THE PHILOSOPHICAL BASIS 39 



of these chemical atoms, we find that recent re- 

 search has shown that they contain very much 

 smaller particles or corpuscles, and we are asked 

 to imagine that these are in constant motion 

 within the atom, somewhat as the planets move 

 within the solar system. Intimate relations exist 

 between the properties of these corpuscles and the 

 phenomena of electricity, and a corpuscle may be 

 regarded as an isolated electric charge, or electron, 

 as it is called, the mass of the corpuscle being 

 an apparent effect due to electricity in motion. 



Thus we have '' explained " electricity in 

 terms of corpuscles, and mass perhaps in terms 

 of electricity. Adventurous pioneers may strive 

 to reach more ultimate conceptions by resolving 

 the electron into a centre of intrinsic strain in an 

 aether or a kink in a four dimensional continuum of 

 space and time. Whatever fate may await their 

 efforts, we have already travelled far in attempting 

 to construct a complete mental image of the 

 wooden stick and all its known properties. We 

 have reached ideas very different from those of the 

 hard, continuous substance from which we started. 



The other properties of the stick can be 

 analysed into physical conceptions in much the 

 same way. Thus the colour is found to be due 

 to a sorting action which the particles of the 

 wood exert on the complex system of aethereal 

 waves, making up white light. Some of these 

 waves have their energy more freely absorbed by 

 the molecules of the wood than have others ; the 

 balance of light is upset, and the reflected beam 

 produces the sensation of colour. Here, again, 

 the most fundamental conceptions into which 

 modern science enables us to resolve our primitive 



