The History of Things 67 



resolved "matter" into affections of "Spirit," so 

 the modern physicists resolve matter into "a mode 

 of motion," and we cannot think of the origin of 

 motion any more than we can think of the origin 

 of spirit. Matter is resolved into molecules, which 

 are resolved into atoms, which are resolved into 

 corpuscles surrounded by positive electricity, and 

 a corpuscle is a moving unit of negative electricity 

 together with a ' bound ' ' portion of the surround- 

 ing ether which is its mass. It is impossible foi 

 ordinary mortals to think of motion apart from 

 "something" moving, and the only "somethings" 

 left to us seem to be electricity and ether. It seems 

 all to end in motion and mystery, which is per- 

 haps a wholesome result. The common denom- 

 inator of physical science allows abundant scope 

 for transcendental interpretation. 



"Ins Innre der Natur dringt kein erschaffner Geist." 



Interpretation of the Past. We have given an out- 

 line of the process of becoming which seems to 

 have led to the present phase of inanimate Nature. 

 Let us now consider what we have got. 



Starting from processes which go on to-day 

 whether these be weathering or star-making 

 science seeks to reconstruct the stages in the gene- 

 sis of the earth. It tries to make a rationally 

 connected history by showing that particular 

 sets of conditions lead on to particular sets of 



