f0 



32 



THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE, 



exposed to various physical agencies, which play upon 

 them in the world witliout, and how probable does it 

 become that living things are continually arising d^ 

 novo^ on account of the ^ spontaneous ' occurrence of 

 such combinations wherever organic matter exists in 

 solution. It is only by denying such possibihties 

 now almost converted into certainties — that biologists 

 can reject the notion of living matter being formed 

 by virtue of chemical combinations which are naturally 

 prone to occur when heat and other physical forces 

 act upon suitable materials — ^just as chlorine is prone 

 to unite with hydrogen under the influence of hght^ 

 or just as cyanimide has a natural tendency to unite 

 with glycocol, when both coexist in aqueous solution, 

 so as to form glycocyamine. 



But few can bring themselves to look at the facts in 

 an unbiassed manner. Refuge is unconsciously taken 

 in the last stronghold of vitalism : powerfully influenced 

 by an analogical argument in support of their belief in 

 the continuity of life, certain biologists in the present 

 day would endow pre-existing protoplasm with marvel- 

 lous and unique powers^ at the same time that they 

 deny the existence of any special vital force. They 



have not yet fairly cast off the old vitalistic theories 

 which they profess to repudiate. They shut their eyes 

 against, or will not be convinced by, all the evidence 

 which speaks loudly for the ^ spontaneous ' occurrence 

 of the changes which give birth to living matter, and 

 consequently they still proclaim a belief in their 



ifl 



rite ^^^'^^ 



etati 



eflai 



ioterF 



1 



I 



the ^^^ 



clUSK 



(J 



St 



certain 



k] 



a 



formation 



fld rear 

 of ' livifli 



So mach may be 



of liviDg matter in 

 , And with 



of organic 

 ken added to a sali 

 Decessary for the nu 

 the origin of those 

 have been due to 

 amongst tiie eleme 

 f'se tie molecular 



to induce 



1 



tt« fcturbed eleme 

 sflvesl Th 



e livi 



grow anc 



ents of the 



sail: 





■efere 



'" which 



' k in 



no 



^hich 



II, *^5e 



^en 



