VITALITY.  25

Deneloping,
during  the  recoil  of  all  these  groupings  of  atoms  of  both  vegetable
and  animal  organic  formations  to  their  natural  static  condition  of
carbonic  acid  gas  and  water,  the  inorganic  reaction  popularly  recog-
nized as  the  phenomena  of

Fermentation,

Combustion

Heat,

Light,

Electricity,

Steam  Power,

Animal  Motive  Power."

And  lie  should  have  added,  vegetable  motive  power ;
for  we  shall  show  that  plants  have  also  MOTIOIST.
The  forces  which  the  professor  mentions  as  "  antag-
onistic,"  are,  doubtless,  identical,  for  he  describes  them
under  a  single  term,  "  the  electro-dynamic  action  of  the
sun.^"*  At  any  rate,  they  are  harmonic,  and  reci]3rocat-
ing  in  their  work ;  and  there  is  a  parity  in  the  mechanism
of  their  instruments  of  production.
I  will  not  extend  the  limits  of  this  work  to  repeat
what  may  be  found  in  any  work  of  comparative
physiology,  in  order  to  show  how  nature  has  framed  the
first  germ-cells,  or  embryonic  net-work,  for  nutrition,
respiration,  generation,  &c.,  in  the  plant;  and  how,  by
specializations  more  and  more  complex  and  definite,
it  becomes  possible  for  individual  organisms  to  live
without  having  roots  in  the  ground,  and  to  move  from


26  HUMANICS.
place  to  place.  It  may  be  noted,  however,  en  passant^
that  at  the  boundary  between  vegetation  and  animality,
among  the  zoophytes,  for  instance,  the  animal  is
attached  to  a  root ;  while,  among  the  zoospores,  for
instance,  the  vegetable  moves  freely  in  space.
In  fact,  I  may  safely  assume,  on  the  authority  of
the  best  physiologists,  that  plants  have  throats,  lungs,
ducts,  pores,  intestines,  seminal  parts,  &c. ;  all  the
apparatus  necessary  for  their  rudimentary  process  of
nutrition,  respiration,  and  reproduction ;  else  how  could
they  perform  these  functions  ?

Hence,  a  portion  of  man's  nature  is  vegetal.
