27 



and that matter nearest the knots will condense upon 

 these; and thus the sun and planets and moons will in 

 the course of countless ages, become similar to our own 

 system. 



The constant falling of meteors upon our atmosphere 

 now, and their matter finally reaching the surface of 

 the earth, after being fused into gases by the friction of 

 their rapid flight through the air, are illustrative of the 

 accretion of particles of matter in a nebula by the nuclei, 

 and the evolution of worlds. This theory differs in 

 many respects from the La Placean nebular hypothesis, 

 but riot in the fact that worlds are evolved continually in 

 space by rotations of matter, whose origin is unknown. 

 The nebular theory assumed that the planets were thrown 

 off in succession in rings. The planetesimal hypothesis 

 assumes that they were all formed at the same time. 

 There are other differences, not necessary to mention, in 

 the elucidation of the principle of inorganic evolution. 

 But all the facts when critically examined by Mr. 

 Chamberlain and Mr. Moulton, scientifically, accord with 

 the well known facts of our solar system. 



THE ELEMENTS. Chemists have known for many 

 years that the matter of our earth can be reduced to 

 about eighty elements. There are many facts which indi- 

 cate that these are merely varying forms of one primeval 

 element, yet undiscovered. ' ' The elements that form one 

 per cent or more of the earth's crust are only eight in 

 number. They are given in the following table : 



Per cent. 



Oxygen 47.02 



Silicon 28.06 



Aluminum 8.16 



Iron . 4.64 



