102 FRAGMENTS OF SCIENCE 



which is in the least degree likely to compete with such 

 a system? I cannot better reply than by recurring to the 

 grand old story from which I have already quoted. Speak- 

 ing of the world and all that therein is, of the sky and the 

 stars around it, the ancient writer says, "And God saw all 

 that He had made, and behold it was very good." It is 

 the body of things thus described which science offers to 

 the study of man. There is a very renowned argument 

 much prized and much quoted by theologians, in which 

 the universe is compared to a watch. Let us deal practi- 

 cally with this comparison. Supposing a watch-maker, 

 having completed his instrument, to be so satisfied with 

 his work as to call it very good, what would you under- 

 stand him to mean? You would not suppose that he re- 

 ferred to the dial-plate in front and the chasing of the case 

 behind, so much as to the wheels and pinions, the springs 

 and jewelled pivots of the works within — to those quali- 

 ties and powers, in short, which enable the watch to per- 

 form its work as a keeper of time. With regard to the 

 knowledge of such a watch he would be a mere ignoramus 

 who would content himself with outward inspection. I do 

 not wish to say one severe word here to-day, but I fear 

 that many of those who are very loud in their praise of 

 the works of the Lord know them only in this outside and 

 superficial way. It is the inner works of the universe 

 which science reverently uncovers; it is the study of these 

 that she recommends as a discipline worthy of all accep- 

 tation. 



The ultimate problem of physics is to reduce matter by 

 analysis to its lowest condition of divisibility, and force 

 to its simplest manifestations, and then by synthesis to 

 construct from these elements the world as it stands. We 



