212 THE NEW KNOWLEDGE. 



an element appearing first in the normal form and after- 

 wards in the dissociated form. Such, however, we do not 

 find to be the case. 



3. Finally, we discover that as a general rule the ele- 

 ments of lightest atomic weight appear first. This, also, is 

 quite in accordance with what we should expect on the 

 dissociation hypothesis. We have had reason to believe that 

 the atoms are built up of nothing but corpuscles, and these 

 corpuscles would naturally form larger and larger aggrega- 

 tions as the temperature sinks. Furthermore, in the 

 periodic law we saw that the elements of the same family 

 behaved just as though the heavier atoms had evolved from 

 the lighter. That the elements do not appear with sinking 

 temperature strictly in the order of their atomic weights, 

 need not discompose us, for we have seen that a corpuscular 

 aggregation constituting an atom depends for its stability 

 not only on the number cf corpuscles constituting the atom, 

 but upon their arrangement. Consequently, it might easily 

 be possible' for an aggregation of X corpuscles with a 

 certain stable configuration to exist before an aggregation 

 of X-1000 in a configuration less stable. This might ex- 

 plain why we find calcium in the stars with an atomic 

 weight of 40, before we find sodium with a less atomic 

 weight of 23. Though we should expect, nevertheless, as 

 we find to be the case, that as a general rule the elements 

 would put in their appearance in the order of their atomic 

 weights. Taking it altogether the evidence for an inor- 

 ganic evolution of the elements seems every whit as con- 

 clusive as the evidence for an organic evolution. 



The geologist from an examination of the earth's strata 

 from lowermost to highest finds an ever-increasing com- 

 plexity in the organic remains which the rocks contain. 

 The astronomer from an examination of the stars from 



