322 The Morality of Nature 



is of two-cell origin, is a secondary feature. There is really 

 only one cell in question, although it is composed of two 

 half cells in the sex process. The fundamental process of 

 reproduction is asexual, and still prevails without sex in 

 many cases. Sex is a system of merging and distributing 

 of inheritance, adopted because it promotes homogeneity 

 of race; and thus is an element of strength, but it is not 

 fundamental to reproduction. 



The cell is visible in many examples. Some single-celled 

 creatures, and some egg cells of compound creatures, en- 

 larged with masses of nutritious substance, and some 

 structure cells are easily visible to the unassisted eye; other 

 germs and structure cells are so small that the best micro- 

 scopes fail to reveal them, and some are known to exist only 

 by the fact that their work is evident, as when, in suitable 

 fluids, they are cultivated by the introduction of infected 

 fluid, and that they are there, and have dimensions, is shown 

 by the fact that they can be filtered out. These small 

 microbes stand, in relation to the largest cells, as different 

 in size as do the small creatures to the large, in general 

 animal life. But a great number of the cells of which 

 current life is composed, are of such size that they are just 

 visible when separated ; and these under the microscope can 

 be seen well enough to enable their internal structure to be 

 studied. They are of all shapes ; they may lie in close con- 

 tact in honeycomb forms or be drawn into long fibres, or 

 even into branches, but the fundamental solitary form is 

 spherical. They are composed of protoplasm, a colloid or 

 jelly-like living compound, which is supposed to be the 

 basic life substance. This in the cells is usually found to 



