70 THE WORLD-ENERGY 



through the enclosing sphere. It is an initial metamor- 

 phosis, in which the outer shows its readiness to become 

 inner, and the inner an equal readiness to become outer. 

 But as to crushing anything out of existence that can 

 never be done; not even were the whole universe to join 

 in the attempt. For it would still be the universe strain- 

 ing at self-annihilation, and all the while in such effort, 

 nay, as the very consequence of such effort, only suc- 

 ceeding in bringing into fullest manifestation or realiza- 

 tion whatever could possibly lie within it as hidden or 

 potential. 



" Matter " is impenetrable, then, in this sense, and in 

 this sense only: That action and reaction are, in the long 

 run, absolutely equal and in opposite directions, and that 

 therefore force or energy is forever indestructible. 



At the same time, as previously noticed, so far as there 

 may be local changes of relation between attraction and 

 repulsion, bodies will inevitably alter in volume. The 

 bringing external pressure to bear is itself a change of 

 conditions; and a change of such character as, within 

 certain limits, to diminish the volume of that is, to 

 compress the given body. Limited portions of matter 

 (bodies) are measurably compressible, but not indefinitely 

 so. Compressibility is, in fact, just a relation between 

 attraction and repulsion, the two elementary factors of 

 matter. 



