140 Mr. Buckle's Fallacies. [ix. 



in favour of this theory, we have, at present, no 

 concern. It is enough to know that Mr. Buckle is 

 himself one of its supporters, as appears from several 

 passages in his work.^ 



Now, this theory supposes that all organic beings 

 are continually advancing, not only in complexity of 

 structure and variety of function, but also in the 

 activity and vigour of their faculties. This may be 

 illustrated by comparing the extremes of the animal 

 kingdom. The hydra, or fresh-water polyp, is little 

 more than a mere bag. In common with all the 

 acrita, he possesses nervous substance, diffused in a 

 cellular state throughout his body.^ Moreover, if 

 you turn him inside out, his skin will digest, and his 

 interior membrane will respire ; he will apparently 

 suffer no discomposure from this reversed state of 

 affairs.^ Again, if you put him into a vessel of 

 water, he will invariably seek that part of it least 

 exposed to the light, thus manifesting a rudimentary 

 sensibility, which in its more developed state, in 



^ Vol. i. p. 806, note 130, and p. 822. The same is implied on 

 p. 641. He also accepts the kindred doctrine of the unity of the organic 

 and inorganic worlds. (See vol. ii. pp. 529 — S33.) 



^ Or, more accurately speaking, he possesses a sensitive substance 

 which, in more elevated beings, is specialised into nervous tissue. (See 

 Lewes' Seaside Studies, p. 390. ) 



2 Draper's Human Physiology, p. 501. 



