THE EVOLUTIONARY RHYTHM 43 



have been passed over by the same generalisation, it 

 would, I think, be safe to look into the matter. 



Some of the Protoplasmic peoples, or cells, if 

 you are scientifically minded, settled down to equi- 

 librium, where they may be found to-day still enjoy- 

 ing life at its fountain-head. Some perished in the 

 life-struggle, but others, falling upon a variable en- 

 vironment and being much put to it, learned to make 

 slight changes in their structure. It was this very 

 adaptability to meet the exigencies of life which I be- 

 lieve caused them to cling together as they did, for it 

 goes without saying that the more highly specialised 

 an individual is, the greater the need he has of his 

 fellows, and especially does he miss the sense of all- 

 roundness if he is a cell. And since we find great 

 numbers of the Protista forming organisations for 

 the maintenance of life, we must infer an economic 

 pressure. Do not mistake me; these unions, or 

 Metaplasts, were far more than mere trade-guilds. 

 It is hard to say what the principle of association 

 was which bridged over their original separateness so 

 as to effect the organic unity that was manifest in 

 their functioning toward one another and the exter- 

 nal world generally. One individual became modified 

 in one way, another in another, as if inspired by some 

 inexplicable instinct of harmony for the forming of 

 a higher being. Hence it is only in a limited sense 

 that the individuals of this multicellular compound 

 are to be regarded as co-operating units ; rather were 



