The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1879-01-14
Written for The. Spirit Of Democracy
What Had Left?
.SPRAGuE .Jannarv 1 Is

/ NNAhooSf Aol 1hos RpiilL VI -(6nOCrdCY.l
-" What Had Left?
/ slrl.s Is eSPRAGuE, January /, 1879. -.
| Il Ed SPIRIT. On the 9th ult > when /
was at Woods6eld to pay taxes, it 80
happened that l called in at the Audi
tors Office, where there were several
persons engaged in conversation. After
"a few common place remarks the subject
turned on the death of an elderly person
~ho had lately passed the bourne of ter
restrial being. The question was then
asked RuWhat had leftlrl to which there
.Hafe' several answers. One said that
lprotoplasm had left; some said his breath
had left . some said nothing had left
Then my opinion was called for. Not
feeling qnite willing to risk an opinion on
lsuch' aisuhect without little ref sction,
/ will now try to- give my opinion (pro1
lsided, however, my knowledge OF the
subj ct amounts to enoughto constitute
an opinion) My opinion is that there
has nothing left; only the machine has
got out of order and ceased to perform
| the necessary functions to constitute and
shstain that phenomena called Life; or,
in other words, the system has become
disorganized But then it is claimed by
some that there is no possible organize.
i,ion Of dead matter that can result in
life. We might admit this, but we are
not prepared to admit that there is any
such thing as dead matter Those per
sons that accept the theory of special
creation will fnd themselves at loss to
conceive any objecta Creator could have
had in view in creating gldead matter. 1t
would have been just as well not to ere.
Iiate at all as to create. a dead thing =.
while such as accept the theory of evo
luton can-fnd neither use nor place for
dead mattef,' hence We arrive at the con
tGlnsion that the universe is a living
whole. However, before we undertake
to show that life depends on the organi-
zation of matter, let it be understood
that we don't consider life to be a thing
absolute or ara entity. but mere result
proceeding from force inherent in mat
ter. Matter andItoree being inseparably
connected, and being indestructible, they
contain anelement offeternal existence.
and in matterSand force there is perpet-
ual tendency toaorganize. Organization
i'm any degree produces life. It may be
uni, ersal life, then chemical life then
vegetable,1 and finally animal life, which
is the highest order of life known at
present By one degree of organization
sensation may be produced by another,
consciousness; and more perfect or
ganizationi of matter may produce sym.
patty, and still higher may produce men
tality.l Hence we must agree with Prot
.Tyndal, "that in nature, to wit: in matter,
thereis contained both the promise and
the potency Of all manner of life p Life
separate and apart from organized mat
ter appears ID us to be u mere chlmera Of
"a Diseased BRAIN All life that is capable
OF demonstration is the result Of mate
riat organization. Death slonly trans
ition from one mode Of being to another,
or q Reorganization of matter From
the perpetual tendency of matter to or
ganize arises tine infinite transformation
of bodies And we may as well accept
the axiom: Gall being is eternal while
all modes of being are TRANSIENT" lo
\ We win now briefly consider the opinJ
ions of chose persons aforesaid as 10
'"What had left2" d AS to the breath be-
ing the thing that had left, We have only
to say that the breath is an element of
life, and only in degree more essential
than light or temperature, and indeed
there are so many things essentialto life
that it weuld be vain to attempt any de-
scription. ,i'i qExa sHl fiiiw : tao Isl y
AS to protoplasm having left it would
be well first to know just what proto
plasm is; it is a word Walker never heard
Of; Webster and Worcester use the word
to signify the first or fundamental prin.
ciples of vitality (but / have neither of
these works before me at this timel !, 1t
is claimed however that there are four
gases, to-wit:: Carbon, oxygen, nitrogen
and hydrogen, and that certain comb
nation Of these gases form the proto-
plasm Of vegetable life and a differ ent
combination forms the protoplasm OF
animal life. But just what are the com
ponent parts Of these gases viii not
undertake to, say. Now what are these
com binations Of gases but peculiar or.
ganization Of matter But we have not
yet answered the inquiry, What las, left.
Let us answer this ID true Yankee style
by asking other questions, What leaves
the min when it stops rnnning2 While
the engine and machinery remains all
right, the answer is the steam OF pro
pelling power. What leaves man when
he sleeps .Answer-!he propeliing pow
er which stimulates him has been ex.
hausted and his limbs and muscles cease
to act but; the animal system is so com
pletely organized that it. will re-supply
this stimuious after remaining in a. state
of repose for few hours. Now | viii
venture the assertion that the stimulous
which is being exhausted by every mo
| tion Of, either body or mind is nothing
more nor less than a combiuation Of tht
| aforesaid gases So similar is sleep to
death, that one may be said to be. hal
dead when asleep; there are stages il
sleep in which the physical organization
| may be at perfect rest while the mine
may be measurably active, this may ,b'
called the dreaming stage, and there ar
stages of sleep in which mind may b.
absent while; body may be in, vigorous
4 action, this may be called somnambula Ia
! But death never occurs until the ma
lterial organization becomes so impaired
leither by violence or the wear of tim
that it is incapable Of supplying itsel
with the necessary stimuleus of life :
Or until the organization is !, dissolved
| and another organization takes, plac
when, a new mode of life begins, such i
perpetual transmission OF the modes 0
being, And the infinite variety in. ma
lture, never admits of two organization
alike in all respects, snp4d Nv. N.
j GO, or Millions In It. gaas4
! Reports forothe last quarter alread
treceiyed at the Post4office ,Departmen
show saving of nearly 100000 i
Postma mastere' saIayins sinop tho 10 w w or