or the mate- 

 rial forms of life, or matter. But in those things, or 

 principles, upon which we base so much of our being we 



