38 Vital Physics. 



understood as a distinct and peculiar force of its own, 

 directly antagonistic to ordinary physical force in many 

 respects. Scarcely a greater dishonour could befall 

 a man, than for him to suppose that vital force is but 

 natural force placed by moulding or organizing special 

 kinds of matter in a cumulative order of development, 

 whereby each successive order of atoms appropriated to the 

 primitive would add to the presiding force ; and so, with 

 increase of matter, comes increase of force. 



This brings life down to gravitation, and places all in one 

 series of uniform force, which at present cannot be demon- 

 strated. First, let it be observed that in itself force implies 

 antagonism, and as matter is viewed as an inert substance, 

 variably affected by force, it would be as well to be explicit, 

 since, for the want of plainness, persons differ who sup- 

 pose that they entirely agree. 



In the first place, gravitation as a law, as it is frequently 

 called, and not the attraction of gravitation, is a misnomer 

 in the sense of being a force it is merely the result of a 

 force, and in itself is no more an active force than a boiler is 

 to a steam-carriage. The boiler confines and directs the 

 force, but the active force itself is the heat applied to water con- 

 tained in the boiler. All weight is in direct relation to attraction, 

 which is the real active force. A pound of lead or cork, upon 

 the hypothesis of every particle being equally attracted to the 

 earth's centre, tells for certain that the amount of atoms is 

 the same in both ; but suppose a man weighed out twenty 

 pounds of iron shot, and in the counter-poising scale his 

 weights were made of brass, what a difference in the weight 

 it would make, if under the counter, and directly opposite 

 the scale containing the shot, there was a powerful magnet. 

 It is easy to conceive, according to the power of the magnet, 

 that the twenty pounds of shot might weigh twenty-two or 

 four. If, instead of a counter, a large amount of magne- 



