A NEW MICROCOSM 13 



We talk of " planetary " and "cosmic" velocities, 

 and find that most stars have a speed of 3 J million 

 cm. per second. Now, this is just about equal to 

 the speed of the average electron in its orbit. We 

 need not, therefore, do any violence to our notions 

 of possible speeds in descending into the infra-world. 

 It is generally thought that no matter can move 

 with a speed exceeding the velocity of light viz., 

 3 x 10 10 cm. per second. It is therefore reassuring 

 to find that the speeds of the infra-world are well 

 below that limit. 



3. Infra-Light. It is evident that whatever may 

 be the constitution of any infra-organisms which 

 may people our infra-world, that world cannot be 

 to them what ours is to us without the existence 

 of light. That light cannot, of course, be what we 

 understand by the term. It cannot be earthly light, 

 for a single vibration of earthly light takes a whole 

 " year " to accomplish itself in the infra-world. But 

 the infra-world, if it is like ours, must consist of 

 particles atoms and electrons, maybe of a still 

 smaller order of magnitude, another 10 22 times 

 smaller than the infra-planets ; and the motion of 

 these infra - electrons lights up the infra-world. 

 e all speeds remain the same, the speed of 

 propagation of infra-light will be 3 x 10 10 cm. per 

 second, like our terrestrial light. But any Rcemer 

 or Foucault or Fizeau among the infra-nit 11 would 

 actually obtain the same figure for the velocity of 



