i?2 matured 



food substance from the water and where a 

 chemical action takes place which builds up 

 the fleshy substance of the animal, and then 

 expels the residue which is not needed to sup- 

 port its life. 



Simple as it is, however, as a mechanical 

 structure, the life and growth of the sponge is 

 as mysterious as that of the most highly 

 organized animal or even the soul of man. 

 We can study out the structure of a plant or 

 animal; we can analyze it and tell what are 

 the elements of which it is composed; we can 

 describe the mechanical operations that are 

 carried on and the chemical combinations that 

 take place, but no man has ever yet solved the 

 mystery of life, even in the lowest form 

 whether animal or vegetable. 



The sponge, whether considered as a single 

 or compound animal, has the power to repro- 

 duce itself, and here the mystery of life is as 

 much hidden as it is in God's highest creation. 

 It has been stated that every sponge contains 

 a large number of separate cells which carry 

 on the operation of circulation and respira- 

 tion, and may be likened to the heart and 

 lungs of an animal of a higher creation. Zo- 

 ologists claim that each one of these cells 

 represents a separate animal, living in a com- 

 mon structure. However this may be, it is an 

 interesting fact that the sponge has the power 

 of secreting ova that grow in large numbers 



