Page:Anecdotescatechi00spiruoft.djvu/71



On the  third  day  God  created  the  trees  and  green herbs; on  the  fifth  and  sixth  He  created  living creatures. Those who  assert  that  God  created  everything at  once,  and  that  the  things  He  had  called  into being were  developed  successively  on  the  several days of  creation,  are  greatly  mistaken. It is  quite impossible that  the  germs  of  vegetation  should  have existed on  the  first  day,  for  the  earth  was  then  in  a state  of  incandescence,  and  fire  destroys  life,  both vegetable and  animal. Moreover, out  of  lifeless  matter life  cannot  be  evolved: omne  vivum  ex  vivo.  Pasteur, the  professor  of  chemistry  in  Paris,  who  has made for  himself  a world-wide  reputation,  proved the truth  of  this  axiom  by  a series  of  experiments. He boiled  different  kinds  of  water  and  filled  bottles with them,  which  were  then  hermetically  sealed,  and left standing  for  a year. At the  lapse  of  that  time he examined  the  water  with  the  aid  of  a microscope, to ascertain  if  any  animalculse  were  in  it. No trace of any  living  creature  was  to  be  discovered  in  these bottles, whereas  in  every  single  drop  of  water  which had been  exposed  to  the  air  hundreds  of  living creatures were  found  to  exist. Thereupon he  exposed the  glasses  of  water  to  the  action  of  air  which had passed  through  red-hot  tubes,  but  no  animal  life was to  be  found  in  them. He next  exposed  them  to air  which  had  passed  through  tubes  partially  stuffed with wool; the  result  was  the  same. Finally the vessels containing  water  were  placed  in  the  open  air for a minute  only,  and  in  a few  hours’  time  the  water