effortbeopened.ProfessorMurraymadeseveralprofoundremarkstohiswhitetieandtothewater-carafeuponthetable,withahumorous,twinklingasidetothesilvercandlestickuponhisright.Thenhesatdown,andMr.Waldron,thefamouspopularlecturer,roseamidageneralmurmurofapplause.Hewasastern,gauntman,withaharshvoice,andanaggressivemanner,buthehadthemeritofknowinghowtoassimilatetheideasofothermen,andtopassthemoninawaywhichwasintelligibleandeveninterestingtothelaypublic,withahappyknackofbeingfunnyaboutthemostunlikelyobjects,sothattheprecessionoftheEquinoxortheformationofavertebratebecameahighlyhumorousprocessastreatedbyhim.
Itwasabird's-eyeviewofcreation,asinterpretedbyscience,which,inlanguagealwaysclearandsometimespicturesque,heunfoldedbeforeus.Hetoldusoftheglobe,ahugemassofflaminggas,flaringthroughtheheavens.Thenhepicturedthesolidification,thecooling,thewrinklingwhichformedthemountains,thesteamwhichturnedtowater,theslowpreparationofthestageuponwhichwastobeplayedtheinexplicabledramaoflife.Ontheoriginoflifeitselfhewasdiscreetlyvague.Thatthegermsofitcouldhardlyhavesurvivedtheoriginalroastingwas,hedeclared,fairlycertain.Thereforeithadcomelater.Haditbuiltitselfoutofthecooling,inorganicelementsoftheglobe?Verylikely.Hadthegermsofitarrivedfromoutsideuponameteor?Itwashardlyconceivable.Onthewhole,thewisestmanwastheleastdogmaticuponthepoint.Wecouldnot—oratleastwehadnotsucceededuptodateinmakingorganiclifeinourlaboratoriesoutofinorganicmaterials.Thegulfbetweenthedeadandthelivingwassomethingwhichourchemistrycouldnotasyetbridge.ButtherewasahigherandsubtlerchemistryofNature,which,workingwithgreatforcesoverlongepochs,mightwellproduceresultswhichwereimpossibleforus.Therethemattermustbeleft.
Thisbroughtthelecturertothegreatladderofanimallife,beginninglowdowninmolluscsandfeebleseacreatures,thenuprungbyrungthroughreptilesandfishes,tillatlastwecametoakangaroo-rat,acreaturewhichbroughtforthitsyoungalive,thedirectancestorofallmammals,andpresumably,therefore,ofeveryoneintheaudience.("No,no,"fromascepticalstudentinthebackrow.)Iftheyounggentlemanintheredtiewhocried"No,no,"andwhopresumablyclaimedtohavebeenhatchedoutofanegg,wouldwaitu