POPULAR SCIENCE 



THE CYCLES AND SUPER-CYCLES 



OF NATURE 



By W. E. REYNOLDS, M.D. 



The philosophy of the last century regarded Evolution chiefly 

 as relative to Matter. The two Primaries, Force and Matter, 

 though recognised as two different entities, were found to be 

 so associated with each other that Evolution was mostly referred 

 to the more concrete entity, and the endeavours of scientific 

 inquiry were based upon this belief. This was the unavoidable 

 result ; for the material is the only aspect that is directly 

 apparent to our senses. The part played by Force, the more 

 important entity, was studied, but its Evolution — or " Assort- 

 ment," as we shall call the change here to obviate confusion — 

 was only suspected and almost overlooked. Thus it is that 

 Herbert Spencer, in his Synthetical Philosophy , tells us that, along 

 with the redistribution of matter composing any material 

 aggregate undergoing evolution or change to complication, there 

 goes on as well a redistribution of the retained motion of its 

 components in relation to one another ; and this redistribution of 

 motion also becomes, step by step, more definitely heterogeneous. 

 This is the summary of the cardinal principles of his doctrine 

 as Spencer himself prepared in his letter to Prof. Youmans.' 

 There was here an attempted segregation of the two concep- 

 tions, but it was not seen then that security was only to be 

 found in the more abstract foundation of the two, nor does it 

 seem fully appreciated now that all evolutionary changes are due 

 to this assortment of Force, that the complicating process is 

 directly one in Force, but only referable by our senses to the 

 less abstract entity. 



In Spencer's statement, however, is to be found the beginning 

 of the development of Thought that is bringing a truer knowledge 

 of Nature, though in this beginning we naturally find little 

 more than a subconscious recognition of important facts which 

 need amplification. 



It has long been known that the impact of solidity — say of a 

 ^ Athencsum, July 22, 1882. 

 250 



