62 ORIGIN AND NATURE OF LIFE 



gases. Now, theoretically, electrons must be 

 identical whatever their origin, and so, if the 

 source were disintegration, there ought to be 

 much of the intermediate products, such as 

 helium, xenon, neon, argon, and hydrogen, and 

 little of the single constituents or ultimate 

 fragments. But if the source were synthesis 

 from the ether, it might be suspected that 

 there would be much of the first stage of 

 synthesis or electrons, and fewer of the 

 more complex products or rare gases. The 

 second is what is found experimentally, but 

 it may well be that in any such active electrical 

 discharge both synthesis and disintegration of 

 matter go on alongside of each other, and that 

 a study of experimental conditions will allow 

 us in the future to cause whichever we choose 

 to predominate. 



It has been said above that the spectra of 

 different stars show important differences, 

 and this not only gives a guide to a classifica- 

 tion of the stars according to their temperature 

 but yields important evidence in regard to 

 evolution at the inorganic stage. The evi- 

 dence is that the same element is in different 

 conditions at different temperatures, and 

 also that at lower temperatures certain ele- 

 ments exist which disappear at higher tem- 

 peratures, and are replaced by others, these 



