304 FROM NEBULA TO NEBULA 



and again, endlessly, to work out her evolutionary pur- 

 poses. When, finally, the star explodes, its scattered 

 parts, though in the main alike, nevertheless carry 

 severally something unique in their chemical make-up 

 that has its peculiar cosmic value. Is it, then, unreason- 

 able to conceive that some one, or many, of these may 

 fortuitously contain in generous measure all the ingredi- 

 ents of this mysterious protoplasm, and, becoming buried 

 in the planet far enough from the surface to enjoy just 

 the right degree and uniformity of gravistatic tempera- 

 ture requisite for prolonged incubation, in the end germi- 

 nate life ? 



The size of a planet determines its character abso- 

 lutely. If over-large it generates too much gravistatic 

 heat to make life possible on its surface ; if too small, it 

 does not generate enough to keep its oceans from freez- 

 ing, and life is again rendered impossible. Since how- 

 ever, it is the nature of planets to grow, such as are too 

 small, like Mars and the moon, may hope one day to emu- 

 late the earth in fecundity, but the major planets are 

 doomed to perpetual barrenness, although they may once 

 have been vivif erous. 



A close analysis of these and many other facts, such, 

 for example, as the inclination of the earth 's axis, the 

 small eccentricity of its orbit, the nice adjustment of its 

 size "gravistatically" to the work required of it, its 

 favorable distance from the sun, the possible fortuity in- 

 volved in the origination of life, etc., make it seem not 

 entirely impossible that terrestrial man is the only 

 creature in the universe capable of comprehending and 

 appreciating its stupendous beauty and scope. The 

 thought has its terrors as well as its inspiration. 



The evolutionist, the physicist, the geologist, the 

 biologist, may all find in gravistatic heat the explanation 

 of many of their enigmas; such, for example, as the as- 

 similation by Nature of her heterogeneous substances in- 

 to combinations beneficial to plant and animal life ; or the 

 distillation of mineral gases, oils, and the like ; or the in- 

 ternal structure of the earth; or the explanation of 

 marine life, and so on. 



