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.
Certain 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 crystals" 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
material. 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 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
discovered 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,