The herald., 1895-08-08

argument beyond refutation that there
| are several units of m after instead OF
| one; also that each condition OF matter
| is an aggregation OF particular unit OF
matter. In other words. tne moiecuies
| of the gaseous liquid, and solid conditions
| form three classes OF molecules. These
| conclusions in regard to the matter and
its conditions may be formulated as q
law, simil to that of the conservation
OF energy. Matter is indestructible; all
| its changes are simply the result of
the transformation of its exising units
| into other correlative units. either
higher or lower than the changed unit,
1 as the case may be.
II has been calculated that if all ponder
! able matter of our solar system could be
| evenly distributed in sphere having a
J radius equal to that of Neptune'S orbit,
| then the vaporous matter composing this
! sphere would be SO rare that its density
| would be only the 553-millionth of an
| atmosphere. But il the vaporous sphere
was evolved, had in reality according to
| the belief of astronomers. radius of
two billion miles. then the density of this
! matter could only have been the 600, 000-
| pillionth part Of the density of hydrogen
| English notatlon).
F., From the above calculations we see
, that the nebuar mist could not have
| been the atomic condition of matter, be-
| cause the different forms OF the latter
cannot be so very much lighter than
the corresponding gaseous molecular
matter Therefore, the density even of
| the atomic condition of hydrogen would
| be so much greater than that required
| for the mist. so that it would preclude
| us from saying the two Gere synony-
| nous. Are we then TO conclude that there
| is q Still higher condition of matter than
the atomic? If we do, we will at once
| m eet with an objection found in every
| system If philosophy: that the atoms are
ri n hia iDIlniIqv rd
etc.
But nearly all the leading minds of this
country who have investigated the sub
ject rebel .more or less against this con-
ception of the atom for the conception
of the unity OF matter is even moro
fascinating than that of the nebulai mist
In fact, the helisf that there is a prim-
ordial substance out of which all matter
is formed is AS old as the oldest known
phllosophy-the Sanskrit-Aryan. The
absorbing idea of the alchemists, i.e.,
the transmutation of metals, contains
the explicit assumption that all kinds of
matter are in the ultimate one matter.
So also does the celebrated hypothesis of
DR.. Prout and the more modem con-
ception of the periodcity of the chemical
elem ents. A large number of quotations
ight be made, if roo., afforded. from
Descartes, Herbert Spencer, Lothair,
Myer. Tyndall and many others, show
ing their belief in this conception.
1t may then be asked. are there any
reasons or observed facts indicating that
q higher state of matter than the atomic
exists? The late well known authority,
Prof. ]. Clerk Maxwell, said: ''There
can be no doIbt the interplanetary and
interstelar spaces are not empty. but are
occupied by material substance or
body, which is certainly the largest and
probably the most uniform body of which
We have any knowledge" Other quota
ilor ha ertu hn
writings of Newton. Enler. Lami.
Lord Kelvin. Profs. Wood, Maxwell
Lodge and others. One of the newer text
books on physics-Danlels--h has the follow
ing ON the ether: We can know matter
only by it's properties. which We perceive
by the senses. The existence of any form
of matter is to us only an inferepce from
the phenomena to which it gives rise;
and if a large group of phenomena find
their best or their only explanation in
the assumed existence of form of mat
ter of an unfam thar kind, the evidence
of its existence is OF exactly the same
character as that on the ground of which
we believe ourselves entitled to assert |
the existence of any kind of matter what
soever.
The interplanetary ether must neces-
sarily be correlated with the other lower
conditions of matter. otherwise we would
have two kinds of matter having different
origins. We have a better conception of
the atmosphere If we consider the ether
as correlated form of matter for we
can then divide the atmosphere into
those portions viz, the gaseous
molecular, the atomic and the etheric
atmospheres. The limit of the latter at
the earth's equator is about %, 329 miles.
Again. if the ether is a correlated con-
dition of matter then under appropriate
conditions its transformation into ordl-
nary matter, or the evolvement OF the
latter into the ether, is possible. AS
we have seen, this is also possib BILE OF the
neoular mist. Both the ether and the
mist being accepted as being higher forms
of matter, we can now ask the question,
are they the same form OF matter but
differently named?
All the properties deduced for the ether
by Wood, Kelvin. Maxwell. Preston and
others are exactly the same as those re.
quired for the nebular mist, with this
one great exceltion-the mist is supposed
to have been very hot. while the evil
dences are that the interplanetary ether
is very cold. That the mist was very hot
Is an unnecessary assumption. since more
than the amount of heat required for the
problem is derived from the condensation
of the ether, the specific heat of which is
enormous. Professor Wood has made the
calculation that the heat necessary to
raise onespound of ether one degree would
raise %. ZOO, 900 tons OF water 100 degrees.
Therefore,. while the ether tsel is very
cold, when 1t is condensed into atomic
and then Into gaseous matter, the two
forms of matter must be very hot and re-
main so for considerable time. even if
the ether condensed very slowly, for un-
der the conditions the heat would radiate
but slowly. The above several premises
being accepted. we may then draw the
conclusion that the matter of the nebu-
lar mist is the matter Of the ether, and
that in this sense the.two terms are syn
onvmous.