smaller portion of them were left within the realm of the so-called
supernatural. By the middle of this century this advance had reached a
point where scientists, at least, were ready to believe that nature's
forces were all-powerful to account for nature's phenomena. Science had
passed from the reign of mysticism to the reign of law.

But after chemistry and physics, with all the forces that they could
muster, had exhausted their powers in explaining natural phenomena,
there apparently remained one class of facts which was still left in the
realm of the supernatural and the unexplained. The phenomena associated
with living things remained nearly as mysterious as ever. Life appeared
to be the most inexplicable phenomena of nature, and none of the forces
and laws which had been found sufficient to account for other
departments of nature appeared to have much influence in rendering
intelligible the phenomena of life. Living organisms appeared to be
actuated by an entirely unique force. Their shapes and structure showed
so many marvellous adaptations to their surroundings as to render it
apparently certain that their adjustment must have been the result of
some intelligent planning, and not the outcome of blind force. Who
could look upon the adaptation of the eye to light without seeing in It
the result of intelligent design? Adaptation to conditions is seen in
all animals and plants. These organisms are evidently complicated
machines with their parts intricately adapted to each other and to
surrounding conditions. Apart from animals and plants the only other
similarly adjusted machines are those which have been made by human
intelligence; and the inference seemed to be clear that a similar
intelligence was needed to account for the _living machine_. The blind
action of physical forces seemed inadequate. Thus the phenomena of life,
which had been studied longer than any other phase of nature, continued
to stand aloof from the rest and refused to fall into line with the