English
We may consider the life actions of the Moneron a little further, for it is the lowest form of so-called "living matter" — the point at which living forms pass off into non-living forms (so-called). This tiny speck of glue — an organism without organs — is endowed with the faculty called sensation. It draws away from that which is likely to injure it, and toward that which it desires — all in response to an elementary sensation. It has the instinct of self-preservation and self-pro- tection. It seeks and finds its prey, and then eats, digests and assimilates it. It is able to move about by "false-feet," or bits of its body which it pushes forth at will from any part of its substance. It reproduces itself, as we have seen, by separation and self-division. OMNIPRESENT LIFE. 33 The life of the bacteria and germs — the yeasty forms of life — are familiar to many of us. And yet there are forms of life still below these. The line between living forms and non-living forms is being set back further and further by science. Living creatures are now known that resemble the non-living so closely that the line cannot be definitely drawn. Living creatures are known that are capable of being dried and laid away for several years, and then may be revived by the application of moisture. They resemble dust, but are full of life and function. Cer- tain forms of bacilli are known to Science that have been subjected to degrees of heat and cold that are but terms to any but the scientific mind. Low forms of life called Diatoms or "living crys- tals" are known. They are tiny geometrical forms. They are composed of a tiny drop of plasm, resembling glue, covered by a thin shell of siliceous or sandy ma- terial. They are visible only through the microscope, and are so small that thousands of them might be gathered together on the head of a pin. They are so like chemical crystals that it requires a shrewd and careful observer to distinguish them. And yet they are alive, and perform all the functions of life. Leaving these creatures, we enter the kingdom of the crystals, in our search for life. Yes, the crystals manifest life, as strange as this statement may appear to those who have not followed the march of Science. The crystals are born, grow, live, and may be killed by chemicals or electricity. Science has added a new 34 GNANI YOGA. department called "Plasmology," the purpose of which is the study of crystal life. Some investigators have progressed so far as to claim that they have discov- ered signs of rudimentary sex functioning among crystals. At any rate, crystals are born and grow like living things. As a recent scientific writer has said: "Crystallization, as we are to learn now, is not a mere mechanical grouping of dead atoms. It is a birth." The crystal forms from the mother liquor, and its body is built up systematically, regularly, and accord- ing to a well defined plan or pattern, just as are the body and bones of the animal form, and the wood and bark of the tree. There is life at work in the growth of the crystal. And not only does the crystal grow, but it also reproduces itself by separation or splitting- off, just as is the case with the lower forms of life, just mentioned. The principal point of difference between the growth and development of the crystals and that of the lower forms of life referred to is that the crystal takes its nourishment from the outside, and builds up from its outer surface, while the Monera absorbs its nourish- ment from within, and grows outwardly from within. If the crystal had a soft center, and took its nourish- ment in that way, it would be almost identical with the Diatom, or, if the Diatom grew from the outside, it would be but a crystal. A very fine dividing line. Crystals, like living forms, may be sterilized and rendered incapable of reproduction by chemical pro- cess, or electrical discharges. They may also be OMNIPRESENT LIFE. 35 "killed" and future growth prevented in this manner. Surely this looks like "Life," does it not? To realize the importance of this idea of life among the crystals, we must remember that our hardest rocks and metals are composed of crystals, and that the dirt and earth upon which we grow and live are but crumbled rock and miniature crystals. Therefore the very dust under our feet is alive. There is nothing dead. There is no transformation of "dead matter" into live plant matter, and then into live animal mat- ter. The chemicals are alive, and from chemical to man's body there is but a continuous change of shape and form of living matter. Any man's body, decomposing, is again resolved into chemicals, and the chain begins over again. Merely changes in living forms — that's all, so far as the bodies are concerned. Nature furnishes us with many examples of this presence of life in the inorganic world. We have but to look around to see the truth of the statement that All is Alive. There is that which is known as the "fatigue of elasticity" in metals. Razors get tired, and require a rest. Tuning forks lose their powers of vibration, to a degree, and have to be given a vaca- tion. Machinery in mills and manufactories needs an occasional day off. Metals are subject to disease and infection, and have been poisoned and restored by anti- dotes. Window glass, especially stained glass, is sub- ject to a disease spreading from pane to pane. Men accustomed to handling and using tools and machinery naturally drop into the habit of speaking 36 GNANI YOGA. of these things as if they were alive. They seem to recognize the presence of "feeling" in tools or ma- chine, and to perceive in each a sort of "character" or personality, which must be respected, humored, or coaxed in order to get the best results. Perhaps the most valuable testimony along these lines, and which goes very far toward proving the centuries-old theories of the Yogis regarding Omni- present Life, comes from Prof. J. Chunder Bose, of the Calcutta University, a Hindu educated in the Eng- lish Universities, under the best teachers, and who is now a leading scientific authority in the western world. He has given to the world some very valuable scien- tific information along these lines in his book entitled "Response in the Living and Non-living" which has caused the widest comment and created the greatest interest among the highest scientific authorities. His experiments along the lines of the gathering of evi- dence of life in the inorganic forms have revolution- ized the theories of modern science, and have done much to further the idea that life is present every- where, and that there is no such thing as dead matter. He bases his work upon the theory that the best and only true test for the presence of life in matter is the response of matter to external stimulus. Proceeding from this fundamental theory he has proven by in- numerable experiments that so-called inorganic mat- ter, minerals, metals, etc., give a response to such stimulus, which response is similar, if not identical, to the response of the matter composing the bodies of plants, animals, men. OMNIPRESENT LIFE. 37 He devised delicate apparatus for the measurement of the response to the outside stimulus, the degree, and other evidence being recorded in traces on a revolving cylinder. The tracings or curves obtained from tin and other metals, when compared with those obtained from living muscle, were found to be identical. He used a galvanometer, a very delicate and accurate sci- entific instrument, in his experiments. This instru- ment is so finely adjusted that the faintest current will cause a deflection of the registering needle, which is delicately swung on a tiny pivot. If the galvanometer be attached to a human nerve, and the end of the nerve be irritated, the needle will register. Prof. Bose found that when he attached the gal- vanometer to bars of various metals they gave a simi- lar response when struck or twisted. The greater the irritation applied to the metal, the greater the response registered by the instrument. The analogy between the response of the metal and that of the living muscle was startling. For instance, just as in the case of the living animal muscle or nerve matter, the response be- comes fatigued, so in the case of the metal the curve registered by the needle became fainter and still fainter, as the bar became more and more fatigued by the continued irritation. And again, just after such fatigue the muscle would become rested, and would again respond actively, so would the metal when given a chance to recuperate. Tetanus due to shocks constantly repeated, was caused and recovered. Metals recorded evidences of 38 GNANI YOGA. fatigue. Drugs caused identical effects on metals and animals — some exciting; some depressing; some kill- ing. Some poisonous chemicals killed pieces of metal, rendering them immobile and therefore incapable of registering records on the apparatus. In some cases antidotes were promptly administered, and saved the life of the metal. Prof. Bose also conducted experiments on plants in the same way. Pieces of vegetable matter were found to be capable of stimulation, fatigue, excitement, depres- sion, poison. Mrs. Annie Besant, who witnessed some of these experiments in Calcutta, has written as follows regarding the experiments on plant life: "There is something rather pathetic in seeing the way in which the tiny spot of light which records the pulses in the plant, travels in ever weaker and weaker curves, when the plant is under the influence of poison, then falls into a final despairing straight line, and — stops. One feels as though a murder has been committed — as in- deed it has." In one of Prof.