72 THE CREATION OF MATTER 



absorbing and scattering of waves depend. The chloro- 

 phyl in grass and other vegetables has the motions of its 

 molecules so timed that they reflect prevailingly a vivid 

 green. The dazzling yellow of furze and broom, the 

 brilliant loveliness of flowers, fruit-tree blossoms, and 

 purple heath tell of molecules beautifully ordered and 

 adjusted to ether motions, so as to enable them to glow 

 with these colours. They are put to the test by a most 

 delicate touchstone, and are not found wanting. 



The molecules also of each substance in the midst of 

 heat motions have their own waves to which they give 

 birth. Those of carbon create all the waves, and so yield 

 white light. To do this they must have so many rela- 

 tions to the medium ; there must be so many character- 

 istics in their own form and motions as enable them to 

 affect the ether in seven different measures, producing 

 the seven different numbers of billions of vibrations. As 

 carbon is the great source of artificial light on the earth, 

 is it not very remarkable that it should be so richly en- 

 dowed as to be able to bring into play all the capacities 

 of the ether? The molecules of lithium transform the 

 heat motions into the vibrations of red light only, those 

 of sodium into the vibrations of yellow light, while those 

 of thallium and indium produce the billions which yield 

 green and blue respectively. The molecules of lithium 

 are thus shown to possess such energies and motions that 

 when the heat waves are dashed against them they raise 

 the number of their transverse vibrations to 395 billions. 

 All the molecules of this element have their powers in 

 this respect thus accurately determined. Those of the 

 other three substances have their powers in like manner 

 exquisitely measured. What, then, has produced results 

 BO uniform? What has measured and adjusted the 

 energies at work in the molecules of these four sub- 



