ON THE DIRECTIVITY OF LIFE. 



271 



Similarly in giving rise to new beings in adaptation to new 

 requirements, the life in the organism directs the forces within it to 

 so arrange matter to build up new structures as they are wanted. 

 The directivity of life is, therefore, seen in the very existence of 

 new purposeful structures. 



I chose as a simple illustration Banunculus aquatilis and proved 

 (1) that the dissected type of submerged leaves was due to water as 

 the direct cause ; (2) that when the seeds are sown on land that specific 

 character is retained by heredity. 



That this species was descended from a terrestrial form, and not 

 vice versdy I showed (1) by induction ; as many other cases are 

 known where the great majority of the allied plants are terrestrial, 

 the aquatic one being the exception ; (2) that the aquatic character 

 is retained on land : a feature which none of the land plants show. 

 Mr. Sutton questions the statement that if the cause of change 

 lies in the direct action of the external conditions of life to which 

 the organism responds, " it does not lie or consist in life itself." 

 Certainly it does not, what lies in life is the " power to respond " 

 to external stimuli. Life does not initiate a change, until such is 

 wanted in consequence of a change in the external conditions of the 

 being, to which it must adapt itself or it will perish. 



He adds ; I maintain that for the word " evolution " should be 

 substituted " variation or modification of force." I have already 

 observed that variation or descent with modification is exactly how 

 evolution was often described in the sixties ; but " evolution " was 

 adopted instead. It only means " a rolling over." If " self 

 adaptation" is not the "origin of species," how did any variation 

 arise at all '? It is only a question of degree from the " more or 

 less apparent modification " to the most distinct species or genus. 



Scientifically distinguished, directivity is a (piality of life ; as 

 philosophically described, it is an attribute of God ; just as in olden 

 days, as man designs and makes a watch, so God was supposed to 

 have designed and made a man. 



Evolution only places God's power within the secondary agent 

 life, instead of somewhere outside. Life must be carefully 

 distinguished from force. No known force is alivej; just as no 

 matter composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, etc., is 

 alive. Protoplasm is the only exceptional matter " with its all- 

 important " nucleus," which is endoioed with life, but its material 



