t simplicity. Through the
law and force of gravitation these mysteries were brought within the
grasp of human understanding. They ceased to be looked upon as
supernatural, and became natural phenomena as soon as the force of
gravitation was accepted as a part of nature.

In other branches of natural phenomena the same history followed. The
forces and laws of chemical affinity were formulated and studied, and
physical laws and forces were comprehended. As these natural forces were
grasped it became, little by little, evident that the various phenomena
of nature were simply the result of nature's forces acting in accordance
with nature's laws. Phenomena hitherto mysterious were one after another
brought within the realm of law, and as this occurred a smaller and
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 t