104 The Evolution Hypothesis. 



inconstant. Being a manifestation, matter is not 

 guaranteed continued existence; for the continued 

 existence of force does not necessitate the continued 

 existence of every manifestation of force. Force per- 

 sists, while its manifestations change. Is the mani- 

 festation known as matter so differenced from all other 

 manifestations that the persistence of force should 

 determine its persistence ? The two essential at- 

 tributes of matter are resistance and occupation .of 

 space. Now these are not attributes essential to the 

 idea of force, and do not necessarily persist with its 

 persistence. Space-occupying that is, bulk is rela- 

 tive ; it is capable of more and less. Mr. Spencer 

 speaks of it as a special kind of force. " The first of 

 these," he says the space-occupying kind of force 

 " has no specific name." * But we are familiar with 

 the fact that the kind of force manifested in "space- 

 occupying " may be increased or diminished. Now 

 if the space-occupancy may become less, is there a 

 point at which this diminution necessarily stops ? Is 

 there a line drawn at which the continuity of move- 

 ment is broken, and at which it is said to the vanishing 

 process. " Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther ? " 

 If so, then the law of continuity is violated. If, on 

 the other hand, the law of continuity prevail, and the 

 space-occupying mode of force gradually merge in 

 some other mode, then matter has lost one element of 



* First Principles, 58. 



