Year: 1869

In the legitimate application or the terms light and darkness, to the condi- tions to which they are applied, (we mean conditions, for it is not proper to say the things to which these terms are applied,) there are some necessities that close investigation involves, which become more intricate and ab- strusc proportion,tc to the extent of the investigation. Ii We say darkness 1 is merely negative condition and de- bends on the absence of light; then what intelligent idea have we of q mere conditioa ?ifwe assume that dark ness is something, we must at the same time assume that it is composed of mat ter or spirit, material or immaterial :; for the school men and Philosophers inform us that thc entire universe is composed of mind and matter of mate- rial and immaterial enses or substan- ccs: and the Book informs us that in the beginning the earth was without form and void, and that darkness dwelt upon the face of the deep, Sc. It would seem that the most we can make of darkness in this allusion, is condition, but is this condition space or whence in the absence of light comes this dark ncss2 We are told that the sun is the source of material light or daylight; but darkness tlscn is older than light, 1 for the sun was created or made on the | fourth day. Again, darkness must be included in the great work of creation, else it is self-existing condition or thing, but we are not to conclude that 1t is a material ems or thing; nor is it space, nor does it fill space it is not a quality or property as compared with colour. And when we say it is ne- gaiive condition and depends on the absence of light, we simply say that we mean something that we don't compre- hend. To illustrate, let us take room entirely closed and ceiled air-tight let all light be entirely excluded, then we say the room is filled with darkness {; now light match or lamp and the room is filled with light; but keep the room still closed and extinguish the match or lamp and what becomes of the particles of light! the answer is, they have gone out, but how can they get out, if the room be SO tight as not to admit light from without! here the light is changed into darkness and if light is a material substance, being changed into darkness, it must remain material substance, but not vice versa, for light and darkness are not convert able or exchangeable terms. But again we are told that light is a medium through the aid of which we are ena- bled 10 discern or sec objects, but medium is something, a composition, or composed of parts; hence it is mat ter. Again Philosophers inform us that our atmosphere terminates or becomes exceedingly attennated at or about the distance of forty five miles from the earth's surface, and that the great deep of space beyond the limit of forty-five miles is filled with darkness, and our light or day is the result of the radiat- ing light coming from the sum-, q dis tance of Diuety-fiyc millions of miles in eight and half minutes The ques- ton arises what constitutes or com poses that vast field of space beyond the limits of our atmosphere it is not philosophic or safe to conclude that so vast distance is void or absolute nothingness, and if matter exists through space SO vast, it must exist in the form of fluid, the atoms of which are far more attenuated and transpar- ent than our atmosphere, else the rays of the sun and reflected beams of the moon would be interrupted in their flight through space so vast. The prin- ciple or law of gravitation pervades all known distance or space, even so with light, and within the compass of light and gravitation absolute nothingness or void indefinable are terms applied, without an idea, or are used without application to convey an idea of non- entity. But there is one fact in regard to light as a fluid or substance strik- ingly peculiar and differing from other forms of matter, viz: the rays of light being interrupted or broken oif from the source, instantly vanish, and are lost to all appearances. But more anon.

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 - Joseph NJ. Pennington has been s.xnel He'd hY Ellen L0due No 9GS E G