8o THE CREATION OF MATTER 



of the conveying medium, the perfection with which it 

 acts responsive to a measured stroke; but that great 

 clusters of strokes should produce, every second, myriads 

 of motions following each other with exquisite periodicity, 

 forms a testimony to their condition of overmastering 

 force. 



Of the various media, consider the air. In a grand 

 concert the motions fill a large hall to its every corner. 

 Every particle in it is moving with exquisite grace, is 

 responding to every touch and tone and change of tone ; 

 to the low, to the high, to the soft, to the grand, is 

 playing its part as skilfully as the most practised of 

 hands. Here as in light let genius do its best in pro- 

 ducing music admired of all generations, let the 

 Mendelssohns, the Mozarts, the Wagners, pour them- 

 selves forth each with his own that, his own brilliant 

 characteristics ; let the hand of genius, as of Stradivarius, 

 make instruments, and also make them almost speak ; 

 let the kings and queens of song combine together and 

 surpass themselves, the conveying medium will do justice 

 to them. Have you gone out on a lovely spring morning, 

 the sun shining as he alone can, and he only at morn or 

 eventide ; the young grass in its loveliest robe of green, 

 and every blade of grass sparkling with nature's diamonds ; 

 have you gone forth and stood enthralled, listening to 

 the song of the lark as it soared, to its outpouring of the 

 most delicious notes, have you noticed that not far off 

 and all round were others; have you walked or driven 

 along a country road and found on every side the air thus 

 occupied? Has imagination wandered to every valley 

 and plain in all our land, and listened to myriads of 

 sweet songsters, and at the same time seen the air filled 

 with motions as perfect and as beautiful as the sounds 

 that captivated the ear? And every country has its 



