The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-01-24

For the True Northerner.
Matter and GS f'J0lJcrfirS.
An essay bY DIR. NJ. Mason.

Matter IN It's most comprehensive
sense is anything that may, or can, occu
py space, and has the qualities OF length
breadth and thickness. Matter may be
solid, liquid or aoriform. Anything
that is capable of acting upon the senses
through It's force or agencies may be
called Matter Light, heat, electricity
and magnetism are called the imponder-
able agents because they are not acted
upon by the force of gravitatlon, and
are not by many wise Philosophers con
sidercd to BE- matter, but only the phe'
nomenon arising from the actions Of the
forces that characterize matter which
cause the aggrc cations and disiutegratlon
of the atoms that compose bodies
These phenomenon are not matter but
only the contingent effects of its action,
which like It's ancestry effect our senses.
These are not matter which is fully
shown by their being imponderablc.
Matter has certain essential properties
and qualities. These are extension, d.
visibility, impenctrability, porosity, mo.
bility, attraction or being attracted and
to these may be added polarity; and as
contingent properties may be added
elasticity, ductility and fuidity. The
Natural Philosopher and Chemist points
out by his analysis and his scrutinizing
bodies in their aggregations and disin-
tegrations and the phenomena resulting
from these conditions, and its matter
for the consideration of the logician
who can consider their relations and ef-
fects My aim shall be to point the
nature ut the properties of matter, ana
their contingent qualities, their associa.
tions and phenomenon.
Divisibility is property which be-
longs to every substance that can be
brought to the cognizance of our senses,
and can be carried on by the chemist
until the atoms Of its composition are
disintegrated, and arranged in their
respective groups, counted, measured or
weighed. This properly may be called
division, but more commonly is called
analysis. All substance whether solid,
liquid or gaseous has length, breadth
and thickness, whica is extension. Im-
penctrability is clearly demonstrated to
be property by the axiom that no two
bodies cen occupy the same space at the
same time. Porosity can only be ap.
piled 70 matter in the aggregate, but
will not apply to the atom. The poros.
ity of matter is fully proven by the
universal compressabllity Of all bodies
or substances. Any one acquainted
with chemistry knows that equal vol
umCs Of some different kinds OF matter
may be combined, and their combined
volumes will fall far below what they
were before combined. Again, grayita-
tion attracts all kinds of matter equally,
and if :his were not rule a cubic foot
of wood would weigh as much as cubic
foot of gold but as the gold is less
porous than the wood, it is evident that
it contains more matter than tAe lighter
body of the same dimensions Atoms,
in obedience to the laws OF attraction,
may culminate in lines or in spikes.
having polarity rs the magnet. and ihi-
formation Of atoms may by the attrac
tlon or uu'on OF their positive poi55 b.
joined at oac extremity and repelIcd az
tie negative pole, - that the aggrega-
tiou may appear like the thistle down,
r.datug from Lhe seed d, It floats In
the atmosphere Nature and philosophy
gives ample proofs Of these conditions
IN TIE formation Of the snowflake and
all crystals; hence v. iu,cr thai the
formation OF all matter is ii obedience
to tbs la~. When wt compare in the
balance a cubic inch Of glass aud a
cubic inch of gold we find them very
unequal in regard 10 their weight, aud
by this disparity of weight we infer thas
glass is more porous than gold. From
the above considerations of matter in
the aggregate, the following deductions
are drawn:
1st--That matter, ia obedience to
the laws of attraction, repulsion and as
sociatioa, is formed iuto crystals, and
these crystals are reformed by their
polarity into other crystals, and so on
until they reach their ultimate, that is,
the formation of a compound body.
2nd-That were not these conditions
a rule, the mattor composing the earth
might not fiji the space of cubic mile.
3d-That by polarity and cohesion,
or the mutual attraction of the particles
that form body acting in concert or
adversely, depend the hardness, sof,ness,
duclility, elasticity, liquidIty or fiuidity
as these forces acting in greater or
Lesser degree.
Attraction IN lis most significant
sense, implies that force or power that
one BODY eXerts on another, which causes
their approximation aud contact Mat
ter, by the force of attraction, may act.
aud at the same time be acted upon, bv
the same force in another body, or by u
variety of similar forces acting in the
atoms composing that body, thereby
giving rise to the different varieties of
attraction Hence We may donominatc
these forces by this we'll established
nomenclature chemical, cohesive, adj