THE ORIGIN OF MAN 215 



will see that the atomic theory has merely deepened 

 the mystery of life. 



Suppose some mathematical and chemical genius 

 were able to collect somehow the atoms required to 

 make a chick (just the same atoms that we find in 

 lucifer matches, and bread, and butter, and soap, 

 and such-Hke things), suppose he were to combine 

 them into the white and yolk of an ^^<g^ is it 

 conceivable tbat he should give these millions and 

 millions of molecules and atoms such special 

 unstable equilibrium, such kinetic potentiality, that 

 when filliped by heat they should rearrange them- 

 selves into the intricacies of blood, and bone, and 

 heart, and lungs ? Would it be possible for the 

 exact number of A's, and B's, and C's, and commas, 

 and hyphens, necessary for a book, to be gathered 

 together into an ^gg before the book was even 

 conceived ? Perhaps ? But would it be possible 

 to give the individual letters such dynamical 

 properties that on the application of heat they 

 should dance together into words, and sentences, 

 and paragraphs ? It is inconceivable ! Yet each 

 blood-cell is as purposive as a word, each pause of 

 the heart as significant as a comma, each affinity of 

 a molecule as full of meaning as a hyphen, each 

 nerve-cell as correlated as a sentence. 



And think : (these atoms in the ^gg have been 

 gathered together in a few hours, and have come 



