The Intimate Causes of Old Age. 327 



sentience. It starts from the sentient side of matter, and 

 involves a great law of nature and the cosmos ; — but the 

 scientific evidence in proof of this is not yet ia form for 

 statement. 



The growth of biological knowledge, during the decade, 

 has greatly enlarged our conceptions of what the cell-of- 

 life is capable of doing and becoming. We are recogniz- 

 ing more fully than ever before its inherent plasticity and 

 marvelous adaptability to every form and use in organized 

 life. And when we contemplate these astounding meta- 

 morphoses as seen in the intricacies of insect mechanism, 

 the beauty of flowers, the texture of ivory, bone and shell, 

 the coining of spore and germ, the achieved resistance to 

 cold and heat, and, in brain, the elevation of simple sen- 

 tience to intellect ; when we contemplate these marvelous 

 achievements of the cell, past and present, there seems no 

 good reason to doubt that this same cell may achieve 

 greatly prolonged life — if it sets itself to the task. Pro- 

 longed life would be a feat no greater than others which 

 it has accomplished in the past. Our survey of organ- 

 ized life constantly strengthens this conception of the 

 cell's plasticity and its possibilities. It may be moulded, 

 bent, and directed to do almost anything, perform almost 

 any function and live briefly, or long, as the greater life 

 or personality of the organism enjoins upon it. It is 



