ADAPTATION 



357 



111 the rogciieratlon of the more familiar type of 

 crystal, the latter doubtless goes about its task ''un- 

 hesitatiug-ly," we may believe. But this is not true of 

 every iiior'^anic system. "In a stream [of water]," 

 says eleiniiiigs, "opposing actions of all sorts are com- 

 batted in ways almost as varied as in organisms: a 

 hole is tilled up, a dam overflowed, an obstacle circum- 

 vented, another obstacle floated away, a bank of earth 

 undermined or cut through; and the stream finally 

 reaches the sea."*-^'' Must we not recognize important 

 points of resemblance between such behavior and that of 

 a penned-up cat, scratching wildly at the objects in its 

 cage until finally a way out is found? 



But if we admit this essential unity Ix't wcM^n the living 

 and the non-living in respect ti» llicir met hod of correct- 

 ing a disturbed equilibrium, \\\\y >li(ml(l we liave resort 

 in one case more than the otlu^r to a theory of "contin- 

 gency" as regards the relation of means to end? Wliy 

 may we not suppose the regulative processes of proto- 

 plasm to proceed as directly toward a goal as those of a 

 crystal ? 



Answering the first question, I wonhi s;iy that the con- 

 ception of contingency has Ixmmi inl roihiccd into this dis- 

 cussion merely in the sense oT a (h'ninl of tch'ology. 

 Such a denial has been deemed necessary only in the case 

 of organic phenomena. For inorganic events are seldom 

 thought of as governed by "ends," and the question of 

 "means" does not therefore arise. P>nt in this respect 

 there is really no difference between the living and the 

 non-living. 



The reason wh> tlu' ivoul.-n ix r pi-oe.—.- ],rotoplasm 

 probably do not i)rncee.l ns directly toward a ,u'.)al as 

 those of :i .M-xMal li.'.. 1 h.-lir\.., in th.- \aMl> -r.-ater 

 complexity of the I'ornirr. I'.nt it doo not si'mi likely 

 that any "ri-id distinction can l.e di-awn. If it is really 

 true that a dania-ed erxMal of h.-iin»::lol.iiL ran restore 

 its original foi-ni with<»nt the takin-' on oi' new material, 

 it seems hardlv' likel\ that this rcari-anueinent is eflfected 



