102 
LIFE PHENOMENA: SOME NOTES ON 
NITELLA, &c. 
By W. Hastie Kennedy, M.R.C.V.S., Wrexham. 
If we would examine the phenomena occurring amongst 
the very low forms of animal and vegetable life, our ideas and 
views concerning such deeply interesting matter would be 
materially enriched thereby. We have in such observations 
a royal road, which appears to be leading on and on, and 
which, in the not far distant future, bids fair to become of 
vital importance in aiding us to arrive at some very practical 
solution of what at present remains a deeply profound mys¬ 
tery—the mystery of the cause, which produces, and regu¬ 
lates, and controls vital phenomena. By no means should 
we be blindly dragged—as I fear too many are—into too 
implicit confidence in accepting so-called “ modern views” 
of the cause of these life phenomena—views these which 
would refer all vital phenomena, whether of animal or vege¬ 
table life,simply and alone, to an unintelligent and unconscious 
force agency—to a force agency which has correlations, 
which is identical with the ordinary physical and chemical 
forces of our universe—to a force agency which is incom¬ 
petent to guide and govern itself! which cannot determine 
results for itself! which cannot determine conscientious and 
intelligent results ! for it itself is not possessed of these 
qualities! and which would refer such complicated phenomena 
to some stray chance, or to some blind and undiscerning 
fatality !! such would be solutions; but surely perfectly unin¬ 
telligible solutions of the vital question, which, with much 
vaunted enthusiasm, we find held up to us as truthful facts 
and realities, would, I feel surely confident, if we would but 
lay hold of opportunities for ourselves—if we would but 
deduce observations and opinions for ourselves—be accepted 
by us as simply resolving themselves into nothing of any 
greater importance than a heaped mass of extravagant, 
unfounded views, and conjectural hypotheses, which may 
suit for the time the assumptive proclivities and Utopian 
conceptions of their certain philosophic propounders, but 
which, in so far as modern research—in so far as truthful 
fact—observation, and experiment has yet favoured us—can 
be seen by the unbiassed scientist to have no real firm basis of 
ground whereon to support such conclusions. They would 
have you reject a truism, that which truthful scientific 
observation can alone give you, and they would have you 
