278 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Oct 



explains it thoroughly bat by a theory which may be 

 called a mode of motion of being by action, namely by a 

 theory which I used many years ago when I was Profes- 

 sor of chemistry in the Women's Medical College in New 

 York. And let me explain that I then was merely a chem- 

 ist and explained things by referring them to phenomena 

 of that science. But it is the same nowadays and a pro- 

 cess proves to be theory of the mode of motion or force 

 be it by chemistry or any other mode of motion. I said 

 to my students that we can imagine we have a piece of 

 sodium and drop it on the surface of water. It does not 

 sink, but immediately fuses iDto a mass of matter and 

 assumes motion, moving about in an extremely lively man- 

 ner, rushing about like wbat we call a living thing until 

 at last it dissappears. Now, what really occurs is this. We 

 drop a solid particle of sodium in the liquid water. When 

 it comes into contact with water it decomposes the water, 

 chemically. The sodium, or what the chemist calls nat- 

 rium and represents by the symbol or written character Na, 

 caustic soda, or simply soda, or sodium oxide being form 

 ed and hydrogen being se"t free. Now, as hydrogen is a 

 light gas, it escapes upwards, for it cannot go downwards 

 on account of the water which is there. As it is made, the 

 oxygen goes to the sodium and it thereby unites and forms 

 sodium oxide and as is the rule whenever chemical com- 

 bination takes place there is heat or the temperature rises 

 or it becomes warm, hot, and this heat is high enough to 

 fuse the sodium oxide. As the sodium oxide is fused it 

 assumes the form of a sphere which stands in the shape 

 of a round ball upon the level surface of the water. Now as 

 all substances assume the spherical form when left to 

 themselves, unaffected by any force, of course the sodium 

 oxide will assume a form approaching the sphere, for 

 gravitation is inactive and it cannot form a perfect sphere. 

 Where it rests upon and presses upon the level water, the 

 gas hydrogen is given off. It is given off in the space be- 



