272 
TRANSACTIONS OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
authority on molecular physics as Professor Stokes says, in his 
Presidential Address before the British Association, "Admitting 
to the full as highly probable, though not completely demonstrated, 
the applicability to living beings of the laws which have been 
ascertained with reference to dead matter, I feel constrained, at the 
same time, to admit the existence of a mysterious something lying 
beyond, a something sui generis, which I regard not as balancing 
and suspending the ordinary physical laws, but as working with 
them and through them to the attainment of a designed end." 
Thus far then I have endeavoured to set one over against 
another, with as much impartiality as possible, the pros and cons 
with respect to the origin of Life from purely inorganic materials. 
But I have already intimated that there are some who, for what 
they deem good reasons, reject that view; and yet, pushing the 
principle of Continuity to its logical issue, maintain that Life in 
the first instance did come from some prior condition of things — 
only not from dead matter. It would occupy too much time to 
enter into particulars. A brief statement must suffice. 
The remark of Professor Stokes just quoted touches the point 
of departure from those who hold to the first Life being only the 
more definite development of pre-existing physical conditions. 
That in the organization of the first Life there were in full force 
the laws which necessarily govern all material combinations is 
highly probable, since an organism, being made up of molecules, is 
an embodiment of certain chemical and molecular principles ; and 
it is this physical aspect of the case which leads some to the 
conclusion that the physical laws thus embodied in a definite 
organism grow to be what they are in that organism out of some- 
thing physical but less definite, and that they and the constituent 
atoms are all that makes up the so-called Life. It is this view 
which accounts for some of the definitions of Life found in the 
works of Biologists; e.g., "Life is the co-ordination of actions;" 
4 ' Imperfect co-ordination is disease ; " "Arrest of co-ordination is 
death." (Spencer.) But there surely is, says Professor Stokes, not 
only this, but "something beyond." The same conception was 
entertained by the late Professor Stewart, who says that Life is to 
be regarded rather as a "consummate strategist, who, sitting in 
his secret chamber over his wires, directs the movements of a 
great army." 5 
5 Unseen Universe, p. 145. 
