ORIGIN OF LIFE. 39 
with them the primzval men were but as things of 
yesterday?” On the other hand, let him admit the 
present occurrence of Archebiosis and Heterogenesis, 
and both the existence and protean variability of the 
lowest organisms are at once readily explained. We 
may suppose units of living matter continually seeth- 
ing into existence afresh, endowed with enormous 
plasticity, and developing either directly or indirectly 
‘into the various lower forms of life—thus new 
‘recruits are constantly appearing, ever ready to fill up 
the gaps occasioned by promotion and death amongst 
their predecessors. 
