196 NATURAL BEAUTY 



Earth as Mot/ier-Earth, and the Beauty of her 

 features as within the purview of Geography. 



I will state my case as clearly and briefly as 

 I can. Geography is a science. Science is 

 learning, knowing, understanding. The object of 

 geographical learning, knowing, understanding is 

 the Earth. We must first, then, have a true con- 

 ception of what the Earth really is. And next we 

 must be certain in our minds as to what is most 

 worth knowing about it. 



To begin with our conception of the Earth. At 

 the dawn of Geography it was believed to be a flat 

 disc. Later it was discovered to be a sphere. Then 

 it was found to be not a hard solid sphere like a 

 billiard-ball, but to be hard only on the surface, and 

 within to be quick with fervent heat. Now it is 

 coming to be regarded as spirit as well as body — as 

 in its essential nature spiritual rather than material. 



When we get as far back as science is able to take 

 us we find that the ultimate particles of which the 

 Earth is made up are not minute specks of some 

 substance or material, but are simply centres of 

 radiant energy. Even with a microscope of infinite 

 power we should never be able to see one, like we 

 see a grain of pollen or a grain of sand. And if we 

 had fingers of infinite delicacy, we should never be 

 able to take one up between the forefinger and 

 thumb and feel it. These ultimate particles are 

 invisible and intangible. Nothing could be less 

 substantial. And we find further that, inconceiv- 

 ably minute as they are, they act of themselves 

 under the mutual influence of one another. The 

 electrons are not like shot which have been heaped 



