The sun., 1903-06-14

Al some early time, in a manner that
we do not understand clearly to-day de-
.oite all our study. certain single, living
cejl beings appeared in the world.
These creatures, in consisting OF only
ope cell each. resembed the bacteria,
smoebas and similar infusoria OF to-day
In this characteristic.
Each of these cell beings carried out
all the undertakings of simple lie by itseh'
1t moved, multiplied through primitive
assure, betrayed certain sensations ana
took nourishment.
The methods of this nour!shment were
different. In one case inorganic minerai
mattcr was taken in as We see IL done to-day
among the plants; in the other case. organic
stufYs, already dissolved, were taken in
the shape OF other cell beings. as we see
feeding done to-day among the true AMI
mails. Both methods are to be seen to-day
among the bacteria.
Let us remain with those single cells
that already had reached the point OF nour-
ishing themselves a. animals. by conquer
ing other animals and weaker single cells
and devouring them.
This process of oevouring and the en-
tire process Of nutrition IN such simple
being proceeded without any organ-en-
tirely without stomach or intestine. just
as no single cell in our stcmachs has a
stomach Of it's own, so did that single cell
Of the dim past lack stomach.
It surrounded it's food with it's whole
jelly-like cell body took it in whole and di-
rested it whole, something as a drop OF
water will swallow tiny bit Of red color
and become permeated with it till it is red
through and through. We can still see this
primitive mode of feeding in living single
cells of our time.
Then there came the first great advance.
The primordia beings, hitherto strictly
solitary, came together here and there and
formed themselves into the very simplest
forms of communities.
Let US assume that about a hundred OF
such cell individuals formed a clump.
Each of them previously had moved itself
forward In the water by lengthening its
soft body intoa pointed thin thread, whose
f1immering motions whirled the tiny thing
ahead.
The newly formed clump Of communis-
tic cell creatures also needed such motion.
So, as the cells combined, each protuded
it's little filament end freely, and before long
the first mutual act Of the clump was to
achieve a certain measure Of motion by
which all the filaments were swung in even
tempo. Thus. at last. the whole clump
began to move in a forward direction.
II was a simple and natural result OF
this mutual act for the clump to acquire the
shape Of a bladder. Each single cell had
to remain in touch with the outer world
for its own preservation. Therefore, all
Of them crowded to the surface of the
sphere; the inner portion remained empty
I-xll ~.
sphere, was created.
A cell community of this kind, forming
hollow sphere and moving merrily in the
water through the rhythmic motion OF each
single cell. is not hypothetical thing, in
vented for the purpose of illustration. Such
communities live to-day in fresh as well as
salt waters.
The single cell individuals Of this little.
NO hard to it's outer edge merely for the
sake Of motion. The need for nourish-
ment made it mandatory.
Despite the new and close communion,
each cell still fed for itself Each had to
fish for it's own nourishment and digest
1t for itself. IF cell had fallen out Of the
outer circle into the inner part of the sphere
it would have died miserably from hunger.
And now We begin to sea how the food
problem reaped the greatest benefit from
this social community.
1t lay not only in the fact that the sphere
could reach new feeding places more quickly,
propelled as it was by united powers The
chief gain lay in a spontaneous division
OF labor.
Before that, whenever a single-cell arch
being obtained a choice bit of food, it would
become torpid for while. 1t drew its
fiament end in and lay still.
In the new community, too, whenever
single-cell ate, it would fall into this
digestive torpor. But now it was fast
in the mass that moved a. whole. Even
IL il was inactive itself, the sphere dragged
II along
50, even during it's digestive sleep. it
rolled toward new food supply, avoided
dangers, in brief enjoyed all the advantages
Of motion.
In exchange, the torpid single-cell paid
certain tribute to the contiguous cells
in return for their work. Through the
close crowding of the soft cell bodies it
became inevitable that some of the digest oil
juices from the fed cell should flow into
the neighboring cells.
Without its being willed by any Of them,
there began a compulsory cooperation.
II four cells moved another cell around
while it was torpid, they got some of the
food absorbed by it in return.
For a time. this, the most simple of all
forms Of mutual labor, took place, now
here, now there, wherever and whenever
cell happened TO seize food. But gradu-
ally this cooperation became practically
inevitable
The bladder, OF sphere. bored it's way
through the water in a straight line-one
polo in front, one pole behnd-to meet
the floating food. Now, what happened?
The cells in the forward end of the sphere
obtained the most food.
So in this part Of the sphere there de-
veloped a certain number of cells that fed
digested and became torpid continuously,
until at last they did nothing else, ceasing
entirely to furnish motive power to the ball
Rut to balance this, a constant stream of
juices flowed from these overfed cells into
the rest of the sphere. The division of
labor into feeding cells and motor cells
began to develop according to rule.
So one day there appeared sphere whose
forward pole consisted entirely of feeding
cells pure and simple, while the opposite
end consisted of motor cells alone