The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1907-07-11
Paper Read Before the Chautauqln Circle.

Paper Read Before the Cn0uJ0uQM C"cN'
- HE purpose of this article,
~V as the title indicates, is to
show what life is; why and
~ how it originated and why |
it continues to exist. 10
accomplish this it becomes /
necessary to draw on the imagination;
to transcend the bounds OF comprenen-
sion as it were. At the same time, by
my several ontogene1-
tc theories to known scientific facts tne
technicalities and, apparent, hyper
boles will SAVIOR less of ingenious dlc-
tion, besides arriving at phylogentic
conclusions which, if not convincing
will at least prove interesting.
Natural science, especially anthro-
pogeny, ontogeny, morphology ana
comparative anatomy has thrown
wealth of light on organic phenome-
non, but in such way that the funda-
mental principle of life itself, i. O.,
causality, is not only touched on n.y.
pothetically but commences with atoms
and germs leaving an impression ap-
proximating, in measure, to the pre-
formation or the super-causal theories
of the so-caAed revelations. Anthro-
pogeny, thru ontogeny and compara'
tive anatomy, traces life to single
celled organism of the Lsurentian Pc
riod. 1t lays bare the geneaaogy OF
tribal history from protlsta to man,
aud while It can substantiate the COR
rslation OF physical essentials in every
form of organized matter, it still gropes
6lindly for the voltsic sparks that in
dues the atom with motion, gravity
and attraction. ,-.
Theoretically, this ancient ancestor
of ours was an anlmalcule having it's
originin spontaneous generation. This,
however, does not account for either
the origin OF perpetuation of life be-
cause spontaneous generation, orrather
chemical perturbation, cannot, OF Its
own accord, oscillate rapid enough to
form an organized center of force that
must, necessarily, exist before the phe-
nomenon of physical responsiveness to
the elements is possible. Approx
mately, all matter Is of chemical ma
ture and the coalescence of the various
phosphatee and acids cause combustion,
vitiating the individual power and
consistency of it's molecules by assimi-
iating and forming compounds. Ken
ogenetically, the interaction of two OF
more atoms of unorganized matter
oscillating at speed inconceivable-
while destructive to the individual
properties of the mass have tendencies
to Capitalization, organizing, thru these
miniature explosions, the protOplasm
that nourishes the nucleus of every
living cell.
Every atom Of matter in existence
from the delicate veins in the corpus
callosum to the insignificant grain oi
sand, is made up of organized cells ir
their liquid, viscuous, calciferous an(
petrified states and each microscopic
atom contains a nucleus. The neo
pallioz or mind cell, about half al
large as common pin head, is, so fa
as physical science has discovered, thu
most complicated, having in it's nu
cieus a nucleolus and in the latter
0ucleolinus, the whole surrounded b.
q protoplasmic network of fibrill@.
call attention to the complexity o
this cell because in man and the highe
fishes, in fact the entire vertebrat
Kingdom, its electric and chemical az
sociations, as we'll as structural differ
entiations are physically identica
Previous to the year 1904 physics
science and chemistry was based 0
the infinitely small and mathematical
indivisible atoms; that is. exclusive {
theoretical moleculer division. Withth
recent discoveries In electromentolog,
however, these diEinutive specks al
broken up into hundreds and Thousand
of particles called corpuscles. Electr'
mentology is, believe, 9 combinatio
OF electro-dynamics, mathematics an
advasced Psychology, atleast each