38o GREAT MEN OF SCIENCE 



that it - as the medium in which light and all electro- 

 magnetic fields are propagated with the velocity of light- 

 shares to a corresponding degree the motion of every 

 heavenly body, such as the earth, and indeed of every atom 

 of matter to which it is in close proximity. Finally, after 

 the steps forward initiated by Hasenohrl, new questions re- 

 garding the ether can be asked: does it not appear necessary 

 - if every atom has its own ether - to ascribe to every 

 quantity of energy its own quantity of ether, as being always 

 attached to it, quite independently of whether it is energy 

 within or without matter ? And does not the ether then 

 appear altogether simply as an appurtenance of energy, 

 which accompanies every quantity of energy in a large 

 radius around it, decreasing in power and reaching as far 

 as the gravitational effect of the energy reaches, that is to say - 

 as far as we know - to infinity ? But would this not then 

 immediately make it clear, as we have known to our aston- 

 ishment since Newton's time, that every atom is at all times 

 everywhere present with its gravitational effect ? Every 

 ray of light would then - in accordance with its energy con- 

 tent - carry with it its own ether, moving with the velocity of 

 light through the surrounding ether. The ether would 

 then by no means be a uniform medium filling all space uni- 

 formly; but all space would nevertheless be filled with ether. 

 The Urdther existing in cosmic space far from all heavenly 

 bodies and there determining the velocity of light, would be 

 the totality of all the various parts of ether, more or less 

 equally represented, belonging to the energies (masses) 

 present all around. 



Space and ether appear, in view of such considerations, 

 still less identical than ever. The ether is not space; it may 

 be described as the secret of space, especially when we take 

 into account the phenomena of life, caused by mind, but 

 also taking place in space, together with the fact that every- 

 thing in nature is always found to act as a single unity. 



