LIFE'S MANIFESTATIONS g 



is available. And we may assume that they at 

 least possess a symbolic value, and can tell us 

 something, by their occurrence or non-occurrence, 

 their similarities and differences, and the order in 

 which they come to our observation. 







The enormous power of Life's energy is not 

 generally realized. An animal or plant,if likened 

 to a machine, must be likened to a machine of 

 marvellous efficiency. Its strength must not be 

 computed by the force which is developed by its 

 external muscles : in the assimilation of its food, 

 and in the secretion of waste, it forms chemical 

 compounds which, if capable at all of being formed 

 in a laboratory, can only be produced by the lavish 

 expenditure of energy. A class of minute bacteria, 

 living in the soil, are able to fix nitrogen from the 

 air. For this same purpose factories have been 

 established ; but the energy required for the 

 process is so large, and, if obtained by burning 

 fuel, would be so expensive, that they can only 

 be maintained with hope of profit where their 

 machinery can be driven by large waterfalls. It 

 has been computed that an acre of wheat, in 

 coming from germination to maturity, daily 

 exerts the force of more than fifteen horses. The 

 coal beds by which modern industry subsists are 

 a store of energy that was accumulated by plant 

 life in ages gone by : in fixing it the plants 

 exerted as much power as we now obtain from the 

 coal by burning it. Coal is popularly described 

 as " stored sunlight," and it is true that the 

 plants needed light in order to produce it. But 

 so does a steam engine need water for its function- 

 ing. Yet we do not credit the water with the 

 power that is developed. 



Moreover, not only is Life's force remark- 



