CHAPTER XI. 



ORIGIN OF LIFE ON THE EARTH. 



" The beginning of life and the end of life are both obscure ; the 

 middle of life alone is distinct. ... I am the eternal source of all 

 beings, Arjuna, for nothing whether at rest or in motion can exist 

 without me." 



KRISHNA in the Bhagavad-Gita. 



THE ultimate origin of life ever has been and 

 perhaps will ever remain a mystery to the mind 

 of man ; but the idea of the direct interposition 

 of God in the creation of the world has now 

 become so incredible to scientific men, that they 

 sometimes substitute theories almost as absurd 

 as those put forward by their theological 

 opponents. This is much to be regretted, for 

 nothing injures a cause more than arguments 

 which are seen at once to be fallacious, or put 

 forward with a palpable bias, as they are liable 

 to lead us away from the impartial examination 

 of the subject on its own merits ; and this is 

 equally true whether the theory which they are 

 intended to support is true or false. And just 

 as the cause of Theology has been injured by 



