MIRACLES OF SCIENCE 



of a century, and to question whether the mani- 

 festations that have in recent generations been in- 

 terpreted as undulations in the ether may not be 

 susceptible of another interpretation more in keep- 

 ing with the old idea of Newton that light really 

 consists of infinitesimal particles hurtling through 

 space. This reactionary conception, which as yet is 

 only vaguely formulated, is obviously in keeping with 

 the studies that have carried us from the molecule 

 to the atom and from the atom to the electron; the 

 conception, in short, which tends to visualize all mat- 

 ter, and even energy itself, as in the last analysis 

 corpuscular in character. Even the all-pervading 

 ether has been brought within the scope of this con- 

 ception by the newest theories, as will appear in a 

 moment. We may well complete our survey of the 

 world of the infinitely little by passing on to a brief 

 examination of the newest theories as to the nature 

 of the ether; which theories, as will appear, involve 

 also an attempt of an even more fundamental char- 

 acter than any hitherto suggested to solve the prob- 

 lem of the ultimate nature of matter itself and of the 

 perennial mystery of that hitherto inexplicable force 

 which is observed to operate everywhere and always 

 between the particles of matter and to which we give 

 *he name of gravitation. 



FROM MICROCOSM TO MACROCOSM 



In attempting to follow this newest exploration of 

 theoretical physics we are confronted by an astound- 

 ing paradox. This is nothing less than the assurance 

 that what we call matter is really the least substan- 



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