THE LIMITS OF SCIENCE IN THE MATERIAL 

 UNIVERSE. 



By Orlando Middleton, A.R.I.B.A. 



This paper is intended to discuss very briefly and simply 

 how far science has taken ns towards the solution of the 

 greatest problems of the material universe. It is necessary, 

 i lure fore, in the first place, to venture some statement of what 

 these greatest problems are. Herein doubtless there will be an 

 opportunity for considerable variety of opinion, but I will say 

 at once that there are five questions which appear to me to rank 

 first among the many unsolved conundrums which science 

 endeavours to elucidate, and these five are, I think, not only the 

 greatest questions on the subject that we can consider, but to 

 some extent they include and cover every other that could 

 possibly be raised in respect of the material world. These five 

 questions are: — i. What is the origin of matter? 2. What is 

 the ultimate composition of matter? 3. What is the extent of 

 the Universe? 4. What is the extent of Time? 5. What is 

 the ultimate force of the material Universe? 



It is evident that some of these questions take us far beyond 

 the boundaries of Science, into regions which would, if we 

 attempted to follow them so far, soon involve us in a theological 

 controversy, but my object is only to consider how far our 

 present knowledge will enable us to investigate them, and to 

 remain strictly within the scientific point of view. 



Of course, it is impossible in a short paper to deal in any- 

 thing but the most cursory way with such a subject. I shall 

 merely try to put a few of an interested layman's thoughts 

 together, with some ascertained facts, under the five above 

 mentioned heads. 



I. IV hat is the Origin of Matter? — This may be very soon 

 disposed of. Astronomers tell us that they can see from 100 

 to 1,000 million stars by means of the most powerful telescopes 

 and most sensitive photographic plates, and probably there are 

 thousands, or millions, of times more dark stars, that they do 

 not see. They also tell us of almost endless quantities of 

 meteoric matter scattered more or less unevenly throughout the 

 regions of space, and of still more diffused matter which we 

 sometimes see in the form of comets and nebulae. 



Some of the stars, they tell us, in a vague way, appear to 

 be drifting in a more or less definite direction, but as to how all 

 this matter came to exist in the universe, they do not appear 

 able to afford any light at all. 



According to some conceptions regarding the actual existence 

 of matter, it exists, and all things exist, only as ideas of the 

 brain ; but this takes us into the mysterious realm of metaphysics, 

 and is therefore beyond the present discussion. From. a practi- 

 cally scientific point ol view, it may, I think, be said that we are 



