182 



THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLIX 



organ out of material quite different from that from 

 which the organ in question is normally developed, as 

 in the case of the regeneration of the lens of the eye 

 from the iris in the newt. That there must be some 

 mechanism involved in such cases is, of course, self-evi- 

 dent, and we know that that mechanism may sometimes 

 go wrong and produce monstrous and unworkable re- 

 sults ; but it is, I think, equally evident that the organism 

 must possess some power of directing the course of 

 events, so as generally to secure the appropriate result; 

 and it is just this power of directing chemical and phys- 

 ical processes, and thus employing them in its own inter- 

 ests, that distinguishes a living organism from an inani- 

 mate object. 



In conclusion I ought, perhaps, to apologize for the 

 somewhat dogmatic tone of my remarks. I must ask 

 you to believe, however, that this does not arise from 

 any desire on my part to dogmatize, but merely from the 

 necessity of compressing what I wished to say into a 

 totally inadequate space. Many years of patient work 

 are still needed before we can hope to solve, even ap- 

 proximately, the problem of organic evolution, but it 

 seemed to me permissible, on the present occasion, to 

 indulge in a general survey of the situation, and see how 

 far it might be possible to reconcile conflicting views 

 and bring together a number of ideas derived from many 

 sources in one consistent theory. 



