THE TRIUMPH OF LIFE 



ether of the star space, does not let it loose- 

 again; like a fly it is clasped in a net,— it is 

 hindered in its course, it twists, — as a spark is 

 thrown out when a wagon wheel is checked on 

 the pavement so heat arises here also — it glows 

 as a shooting star, as a fire ball that increases 

 to a white heat. Finally it bursts into brilliant- 

 ly dazzling sparks. After a long while the dull 

 thunder of the explosion comes down to earth 

 on a slow moving sound wave. 



The cosmical career of the stranger is ended. 

 An invisibly fine metallic rain of nickel and 

 iron balls of microscopic size go down into the 

 ocean. If after years some investigator makes 

 a test of the sea soil he will find there tiny balls 

 — pieces of metal from far off star space that 

 have increased the mass of the earth by an infi- 

 nitely small amount. 



But now take note: all that we have thus far 

 met with has been merely the play of inorganic, 

 not living things. The fixed star system, the 

 earth as a star, the changes of land and water, 

 the air a loose mixture of elements, the ocean 

 plain a liquid combination of hydrogen and 

 oxygen which clings to the hard planet body 

 over many square miles and in some places to 

 the thickness of four miles — in all of these the 

 idea of life fails completely. The sun-light 

 flies to the earth, yonder block of meteoric iron 



la 



