164 INORGANIC EVOLUTION. [CHAP. 



The next point is that the astronomical record, studied from the 

 evolution point of view, is in other ways on all-fours with the geological 

 record in relation to increasing complexity. We note the same 

 changes of forms, sudden breaks in forms, disappearances of old, 

 accompanied by appearances of new, forms ; and with these we have 

 to associate, whether we consider the atomic weight point of view or 

 the series point of view, a growth of complexity. 



Although in this chapter I have chiefly referred to the stellar 

 evidence, I must not neglect to point out that over a restricted range 

 of temperature solar evidence can be utilized as well. We have 

 brought the sun and the stars together into line in all matters relating 

 to the discussion of the effects of higher temperatures. The photo- 

 graphs taken during the recent solar eclipses show that when we deal 

 with the hottest part of the sun that we can get at, which is hotter 

 than that part of the sun which produces the well-known absorption 

 spectrum marked by the so-called Fraunhofer lines, we are not in an 

 unknown territory at all, but are brought face to face with similar 

 phenomena to those in the atmospheres of stars which are hotter than 

 our sun. The bright-line spectrum of the sun's chromosphere seen 

 during an eclipse shows us the effects produced by heat in the hottest 

 part of the sun that we can reach ; these we can compare with the dark 

 lines of a star which contains absorption lines very different from those 

 represented by the Fraunhofer lines, and we find that they correspond 

 almost line for line. 



Such an inorganic evolution was suggested by me many years ago 

 now, to explain the few stellar facts with which we were then familiar. 

 I must point out, however, that we are now in a very much better 

 condition to consider this problem than we have ever been before, 

 because at the present moment we have tens of thousands, I might 

 almost say hundreds of thousands, of co-ordinated facts to go upon, 

 and it is not a little remarkable that now the gaps in our knowledge 

 have been filled up, we find ourselves in the presence of evidences of 

 an evolution which is really majestic in its simplicity. 



It is proper that I should say that jus^ as the work of Darwin in 

 the nineteenth century was foreshadowed by seventeenth century sug- 

 gestions, so the stellar demonstration with which we are dealing has 

 been preceded by hypotheses distinctly in the same direction. The 

 first stage of chemistry was alchemy ; alchemy concerned itself with 

 transmutations, but it was found very early that the real function 

 of the later science of chemistry was to study simplifications, and, of 

 course, to do this to the utmost we want precisely those enormous 

 differences in temperature which it appears the stars alone place at our 

 disposal. 



