380 THE WORLD OF LIFE 



easier, simpler, more scientific, to assume that '^ matter, 

 energy, and life " as we see them, have existed, the same in 

 essence though in ever varying forms, from all eternity, and 

 will continue to exist to all eternity, than to assume any intel- 

 ligent power beyond what we see. 



Xow the idea, that positing eternity for matter and for or- 

 ganised life, and for all the forces of nature, overcomes diffi- 

 culties or renders their existence at the stage they have now 

 reached at all intelligible, is, I maintain, the very opposite of 

 the truth, and arises from a want of real thought as to what 

 " eternity " means. Take, first, " life " culminating in 

 " man." It is admitted that there has been a continuous 

 though not uniform progress from the first organic cell up to 

 man. To arrive at that end it has admittedly occupied a very 

 large portion of the duration of the habitability of the planet, 

 and of the sun as a heat and life-giver. It is also assumed 

 that, to ensure the persistence of life w^hen suns cool and planets 

 are unsuitable, either the germs of life must be carried through 

 space (at the zero of temperature) from one solar system to 

 another till they chance to alight upon one where the condi- 

 tions of life are suitable, or they must have developed again 

 out of dead matter. All this is overwhelmingly difficult, — but 

 let us grant it all. Let us grant also that there are forces and 

 energies capable of automatically building up progressively 

 developing forms of sentient life, such as have been built up 

 on the earth. Then, if these forces and energies have acted 

 from all eternity, they must have resulted in an infinite life- 

 development, that is, in beings inconceivably higher than we 

 are. Now we, who, as they all tell us, are poor miserable 

 creatures of a day, have yet got to know much of the universe, 

 to apply its forces, and thus to modify nature — so, an eternity 

 of progress at the same rate (and as there is progress there is 

 no cause why it should stop) must necessarily have produced an 

 infinite result — that is, beings which as compared with us 

 Avould be gods. And as you cannot diminish eternity, then 



