1882.] -jbrJ [Chase. 



motiou and tendencies to motion, which are obedient to simple mechanical 

 laws, and which give rise to the' different classes of radiodynamic phe- 

 nomena which we call gravitating, electric, magnetic, thermal, chemical, 

 etc. In consequence of the universality of motiou, which seems to make 

 absolute equilibrium an absolute impossibility, the tendencies to division in 

 extreme and mean ratio are never repeated in the same exact plane, but 

 they partake of a more or less intricate spiral character, such as is uni- 

 formly shown in vegetable growth. The comparative relative stability of 

 axes, even in ultimate molecules and atoms, must produce sethereal oscilla- 

 tions which are parallel to the axis, as well as those which are radial and 

 tangential {Op. cit., ix, 408), giving rise to solenoidal currents, such as are 

 assumed in Ampere's hypothesis. 



213. EartJi's '' Pulsation Period." 



Proctor (Contemporary Rev., March, 1882, p. 479), speaks of "the time 

 when the Earth's rotation began to approach to synchronism with her pulsa- 

 tion period " or "the period of vibration of her mass after any impulse (af- 

 fecting the whole Earth) had been received from without. The Earth would 

 as certainly have had such a pulsation period as the vibrating substance of a 

 bell has." This admission is interesting as an evidence of increasing recog- 

 nition of the truths which are involved in Herschel's doctrine of nebular 

 elasticity or quasi-elasticity, and which are the groundwork of all my har- 

 monic researches. Proctor, however, in trying to explain the supposed 

 retardation of Earth's rotation, overlooks the more than three hundred- 

 fold acceleration which Laplace's hypothesis would require. 



214. IVie " Reproach " of Thermodynnmics. 



The hypothesis that stellar systems are cooling, condensing and giving 

 out heat, imparting their ms viva to the luminiferous aether without receiv- 

 ing anything in return, and that, consequently, all things are tending to 

 ultimate physical stagnation and universal death, is so un philosophical 

 and altogether unsatisfactory as to show that some important element 

 must have been overlooked. If we were granted infinite elasticity, or a 

 medium acting under elastic laws but without density, Laplace's sumDosed 

 instantaneous transmission of gravitating action might be represented by 

 well-known physical formulae. In other words, if we could conceive of a 

 material medium endowed with qualities w^hich are not material, some of 

 the difficulties of pure materialism would be removed. What name could 

 be given to such a medium, but spirit ? Spiritual, conscious, ' ' upholding 

 and controlling powder is conceivable ; without such a conception, the most 

 important of all phenomena are wholly inexplicable. Any hypothe- 

 sis that an unconscious universe could ever have wound itself up like a 

 clock, is childish ; the belief that, after having wound itself up, it would 

 allow itself to run down without winding itself up again is more 

 childish still. The confession that we can see no escape from final stag- 



