﻿20 
  THE 
  UNFATHOMED 
  UNIVERSE 
  

  

  pellate 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  instance, 
  least 
  of 
  all 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  in 
  the 
  oldest 
  recognised 
  case, 
  gravitation 
  ' 
  (Matter 
  

   and 
  Energy, 
  pp. 
  111-12). 
  

  

  We 
  know 
  of 
  over 
  eighty 
  elements 
  and 
  much 
  about 
  many 
  

   of 
  them, 
  but 
  do 
  we 
  know 
  what 
  being 
  an 
  element, 
  like 
  Mer- 
  

   cury 
  or 
  Antimony, 
  really 
  means, 
  or 
  the 
  import 
  of 
  their 
  

   periodic 
  classification 
  ? 
  Great 
  libraries 
  are 
  filled 
  with 
  our 
  

   descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  structure 
  and 
  activities 
  of 
  plants 
  and 
  

   animals, 
  but 
  do 
  we 
  know 
  what 
  livingness 
  essentially 
  is 
  ? 
  

   We 
  cannot 
  define 
  it 
  at 
  present 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  anything 
  else^ 
  we 
  

   take 
  it 
  as 
  ' 
  given 
  \ 
  We 
  cannot 
  tell 
  wherein 
  consists 
  the 
  

   essential 
  difference 
  between 
  the 
  flight 
  of 
  a 
  bird 
  and 
  the 
  

   movement 
  of 
  a 
  comet. 
  How 
  much, 
  relatively 
  speaking, 
  is 
  

   known 
  of 
  ( 
  mind 
  ' 
  and 
  ' 
  body 
  ', 
  how 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  in 
  regard 
  

   to 
  the 
  relation 
  between 
  them, 
  if 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  relation 
  ! 
  

  

  (/&) 
  We 
  hear 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  achievements 
  of 
  science 
  in 
  

   tracing 
  things 
  back 
  to 
  their 
  beginnings. 
  That 
  is 
  the 
  histor- 
  

   ical 
  or 
  genetic 
  method, 
  and 
  it 
  yields 
  very 
  interesting 
  results. 
  

   The 
  present 
  becomes 
  more 
  intelligible 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  the 
  

   past. 
  But, 
  when 
  we 
  get 
  far 
  back, 
  how 
  mysterious 
  the 
  be- 
  

   ginnings 
  become. 
  How 
  mysterious 
  still, 
  to 
  tell 
  the 
  truth, 
  

   are 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  big 
  steps 
  between 
  the 
  beginning 
  and 
  the 
  

   end 
  ! 
  In 
  the 
  inorganic 
  sphere 
  one 
  collocation 
  passes 
  into 
  

   another, 
  usually 
  without 
  jolts. 
  The 
  course 
  runs 
  smoothly. 
  

   But 
  when 
  we 
  pass 
  to 
  organic 
  evolution 
  or 
  even 
  to 
  individual 
  

   development, 
  we 
  are 
  almost 
  driven 
  back 
  to 
  a 
  belief 
  in 
  magic 
  ! 
  

   Who 
  can 
  tell 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  sketchiest 
  fashion 
  how 
  a 
  Silver 
  

   Wyandotte 
  was 
  evolved 
  from 
  an 
  Indian 
  Jungle 
  Fowl, 
  or 
  

   how 
  stage 
  gives 
  rise 
  to 
  stage 
  as 
  the 
  chick 
  develops 
  in 
  three 
  

   weeks 
  from 
  a 
  minute 
  transparent 
  spot 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  yolk 
  

   of 
  an 
  egg? 
  

  

  Matter 
  has 
  seemed 
  to 
  many 
  easy-going 
  minds 
  a 
  firm 
  

  

  