THE INORGANIC WORLD 33 



press that he had spoken of ether-atoms. Ether was 

 absolutely non-atomic ; it was absolutely structureless 

 and homogeneous." 



What physicists may finally determine as to the 

 nature of electrons and ions, must be left to their re- 

 searches. 



These latest deductions of scientists seem to bring us 

 to the Origin of the Universe. 



If we may assume the existence of an infinite and 

 eternal ether, perfectly homogeneous but replete with 

 motion, we thus arrive at the primary condition of 

 matter and motion, as being all that pure science can 

 imagine or detect. 



If we think that an Omnipotent, Conscious, Intelli- 

 gent Power is present in the Universe as well as a limit- 

 less ether ; then if that Power be supposed to be infinite 

 in space, we might express this as regarding ether as 

 the " vehicle " of that Power. Science suggests, as we 

 have seen, that matter (represented by the seventy or 

 more "elements" known to physicists) was the first 

 result of some special kind of motion set up in ether, 

 which resulted in the production of vortex-rings ; these 

 vortex-rings being atoms of the known elements. 



How vortex-rings are set going in ether is unknown. 

 All that Prof. Dolbear says is : " Imagine then, that 

 vortex-rings were in some way formed in the ether, con- 

 stituted of ether". They then appear to have all the 

 physical peculiarities claimed for atoms of matter as 

 ordinarily known to physicists. 



Atoms once formed in this way, when suitable condi- 

 tions, as of heat, occur, enter into combination with one 

 another and produce molecules composed of two or more 

 different elements, and in various proportions. 



As soon as this is the case the substances exhibit 



3 



