The Breath of Life

is a philosophical rather than a scientific view, and appeals to our intuitional and imaginative nature more than to our constructive reason. M. Bergson i

ration, augmenting in force as it advances. It is one with spirit, and is incessant creation; the whole organic world is filled, from bottom to top, wit

osophic mind and the trained literary mind will find in "Creative Evolution" a treasure-house of inspiring ideas, and engaging forms of original artistic expression. As Mr. Balfour sa

se which, like a huge manufacturing plant, grinds out vegetables and animals, minds and

iven it to live." In his view, matter is held in the iron grip of necessity, but life is freedom itself. "Before the evolution of life ... the portals of the future remain wide open. It is a creation that goes on forever in virtue of

action." True enough, no doubt, but not interesting. If the philosopher could tell us what it is that brings about the adjustment, and that profi

it takes up the raw material from the soil by a chemical and mechanical process, how these are brought into contact with the light and air through the leaves, and thus the cabbage is built up. In like manner, a man is a machine for converting chemical energy derived from the food

abbage and the man still re

ects them, so that one compounding of the elements begets a cabbage, and another compounding of the same elements begets an oak-one mixture of them and we have a frog, another and we have a man? Is th