Does Matter Exist ? 



discover all that the original mites showed, 

 and he will again find in these the same parts 

 ad infinitum" 



Such is our present position. However, let 

 us try to see with the eyes of the mind these 

 complex atoms wherein gravitate thousands of 

 electrons. These things are living an intense 

 life, they are vibrating in the midst of the ether. 

 Hence it is easy to conceive that from time to 

 time a corpuscle should forsake its trajectory 

 and shoot into space, like a stone throfwn from 

 a sling. This will occur when the surrounding 

 ether is traversed by unusually sudden and 

 rapid waves; this is the effect produced by X rays 

 and certain luminous radiations, or when an 

 increase of temperature raises the speed of the 

 corpuscles and puts strain upon their trajec- 

 tories until they break, as actually happens 

 with flames and incandescent solids. There 

 are even bodies, known as radio-active bodies, 

 which decompose spontaneously and keep up 

 a ceaseless bombardment of space with their 

 electrons. 



In consequence of all these causes the world 



is full of wandering corpuscles. Hot springs, 



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