n analysis of the brain-content of your professor, _began_ its
unfoldment in somewhat the same manner as our own. But in your smaller
system, less perfectly adjusted than our own to the cosmic mechanism,
a series of cataclysms occurred. In fact, your planetary system was
itself the result of a catastrophe, or of what might have been a
catastrophe, had the two great suns collided whose near approach
caused the wrenching off of your planets. From this colossal accident,
rare, indeed, in the annals of the stars, an endless chain of
accidents was born, a chain of which this specimen, this professor,
and the species that he represents, is one of the weakest links.

"Your infinite variety of species is directly due to the variety of
adaptations necessitated by this train of accidents. In the
super-universe from which I come, such derangements of the celestial
machinery simply do not happen. For this reason, our evolution has
unfolded harmoniously along one line of development, whereas yours
has branched out into diversified and grotesque expressions of the
Life-Principle. Your so-called highest manifestation of this
principle, namely, your own species, is characterized by a great
number of specialized organs. Through this very specialization of
functions, however, you have forfeited your individual immortality,
and it has come about that only your life-stream is immortal. The
primal cell is inherently immortal, but death follows in the wake of
specialization.

* * * * *

"We, the beings of this amoeba universe, are individually immortal. We
have no highly specialized organs to break down under the stress of
environment. When we want an organ, we create it. When it has served
its purpose, we withdraw it into ourselves. We reach out our tentacles
and draw to ourselves whatsoever we desire. Should a tentacle be
destroyed, we can put forth another.

"Our universe is beautiful beyond the dreams of your most inspired
poets. Whereas your landscapes, though lovely, are stationary,
unchangeable except through herculean efforts, ours are Protean,
eternally changing. With our own substance, we build our minarets of
light, piercing the aura of infinity. At the bidding of our wills we
create, preserve, destroy--only to build again more gloriously.

"We draw our sustenance from the primates, as do your plants, and we
constantly replace the electronic base of these primates with our own
emanations, in mu