Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-12-28
UNRAVELLING NATURE.
Recent Discoveries Demonstrate the
Relation of One to All.

Recent Discoveries Demonstrate the
Relation of One to All.
The discovery of Sir William Ram
say and Lord Rayleigh Of five unknown
elements in our atmosphere by COM
pleting the series called for by Men
deleif's law strengthens the Convic-
ton that nature is an ordered system
showing no gaps or missing links" in
any part of the line. The seventy odd
elements before known differ from one
another by certain uniform or nearly
uniform gradations of quality, from the
highly active and electro positive po-
lively inert and electromagnetic nitro
gen. The new gases seem to be abso-
lutely inert or incapable of combining
with other elements, and therefore
represents the zero of scale of differ
ences. The line of elements now pre-
sents a set of bodies in nearly uniform
gradations, there is nothing fortuitous
in the elemental constitution of the
material world. This is, of course an
evidence of an underlying intelligence
or mind, for if the qualities of the
elements were determined by chance
it is a million to one that they would
not have formed an orderly series. Tie
old argument from design lost nearly
all Of its force when it was shown that
the adaptations Of living animals 60
their environments were not only very
imperfect, but that they were slowly
built up by slight advantageous varia.
lions in countless generations. But
here is an argument from design that
goes down to the roots of things and
shows us that exact arithmetic is part
of the nature of elemental atoms 1t
can never be claimed that the atoms
have been involved by natural selec-
tion;" they bear too plainly the marks
of manufactured articles. Not one of
them has ever changed it's individuali-
ty or its distinguishing peculiarities
since the beginning. 1t is only the or
ganic molecule that suffers change and
undergoes development. Evolution has
nothing to do with atoms, and when
we find that the atoms of the various
elements represent a series, we can
say with conviction here is evidence of
purpose and design.
These two Scotchmen who have
completed this evidence have shown
| themselves to be mechanics Of the
highest order, for before the proof of
the existence Of the new elements was
complete it was necessary to invent
| processes and delicate apparatus and
to use them with the greatest patience
and precision. First they repeated
Priestley's method of determining the
constitution Of the atmosphere, first
made century ago. They found, after
abstracting the water, the carbon diOx-
ide, the oxygen and the nitrogen in
succession, residue which could not
be absorbed. They called this ar
gon," or the unenergetic substance, be-
cause it seemed inert even in the pres
ence of the active agents, fluOrine and
potassium. They examined number
of rare minerals, some forty-fiVe, in the
hope of discovering argon in the earth,
but in vain, though they discovered
helium in fifteen of them, an element
which had previously been known to
exist only in the sun.
In an ordinary room twelve feet
square and eight feet high there are
about $50 pounds of air. In this there
is not far from pound of these new
gases. AS far as we know they do
no good and no harm, they simply
round out the list of elements and sup
ply missing links" They may have
functions in the great scheme of life
which we can never comprehend. But
just at present they strengthen the
basis Of rational faith in an underly-
ing plan of the universe. Science has
been accused of destroying faith. That
is because men look at it's superficial
aspects. 1t certainly does destroy SUI
perstition; perhaps in time it will
build up faith in the unseen.-Hartford
Times.