THE MECHANICAL CONCEPTION OF NATURE. 233 



ception of nature, as tliej include the characteristic attributes of 

 life. In reference to page 222, the Egyptian papyri show that 

 in ages past chemistry has had an existence prior to alcliemy. 

 This fact is precious as being fatal to more than one of the 

 theories of Comte. 



Rev. A. K. Cherrill, M.A. — On page 227 the author makes 

 the remark, "the same consideration has led Christians to fight 

 shy of astronomy, physiology and recent advances in biologj, 

 and to discountenance investigations and theories which promised 

 to explain the world too well, lest science should explain away 

 our God." Now it seems to me that with regard to the mechanical 

 conception of nature, perhaps if one takes it in a very crude and 

 superficial sort of way it might be thought to explain the world 

 too well and to explain away the necessity for a Creator : but 

 on the other hand I think that if you pursue the mechanical 

 theory of nature into its minute details it rather has the 

 reverse effect. An instance occurred to me which seems rather 

 a strong one, in reading Weismann's Germ-plasm or theory of 

 Heredity. If one looks at the general theory of development and 

 evolution in the light thrown on it by embryology in a somewhat 

 vague and superficial way I suppose one gets hold of an idea some- 

 thing like this. Embryologists tell us that the life of the 

 individual represents, on a small scale, the life and development of 

 the whole race. We ask what is the starting point of life of an 

 individual and they tell us, quite correctly, that it is the 

 division of the germ itself, first of all into two cells which 

 after further division gradually give rise to the various 

 parts of the body. First there is the division of one cell into two 

 cells, and those who wish to explain away the mystery of nature 

 may think they have got hold of something very simple here — that 

 the origin of life is just the division of one cell into two like the 

 division of a single drop of oil into two drops ; and then they may 

 imagine that further development takes place by a continual 

 repetition of the same simple process. It does not seem to requii-e 

 any great power to bring this about, and if we could start our 

 conception of nature on anything so simple we might perhaps be 

 able to build it up without appealing to any supernatural power. 

 But when we come to look at the mechanism of nature in detail 

 such a notion is at once upset. For what is this first process that 

 brings about the simple division of a cell ? Weismann gives a 



