PROPERTIES 



motion between it and the other parts of the crystal. A 

 second distinction between organized and unorganized 

 bodies consists in this; that the various parts which 

 m,;ke up the former are different from one another, 

 "while those of the latter are perfectly alike. If we. 

 break a granite rock in pieces, we shall have every 

 fragment however small alike, except in form and size 

 -- in every one we shall find feldspar, mica and quartz. 

 But if we break in pieces a living body, we have in one 

 portion, skin and muscle ; in an >ther, nerves and ves- 

 sels ; in one, bark and wood ; in another, leaves and 

 fruit. The parts of an unorganized body, when separa- 

 ted from one another, still present the same properties 

 as the whole mass. If it be a magnet, every part will 

 attract the needle, though with less force, just as the 

 magnet did before it was broken. But the parts of an 

 organized body, when separated, lose the properties 

 which they possess only when combined and acting to- 

 gether. If you tear a piece of flesh from the body, or 

 an eye from the socket, the one will no longer feel, nor 

 the other see. 



Emily. And yet I have heard that there is an ani- 

 mal called the Polypus which may be divided into a 

 number of parts, and every part will immediately be- 

 come a perfect polypus, resembling the original in all 

 respects except in size. This must certainly be an ex- 

 ception to your principle. 



Dr. B. Before you form your conclusions so hasti- 

 ly, you should assure yourself that the facts are strictly 

 true. If you had taken pains to obtain the true history 

 of these creatures from scientific books, instead of adopt- 

 ing the popular notions, you would have found that they 

 were far from being exceptions to our principle. The 

 plain truth is, that in that class of animals called Zoo- 

 phytes, which are the simplest of all animals in construc- 

 tion, there are many which may be divided into several 

 parts, and every part will continue to live and grow, and 

 in the course of time will have grown to the form, and 



