406 THE WORLD MACHINE 



He had studied theology and the sciences in the university of 

 his native place, become first a private tutor, then a privat 

 docent in the university. Years afterwards he was given a 

 professorship. This he held to the end of his lengthened days, 

 never venturing, so the story runs, beyond ten miles outside 

 the place of his birth. 



He had a devouring mind ; his mathematical studies had 

 given him a lively interest in scientific problems. Five or six 

 years after the appearance of Buffon's Theory of the Earth 

 he came across a copy of the Hamburg Free Opinion, which 

 contained a summary of the contents of Thomas Wright's re- 

 markable volume, wherein the grindstone theory had been 

 announced. Wright was not content to figure out the shape 

 of the stellar universe, but indulged in some interesting specula- 

 tions as to its history as well. It was stimulating. Kant 

 was then twenty-seven, the age at which Darwin reached his 

 conception of natural selection. Four years after he appeared 

 with the vigorous essay in which the nebular hypothesis was 

 for the first time laid down. 



The slender volume bore the title of " General Natural 

 History and Theory of the Heavens ; or, a Research in the 

 Construction and Mathematical Origin of the Entire Universe 

 on Newtonian Principles." It contained a fulsome dedication 

 to the "Very Enlightened and Very Mighty King and Sire," 

 Frederick II. of Prussia. Neither the sounding title nor spread- 

 ing dedication saved it from a dismal fate. The publisher of 

 it straight away went into bankruptcy. It never really saw 

 the light of publicity until long years thereafter. Moreover, 

 it was published anonymously, and in the years that followed 

 this promising student of the attainable had gone wandering 

 in the desolate bogs of philosophic speculation, the undoing of so 

 many brilliant minds. In a characteristic essay on The Only 

 Possible Argument for the Existence of God, published in 1763, 

 he gave a summary of his theory. But it did not really come 

 before the public until 1791, then only as an appendix to 

 a German edition of Herschel's Structure of the Heavens. 

 Though the fame of Kant by that time was great, it seems 

 to have attracted little notice even then. 



It was in many ways an amazing book. Its central idea 

 is a paraphrase from Descartes, of more than a century before : 

 " Give me matter and I will build a world " But he will build, 



