﻿212 
  ANNUAL 
  EEPOET 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  19 
  2 
  9 
  

  

  stand 
  you. 
  The 
  structure 
  of 
  a 
  solid, 
  as 
  I 
  am 
  familiar 
  with 
  it, 
  could 
  

   not 
  be 
  more 
  simple 
  than 
  it 
  is 
  — 
  continuous, 
  infinitely 
  divisible, 
  uni- 
  

   form 
  throughout, 
  with 
  no 
  shade 
  of 
  difference 
  anywhere 
  upon 
  which 
  

   to 
  build 
  up 
  an 
  explanation. 
  No; 
  we 
  must 
  look 
  outside 
  for 
  the 
  cause 
  

   of 
  this 
  change. 
  Liquid 
  phenomena 
  are 
  not 
  expressible 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  

   properties 
  of 
  solids. 
  He 
  who 
  maintains 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  is 
  a 
  mechanist." 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  belief 
  he 
  might 
  be 
  confirmed 
  if 
  he 
  pushed 
  the 
  heating 
  of 
  the 
  

   liquid 
  far 
  enough. 
  At 
  a 
  second 
  critical 
  point, 
  again 
  unheralded 
  and 
  

   without 
  apparent 
  reason, 
  the 
  liquid 
  begins 
  to 
  boil, 
  and 
  the 
  resulting 
  

   gas 
  exhibits 
  a 
  new 
  set 
  of 
  phenomena, 
  differing 
  in 
  kind 
  from 
  anything 
  

   to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  either 
  solids 
  or 
  liquids. 
  The 
  new 
  phenomena 
  in 
  this 
  

   case 
  depart 
  even 
  more 
  widely 
  from 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  states 
  than 
  was 
  

   the 
  case 
  at 
  the 
  first 
  critical 
  point. 
  

  

  To 
  us, 
  with 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  molecules, 
  the 
  explanation 
  of 
  these 
  

   critical 
  points 
  and 
  different 
  states 
  is 
  comparatively 
  simple 
  and 
  inter- 
  

   nal. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  phenomena 
  of 
  one 
  state 
  are 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  expressed 
  

   in 
  terms 
  of 
  the 
  properties 
  of 
  another; 
  the 
  behavior 
  of 
  gases 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  

   deduced 
  from 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  elastic 
  solids 
  or 
  of 
  incompressible 
  liquids. 
  

   The 
  solution 
  does 
  not 
  lie 
  in 
  a 
  line 
  joining 
  one 
  state 
  to 
  another, 
  but 
  goes 
  

   back 
  from 
  each 
  state 
  to 
  the 
  common 
  basis 
  of 
  molecular 
  structure 
  

   underlying 
  all 
  states, 
  something 
  of 
  which 
  our 
  observer 
  is 
  yet 
  to 
  become 
  

   aware. 
  And 
  until 
  a 
  similar 
  common 
  ground 
  for 
  the 
  phenomena 
  of 
  

   living 
  and 
  nonliving 
  matter 
  is 
  recognized 
  there 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  difference 
  

   of 
  opinion 
  between 
  the 
  vitalist 
  and 
  the 
  mechanist. 
  

  

  What 
  this 
  common 
  basis 
  may 
  be 
  we 
  can 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  surmise. 
  It 
  

   remains 
  for 
  some 
  new 
  discovery 
  to 
  open 
  our 
  eyes. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  deeper 
  and 
  more 
  fundamental 
  than 
  molecules 
  or 
  atoms. 
  In 
  so 
  

   far 
  the 
  vitalist 
  is 
  right; 
  and 
  in 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  he 
  maintains 
  that 
  the 
  mere 
  

   interplay 
  of 
  atoms 
  contains 
  the 
  key 
  to 
  the 
  mystery, 
  the 
  mechanist 
  is 
  

   wrong. 
  But 
  such 
  a 
  common 
  basis, 
  underlying 
  and 
  forming 
  part 
  of 
  

   nonliving 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  living 
  matter, 
  would 
  be 
  an 
  internal 
  factor, 
  and 
  

   it 
  is 
  for 
  such 
  a 
  factor 
  that 
  the 
  mechanist 
  is 
  looking. 
  

  

  The 
  parallel 
  here 
  suggested 
  is 
  worth 
  pushing 
  farther. 
  The 
  past 
  

   historjT- 
  of 
  Nature 
  has 
  been 
  one 
  of 
  change, 
  of 
  growth, 
  of 
  that 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  which 
  we 
  call 
  evolution. 
  Her 
  future, 
  if 
  hindsight 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   trusted, 
  will 
  carry 
  this 
  evolution 
  onward 
  to 
  a 
  consummation 
  of 
  which 
  

   we 
  can 
  as 
  yet 
  form 
  no 
  conception. 
  Nature, 
  we 
  may 
  say, 
  has 
  been 
  

   steadily 
  warming 
  up 
  to 
  her 
  work 
  since 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  things. 
  And 
  

   in 
  this 
  warming 
  up 
  process 
  we 
  may 
  distinguish 
  several 
  critical 
  stages, 
  

   strangely 
  suggestive 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  states 
  of 
  matter. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  critical 
  points 
  was 
  reached 
  millions 
  of 
  years 
  ago, 
  

   when 
  life 
  first 
  made 
  its 
  appearance, 
  a 
  totally 
  new 
  phenomenon 
  super- 
  

   imposed 
  upon 
  inanimate 
  Nature. 
  For 
  untold 
  ages 
  life 
  was 
  impossible 
  

   on 
  the 
  earth, 
  but 
  eventually, 
  when 
  conditions 
  allowed, 
  life 
  appeared, 
  

   no 
  one 
  knows 
  how. 
  With 
  its 
  appearance 
  a 
  new 
  order 
  of 
  things 
  was 
  

  

  