﻿THE 
  LINGEEING 
  DRYAD 
  HEYL 
  

  

  211 
  

  

  savoring 
  of 
  the 
  occult 
  or 
  the 
  supernatural; 
  short 
  of 
  this, 
  he 
  is 
  ready 
  to 
  

   accept 
  any 
  adequate 
  explanation 
  of 
  life. 
  He 
  maintains, 
  however, 
  

   with 
  equal 
  firmness 
  that 
  even 
  modern 
  physical 
  theory 
  lacks 
  something 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  explain 
  vital 
  phenomena; 
  that 
  no 
  interplay 
  of 
  atoms, 
  

   however 
  complicated, 
  can 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  simplest 
  manifestation 
  of 
  

   life. 
  In 
  brief, 
  the 
  vitalist 
  looks 
  outward 
  for 
  the 
  explanation 
  of 
  life; 
  

   the 
  mechanist 
  looks 
  inward. 
  

  

  The 
  attitude 
  of 
  the 
  mechanist 
  is, 
  for 
  the 
  present, 
  largely 
  one 
  of 
  

   faith 
  and 
  hope 
  rather 
  than 
  sight. 
  He 
  admits 
  that 
  modern 
  physical 
  

   theory 
  affords 
  no 
  explanation 
  of 
  life, 
  and 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  

   believe 
  we 
  are 
  any 
  nearer 
  a 
  solution 
  now 
  than 
  we 
  were 
  a 
  century 
  

   ago. 
  But, 
  encouraged 
  by 
  precedent, 
  he 
  holds 
  steadily 
  his 
  faith 
  that 
  

   some 
  new 
  and 
  unexpected 
  discovery 
  may 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  clear 
  our 
  

   vision 
  as 
  radioactivity 
  clarified 
  that 
  of 
  our 
  predecessors. 
  And 
  he 
  

   is 
  confident 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  solution 
  of 
  this 
  mystery 
  is 
  reached 
  it 
  will 
  

   be 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  internal 
  rather 
  than 
  external. 
  

  

  But 
  while 
  we 
  are 
  waiting 
  for 
  something 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  to 
  happen, 
  

   may 
  we 
  by 
  any 
  chance 
  find 
  some 
  foreshadowing 
  of 
  a 
  possible 
  com- 
  

   mon 
  ground 
  in 
  existing 
  physical 
  theory? 
  

  

  Let 
  us 
  imagine, 
  if 
  we 
  can, 
  some 
  one 
  whose 
  physical 
  experience 
  has 
  

   been 
  limited 
  to 
  solids 
  and 
  who 
  is 
  ignorant 
  of 
  molecules 
  and 
  atoms. 
  

   The 
  latter 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  so 
  difficult 
  when 
  we 
  remember 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  

   been 
  so 
  very 
  long 
  ago 
  that 
  we 
  were 
  all 
  ignorant 
  of 
  any 
  subatomic 
  

   structure. 
  Matter, 
  to 
  our 
  supposed 
  observer, 
  is 
  continuous 
  and 
  

   infinitely 
  divisible 
  without 
  alteration 
  in 
  its 
  properties 
  ; 
  its 
  structure 
  is 
  

   perfectly 
  uniform 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  conceivable 
  degree. 
  Suppose 
  further 
  

   that 
  he 
  observes 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  the 
  melting 
  of 
  a 
  solid. 
  That 
  which 
  

   would 
  probably 
  impress 
  him 
  m.ost 
  in 
  this 
  process 
  would 
  be 
  its 
  abrupt- 
  

   ness, 
  its 
  sharp 
  initiation. 
  By 
  continual 
  influx 
  of 
  heat 
  the 
  solid 
  suffers 
  

   a 
  steady 
  rise 
  of 
  temperature, 
  which 
  seems 
  as 
  though 
  it 
  might 
  continue 
  

   indefinitely 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  heat 
  is 
  supplied. 
  But 
  suddenly, 
  without 
  warn- 
  

   ing 
  or 
  apparent 
  cause, 
  a 
  critical 
  point 
  is 
  reached. 
  Though 
  the 
  influx 
  

   of 
  heat 
  is 
  not 
  halted 
  the 
  temperature 
  stops 
  rising. 
  A 
  new 
  effect 
  is 
  

   seen, 
  different 
  in 
  kind 
  from 
  any 
  phenomenon 
  known 
  in 
  solids. 
  We 
  

   say 
  that 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  undergoing 
  a 
  change 
  of 
  state 
  and 
  is 
  becoming 
  a 
  

   liquid. 
  In 
  this 
  new 
  state 
  new 
  laws 
  govern 
  its 
  behavior; 
  new 
  proper- 
  

   ties 
  are 
  evident, 
  differing 
  in 
  land, 
  not 
  in 
  degree, 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  solids. 
  

  

  Our 
  unsophisticated 
  observer 
  might 
  well 
  wonder 
  at 
  this 
  curious 
  

   behavior; 
  but 
  should 
  we, 
  from 
  our 
  superior 
  knowledge 
  attempt 
  to 
  tell 
  

   him 
  that 
  this 
  difference 
  in 
  appearance 
  and 
  behavior 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  

   composition 
  or 
  outside 
  forces, 
  but 
  of 
  internal 
  structure, 
  we 
  might 
  

   find 
  him 
  rather 
  incredulous. 
  

  

  "No," 
  he 
  might 
  say. 
  "Something 
  has 
  happened 
  to 
  stop 
  the 
  rise 
  of 
  

   temperature. 
  There 
  has 
  been 
  an 
  introduction 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  factor 
  into 
  

   the 
  situation. 
  You 
  speak 
  of 
  structural 
  difference. 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  under- 
  

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