26 TWO NEW WORLDS 



tron turns out to be something like our own earth, 

 only that electric force takes the place of gravita- 

 tional force in orbital motions. Our " molecular " 

 forces, such as cohesion and rigidity, have their 

 analogue in the cohesive forces of the " infra-mole- 

 cules," those particles of an order 10 22 times smaller 

 than our molecules, which account for the mole- 

 cular phenomena of the infra-world, and explain the 

 resistance of the electron to electric disruption. 



As regards objection (2), it should be borne in 

 mind that there is no essential difference between 

 perturbation by repulsion and perturbation by at- 

 traction, such as is the rule in our own solar system. 

 That such perturbations actually take place is shown 

 by the complicated character of the spectra of 

 most elements. These spectra would consist of a 

 few single lines, as in the hydrogen spectrum, if 

 the electrons revolved round the atoms quite inde- 

 pendently of each other. But the permanence of 

 the lines shows also that the perturbations are com- 

 pensated, as in the solar system, and do not produce 

 a permanent disturbance of the orbits. It must also 

 be remembered that at high velocities the mutual 

 repulsion between two electrons is largely balanced 

 by electro-dynamic attraction. When two similarly 

 charged bodies move side by side through the ether, 

 their electrostatic repulsion is balanced to some ex- 

 tent by their electro- magnetic attraction the extent 

 depends upon the speed. The electro -magnetic 



