A German scientist recently performed a remarkable experiment with certain metallic salts.  He subjected the salts to the action of a galvanic current, when to his surprise the particles of the salts grouped themselves around the negative pole of the battery, and then grew into a shape closely resembling a miniature mushroom, with tiny stem and umbrella top.  These metallic mushrooms at first presented a transparent appearance, but gradually developed color, the top of the umbrella being a bright red, with a faint rose shade on the under surface.  The stems showed a pale straw color.  This was most interesting, but the important fact of the experiment consists in the discovery that these mushrooms have fine veins or tubes running along the stems, through which the nourishment, or additional material for growth, is transported, so that the growth is actually from the inside, just as is the case with fungus life.  To all intents and purposes, these inorganic metallic growths were low forms of vegetable his.

But the search for Life does not end with the forms of the mineral world as we know them.  Science has separated the material forms into smaller forms, and again still smaller.  And if there is Life in the form composed of countless particles, then must there be Life in the particles themselves.  For Life cannot come from non-Life, and if there be not Life in the particles, the theory of Omnipresent Life must fan.  So we must look beyond the form and shape of the mineral—­mist separate it into its constituent parts, and then examine the parts for indications of Life.

Science teaches us that all forms of matter are compiled of minute particles called molecules.  A molecule is the smallest particle of matter that is possible, unless the chemical atoms composing the matter fly apart and the matter be resolved into its original elements.  For instance, let us take the familiar instance of a drop of water.  Let us divide and subdivide the drop, until at last we get to the smallest possible particle of water.  That smallest possible particle would be a “molecule” of water.  We cannot subdivide this molecule without causing its atoms of hydrogen and oxygen to fly apart—­and then there would be no water at all.  Well, these molecules manifest a something called Attraction for each other.  They attract other molecules of the same kind, and are likewise attracted.  The operation of this law of attraction results in the formation of masses of matter, whether those masses be mountains of solid rock, or a drop of water, or a volume of gas.  All masses of matter are composed of aggregations of molecules, held together by the law of attraction.  This law of attraction is called Cohesion.  This Cohesive Attraction is not a mere mechanical force, as many suppose, but is an exhibition of Life action, manifesting in the presence of the molecule of a “like” or “love” for the similar molecule.  And when the Life energies begin to manifest on a certain plane, and proceed to mould the molecules into crystals, so that we may see the actual process under way, we begin to realize very clearly that there is “something at work” in this building up.