38 ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES. 



These elementary principles are, some of them, perma- 

 nently gaseous under the ordinary temperature, and 

 others exist as solid masses ; the difference between the 

 two conditions being regulated, as it appears, by the 

 opposing forces of heat and cohesive attraction. 



Matter has been regarded by some as infinitely divi- 

 sible ; but the known conditions of chemical combina- 

 tions lead to the conclusion that there are limits beyond 

 which matter cannot be divided.* The theory of atoms 

 having determinate characters, and possessing symmetric 

 forms, certainly has the advantage of presenting to the 

 human mind a starting point a sort of standing ground, 

 from which it can direct the survey of cosmical phe- 

 nomena. The metaphysical hypothesis, which resolves 

 all matter into properties, and refers all things to ideas, 



* " The divisibility of matter is great beyond the power of 

 imagination, but we have no reason for asserting that it is 

 infinite ; for the demonstrations which have sometimes been 

 adduced in favour of this opinion are obviously applicable to 

 space only. The infinite divisibility of space seems to be essen- 

 tial to the conception that we have of its nature, and it may be 

 strictly demonstrated that it is mathematically possible to draw 

 an infinite number of circles between any given circle and its 

 tangent, none of which shall touch either of them except at the 

 general point of contact ; and that a ship following always the 

 same oblique course with respect to the meridian, for example, 

 sailing north-eastwards, would continue perpetually to approach 

 the pole without ever completely reaching it. But when we 

 inquire into the truth of the old maxim of the schools, that all 

 matter is infinitely divisible, we are by no means able to decide 

 so positively. Newton observes that it is doubtful whether any 

 human means may be sufficient to separate the particles of 

 matter beyond a certain limit; and it is not impossible that 

 there may be some constitution of atoms, or single corpuscles, 

 on which their properties, as matter, depend, and which would 

 be destroyed if the units were further divided ; but it appears to 

 be more probable that there are no such atoms, and even if there 

 are, it is almost certain that matter is never thus annihilated in 

 the common course of matter." The Essential Properties of 

 Matter : Young s Natural Philosophy ; ed. by Rev. P. Lelland. 



