LIFE PHENOMENA : SOME NOTES ON NITELLA, ETC. 109 
forming stems must continue on their course, following the 
example of their parent cell. They must continue on singly 
for a time, and then change, and must now produce a whorl 
of cells; and so on, repeating and repeating, until a com¬ 
plete specimen of Nitella is to view, suiting exactly and 
precisely the simile of its parent producer. And what is it 
that has thus arranged and brought about this exceedingly 
well-planned and perfectly carried-out process ? and what is 
it that can always, without any exception whatever, cause 
the germ or nucule of Nitella to always produce Nitella, 
and no other plant form. There must surely be a some¬ 
thing superior and above mere blind physical or chemical 
force, guiding, and controlling, and directing the carrying 
out of this definite plan and purpose. It may appear a very 
simple phenomenon, to watch and notice the egg develop¬ 
ment of some lower animal organism, and the egg develop¬ 
ment of a nematode worm may be accepted as a very familiar 
example. You may well say here that it is apparently 
nothing more than a blind chance aggregation of molecule 
to molecule, and granule to granule, that initiates the com¬ 
mencement process of this simple development. To the 
naked eye this may appear so, but there is more than this 
necessary to enable the senses to explain such simple and 
yet complicated phenomena; there is more than this surely 
necessary to satisfy the senses that such is a correct observa¬ 
tion. There is this seemingly heedless chance aggregation 
of particle to particle. Then the careful accumulation 
still further of these, then the aggregation and development 
of a delicate external filmy cell or egg membrane, then the 
further advancement of these existent conditions, and all 
those other important necessary conditions which must 
necessarily exist until the egg development is completed. 
Then the seemingly heedless change in form, and position, 
and character of the granular contents within. Granule 
here, granule there, some required here, others there; then 
the change of these into cell elements; then the taking of 
these latter to themselves of certain defined characters and 
certain defined functions; then the placing and arranging 
of these in their proper position for definite ends, and for 
the further development of the different component parts 
of the embryo organism. And then, and lastly, the further 
increase and development of all these varied processes to all 
complete maturity. I have, as will be seen, casually hurried 
over these points, but, 1 say again, that even in these lowly 
organisms there are life phenomena which themselves require 
more than a heedless chance of aggregation to bring them 
liii. 8 
