122 THE UNIVERSE 



theory of light and the conservation of energy 

 and the so-called attraction of gravitation by rea- 

 son of its marvelous energy and wonderful quali- 

 ties. 



But I stand with the scientists on the doctrine 

 of the conservation of energy and the correlation 

 of forces, and do not believe radium seriously 

 threatens it, though Lord Kelvin had much reason 

 to say so; and it is a puzzle yet unsolved as to 

 how it maintains its energy without diminution 

 of its force and bulk. I see but one explanation, 

 and that is, that it renews itself constantly b}' 

 drawing electric energy from the air, as a battery 

 or dynamo draws it, and thus retains its marvelous 

 power unimpaired. 



I hold that energy, like matter, is a substance 

 and can neither be created nor destroyed. It is 

 impossible to create a molecule out of nothing or 

 to reduce a single particle of energy to nothing. 

 Energy, like matter, can be changed from one form 

 to another or from one place to another, but all 

 matter is one matter in its elemental form, and all 

 energy is from one original energy, which I hold to 

 be electricity. All matter is the aggregate mani- 

 festations of the invisible atom, and all energy is 

 the varied manifestations of the one ultimate and 

 only force in nature electricity. 



The transformation of energy, such as falling 

 water, expanding steam, heat, light, vital force, 

 and so-called gravitation, are all from the same 

 electric elemental force, and this energy is without 

 increase or decrease and is known as the conser- 

 vation of energy. The definition given of electric- 

 ity by Atkins in his work on electricity, which says, 



