JoLY — The Abundance of Life. 65 



its formation, indeed, often attended with a loss of kinetic energy 

 (jfixation of carbon in plants), but, if so, accompanied by a more 

 than compensatory increase of potential molecular energy. 



Thus, between growth in the living world and growth in the 

 dead world, the energy relations with the environment reveal a 

 marked contrast. Again, in the phenomena of combustion, there 

 are certain superficial resemblances which have led to comparison 

 between the two. Here again, however, the attitudes towards the 

 energy of the environment stand very much as + and -. The life 

 absorbs, stores, and spends with wisdom. Tlie flame only recklessly 

 spends. The property of storage by the organism calls out a 

 further distinction between the course of the two processes. It 

 secures that the chemical activity of the organism can be propagated 

 in a medium in which the supply of energy is discontinuous or 

 localised. The chemical activity of the combustion can, strictly 

 speaking, only be propagated among contiguous particles. I need 

 not dwell on the latter fact ; an example of the former is seen in 

 the action of the roots of plants, which will often traverse a barren 

 place or circumvent an obstacle in their search for energy. Thus 

 roots will find out spots of rich nutriment. It is probable that the 

 train of stimulating energy is greatest in the direction of the rich 

 locality ; by trial this direction is found, and by increased storage 

 and development the obstacles of the journey are overcome. 



Thus there is a dynamic distinction between the progress of the 

 organism and the progress of the combustion, or of the chemical 

 reaction generall3^ And although there be unstable chemical 

 systems which absorb energy during reaction, these are (dynami- 

 cally) no more than the expansion of the compressed gas. There is 

 a certain initial capacity in the system for a given quantity of 

 energy. This satisfied, progress ceases. The progress of the 

 organism in time is continual, and goes on from less to great so 

 long as the supply of energy is unlimited, and its development 

 unconstrained. 



We must regard the organism as a configuration which is so 

 contrived as to overcome the tendency of the umve7-sal laws of 

 nature. Except we are prepared to believe that a violation of the 

 second law of thermo-dynamics occurs in the organism, that a 

 sorting demon is at work within it, we must, I think, assume that 

 the interactions going on among its molecules are accompanied by 



SCIENT. PEOC. K.D.S. — VOL. VII., PART I. F 



