74 



THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 



'L'ensemble des fonctions qui resistant a la mort/ 

 Here the notion of a certain antagonism between the 

 organism and its Medium is principally 

 whilst, on the other hand, in the definiti 

 Herbert Spencer, already alluded to, we have one of 

 the most general and inclusive statements possible 



apparent ; 

 »n of Mr. 



concerning the phenomena of living things: Life is 

 rather represented as the harmonious reaction in 

 living matter to the influence exerted by surrounding 

 matter and force. Stated more fully, his conception 

 of life becomes — ^ The definite combination of hetero- 

 geneous changes, both simultaneous and successive, 



In correspondence njjith external coexistences and sequences! 



And how extremely important this notion of reci- 

 procal action is, has been most happily dwelt upon 



by Mr. Spencer^ in the following sentences. 



We 



habitually distinguish between a live object and a 

 dead one by observing whether a change which we 

 make in surrounding conditions, or one which nature 

 makes in them, is or is not followed by some per- 

 ceptible change in the object. By discovering that 

 certain things shrink when touched, or fly away when 

 approached, or start when a noise is made, the child 

 first roughly discriminates between the living and the 

 not-living ; and the man, when in doubt whether an 

 animal he is looking at is dead or not, stirs it with 

 his stick J or if it be at a distance, shouts or throws 

 a stone at it. Vegetal and animal life are alike pn- 



1 I 



Principles of Biology,' vol. i. p. 72 



ture, tn"^ 



a 



nd setting 



( 



dr 



the soil IS 

 dered all 



consi 

 oinmoo 



c 



witl' 



passing 



of a < 



to 



the surface 

 and the hedge 

 And, not on. 



living organis 

 is a sort of f 

 reaction of n 

 of condition. 



apparent relal 

 sure or likely 

 vital changes 

 ^ as Mr. Sp 



us 



lot allow 

 ^'deration 't 

 ^ conformi 



Or 



danism 



) 



tile 



that 

 An 



tile 



ide 



ity 



anc 



th 



Pi'ocesse 

 a fish 



s 



oak 



ca 



grow 



^op of 



as. 



a 



e fi 



