122 THE ORIGIN OP CREATION, 



the reason of this? It cannot be that it radiated its heat quicker 

 in the one place than in the other. 



This is one argument against the radiation theory. Again, if 

 dew be formed by radiation, why is it that a glass bell placed 

 over plants is covered with dew inside, but not outside, and that 

 there is no dew on the plants themselves. Obstructions between 

 an object and the sky, we are told, check radiation, and prevent 

 the formation of dew, yet here we have the plants radiating, and 

 dew forming on the obstruction ! 



The whole series of observations, which led Dr. Wells to 

 advance his theory, seem to have been conducted in a loose 

 manner. He had a number of little wool packs which he 

 exposed at night, some he covered, and some he did not ; and it 

 was by weighing the amount of dew which each contained, 

 that he became convinced that he had something to work on. 

 He found, generally, that those packs which were hid from the 

 sky, contained more moisture than the others. This ought to 

 have been contrary to his theory, but he does not seem to have 

 thought so. It does not appear that he thought the situation 

 of his wool packs of any consequence, and if so, his observations 

 are of no value whatever, because position had every thing to 

 do with the deposition of dew on them. If he placed them in 

 the centre of a broad road, with little vegetation around it, no 

 dew would ever reach them ; while if he placed them over grass, 

 or among trees, they would be heavy with it. 



It will be observed that the action and formation of dew, has 

 thus been explained by secondary causes only. We are told, 

 for instance, that glass radiates heat better than metal. Why it 

 does so they cannot show us. That it radiates heat at all, is an 

 assertion which is dogmatically laid down, and cannot be 

 proved, (heat being merely a property or condition of matter.) 



