272 THE UNIVERSE 



environments of soil, light and electric currents. 

 Even the soil of our earth maintains life because 

 it is living matter itself. And some forms of life 

 will exist without light or soil. This is the electric 

 universe in solution, the life-giving sea of all form 

 and substance. 



Oh, what a miracle of wonders ! From this mar- 

 velous reservoir of life, force and substance each 

 created thing draws the elements of its growth and 

 existence. And each draws from the same source 

 that which its nature requires. The oak draws 

 from the same soil and air as the hickory, the rose, 

 the apple tree and the poison ivy. But the oak 

 converts all the substance it gathers into the natural 

 fibre of the oak, the hickory into the natural fibre 

 of the hickory, the apple tree converts it into the 

 luscious fruit of the apple, the rose into the delight- 

 ful perfume which regales our senses, and the poison 

 ivy converts the same air and soil into deadly 

 poison. 



This is the marvel of electric law and energy. 

 How does it do it? It does it, I contend, by the 

 law of magnetic currents under the control of or- 

 ganic affinity. The Bible states this law in a little 

 different form when it says God caused every tree 

 and shrub and created thing to bring forth seed 

 of its kind. Man, like all nature, also draws from 

 one common intellectual and moral reservoir. And 

 while some draw inspiration and goodness, others 

 draw poisonous evil, or, rather, convert the g;ood 

 they draw into evils. And each brings forth of 

 its kind. 



I do not believe with Prof. Newcomb that, "in 

 order that a race may be renewed it must die like 



