in 
1998-9.] A NEBULAR THEORY OF CREATION. 45 
infinitely intensified, and condensation and consequent heat production 
will proceed at an ever increasing rate. 
There is also a law that any loose mass of material will form a centre or 
nucleus around which to gather (this is beautifully exemplified among 
masses of humanity) and so this mass of which we are now speaking will 
consolidate a nucleus, towards which the whole mass will gravitate. Some 
have supposed that many smaller nuclei would be formed in the outlying 
portions of the mass that would ultimately become planets and satellites, 
but my own opinion is that, granting other nuclei were formed, the central 
and first nucleus would have made such a good start that all minor attempts 
would be compelled to fall in, for we see even now that our sun, being no 
doubt much smaller than that mass of which we are now speaking, com- 
mands the most distant planet in his dominion to do his bidding. We now 
conceive that our mass of building material is reduced to much less than 
half its original dimensions, and has become semifluid by excessive heat, 
tolerably well rounded off, and moderately compact, ready for a most 
important advance move which forms a most imposing epoch in its history. 
We can imagine that mighty ball of matter quivering with energy from 
centre to circumference, pulsating and palpitating with overflowing life, 
apparently as eager as a full blood racer for the word of command. When 
at a given signal the Great Architect and Builder says, Altogether! touches 
the button and the huge ball rolls over and continues to roll and will not 
cease to roll until in the long distant future its vitality is exhausted, its 
heat eliminated, and its set task completed. Hear what Emerson says of 
this incident: ‘‘It was no great affair, a mere push, but the astronomers 
were right in making much of it, for there is no end to the consequences 
of the act. That famous aboriginal push propagates itself through all the 
balls of the system, and through every atom of every ball, through all the 
races of creatures, and through the history and performances of every 
individual.’ ‘The forces are doing their work without ceasing and with in- 
creasing energy, our ball is now violently rotating on its axis, a huge globe 
of liquid fire, at an ultra white heat, or if I may hazard an opinion formed 
by observation of the behaviour of electric lights, I would say the super- 
heated ball assumed a slight pale blue tinge, indicative of the intensity 
of the temperature acquired. In due time having attained its maximum 
of heat and velocity, the time of incubation being accomplished, and the 
crisis of parturition reached, when it seems impossible to hold itself to- 
gether any longer, the surface of the whole equatorial zone becomes 
loosened, and breaks away in enormous sheets and huge fragments con- 
taining billions of tons of the molten matter, which acquire such a mo- 
mentum that it is hurled hundreds of millions of miles off into space. 
This event of parturition might have been repeated at intervals of longer 
