Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-02-19
Concluded from first page.l


mcnt, and finer in quality than the vegetable and
nothing more. Butt do uotpropose to admttha the
phenomena Of vegetable life is purely oeJecliVe'
Life, beginning with the simplest crystalized TORN
and ending with that most complex OF all organ
isms man. 10 always the result Of the union OF two
conditions, an objective and a subjective condition
matter and force. Wherever You find lie you
will find these two conditions. You have been SO
accustomed to think Of force as some characters
tic Of matter that you are hardly prepared 10 ao'
NIT that force is not property of matter at all
but to establish this grand truth is the object OF
this paper. :.
/ have refused, then, in the outset to admit
what Huxley and Tyndcll assume to be true, VIZ
that vegetable life is purely material. 1he heA'
point arbitrarily assumed is the existence oil pro-
toplasm to start WITH for neither animals or plants
can sssimilate unmodifed elements when go 10
make protoplasm, but the animal must take IL IeaoY
made from the vegetable, and by certain suotie III
huences convert it into living animal pro;oplasin.
What the nature of those certain subtle lnhu-
ences may be we are left TO conjecture. 1hey
avoid this point which is the one most Oh an COZ
corning which wish information indeeo, u
problem Of life is concealed here. HOW Is ueeu
matter transformed into living, and what Is the
nature of those influences or forces when attenu
the transformation These questions eiuae the
ANALYSIS of Prof Huxley,s science lof tue SAINT
reason that the manner in which Inc sensatloLs
which are produced by the waves OF h2ht 'i1plns
ing upon the corona Of the eye, are Translated
into a consciousness of sight. Because there Is
some change deeper and more hidden than the re :,
hex action which occurs IN the gray matter Of
ganslonic ceptefs. The vegetable must III turn
have organized matter for lis support Here the
pre-existence of Org anized matter must be grant
ed Fl ON the lowest to the highest point OF HE 10
act as q falcrum for tue elevation OF dead ciemen-
tary matter into living organized matter. Now,
then, il oxygen, hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen
contain all Of the potencies and latent posrloll
ties of all the highest forms Of life, even stats OF
consciousness. they must certainly possess the
power of developing into those conditions without
the aid of pre-exsting organized matter.
But all our knowledge OF life and all Our ac-
tons are founded upou the fact that elementary
matter has no power by which it can make the
least advance in This direction. The great tdnda
mental truth OF natural philosophy Is that matter
il absolutely inert, and possesses no powerto move
or act unless acted upon. The senses OF man are
exquisitely adapted to recognize matter IN every
possible condition, and state ii as an lneontro-
vertable truth that no form condition OF matter
exists which cannot be recognized by any OF the
senses IL immater al, and that which IS immaterl-
al is not property of matter
Now force is that which flows into matter and
imparts to it activity and motion 1t the ndwel-
ing essence that gives 10 matter Its definite shapes
and fits it for its various uses.
Under the names of heat, light, electricity, mag
netism, galvanism, chemical affinity and gravity,
have been designated most Of the activities of mat
ter. All these were believed TO be elementary
principles, with distinct characteristics and prop
critics. In the progress of science, however more
and more intimate connection found to exist
between these forces. The molecular attractions
known As chemical affinity, were seen to have
striking analogy with the mNual attractions of
the great planetary masses oftbe universe. Heat
and light were observed to accompany many OF
the manifestations OF chemical affinity well as OF
electricity and magnetism, especially when the
motion OF these forces when in operation was IN
terrupted.
More recently the exact equivalent of heat and
mechanical force, and their mutual conver,ibihty
have been demonstrated. This conception has
finally had birth in the wonde rful discovery Of :se
unity of sll the so called physical forces which
like the dawn Of a new revelation has poured a
food of light into every department OF scientific in
vestigaton, grouping together in harmonious
manner all known facts, arranging and co-ordi- /
mating them, and rapidly assigning to each new /
discovery its relative value and appropriate sta
tion In all the history of science We shall find no
theory SO grand SO well supper ted OF facts and of
so universal application. These arc no longer
forces then, in the sense of independent natural,
agencies but there is force energy which flows
down into matter mapfesting itsel: as heat, light
electricity, chemical affinity and in other ways ac
cordipg to the various uses it has to serve. All
these may be said to be modes of motion, ard me-
ton Is the sensible operation OF force.
Force is the internal quality which causes the
mutual attrac ton Of the atoms, and Is the essence
of heat. The forces which first drew atoms of
matter together are identical with the forces which
affinity first caused atoms Of ydro2en and oxygen
TO unite in the form of water, and chemical ahini-
ty holds these atoms in union to-day. There was
time when all the matter Of which this universe
is composed existed in an elementary condition.
Inasmuch as the laws of existence are identical
with the laws of creation, it follows as logical
sequence that the forces which first evolved life
out of elementary matter, are the forces which
ganize and move and control matter to-day. We
are thus led 10 see that the protoplasm cell is not
~, &c hoe ,i,v al
points when objective matter meets forces of a
certain character which develop an organized
force. Take two cells starting with vitality at the
same time and watch their development. One
very soon grows into a butterfly. The other has
longer journey before it, and travels more slow
~, and passing through various embryological
transformations puts on the form OF an elephant
One dutters through It's existence in month and
the "'""- lives century. II Is qntc certain that
in neither structure could have been deveo ped
without .Ie. To say that these Inherent germi "a
tlous and transformations are owing to some ia
herent to &c Of matter not only fails to satisfy the
mind but is contradiction in Itself We imme !
dAtely seek TO know how il came to be invested
with such force. Elementary matter being alb o.
lutey inert, It follows that the possibilities of life
reside in force which is not ,sty of matter,
but exists discrete degree above II and is in it,
essence supernatural OF spiritual.
l have said that the ultimate facts of science
are located upon that boundary line which sepa- ,
life. With The tele.c cope in one hand aud the mi
croscope in the other, the of science directs +
his gaze first into the blue profound of the starry
heavens, and then into the lnmo.t recesses of life
around about him. A nebuous mass with dense
necus bounds The view in one direction and vi +.
brating indicated cell in the other intoity hes be- /
yond in either direction. But this ninity is not
an infinite extension of matter, nor iLfuite null /
tiplicity of the CONDITIONS OF matter Scientific /
investigation Of the future must and will rise to a
higher plane. When science discovers the
nature Of the relation existing between thought .
and speech, between sensatij and conscious.
ness, II will have the golden key which will [
unlock the treasure house Of the universe. But
other considerations than the conditions ard
changes in matter necessary to efl, ct th, dis
covery. The simple truth that a state or fact of
consciousness is correlated with definite molecu-
lar condition Of brain mater, should not Il ad men
to conclude that the one is simply the other exit
ing in a changed condition. There Is an active
and immaterial principle of being derived from
the Creator and being precedent organism il puts
on form and control IL. 1t is the physiological or
subjective side Of existeuce and is u dscreie de-
gree above matter. 1t is for the sciepce Of the iu-
ture to demonstrate the nature Of the relation be-
tween the two.
.-.-.-IHss-T-r -.
Tho Me