COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



the probable future disintegration of our plan- 

 etary system ; at present we are concerned only 

 with Evolution, which we have already seen to 

 consist in the integration of matter and concom- 

 itant dissipation of motion, but which, as we 

 shall presently see, implies in most cases much 

 more than this. Let us first point out the con- 

 ditions under which the secondary redistribu- 

 tions attending Evolution take place ; and let 

 us then proceed to point out the common char- 

 acteristics of these secondary changes. 



Obviously in speaking of secondary redistri- 

 butions that go on while a body is integrating 

 its matter and losing its motion, we refer to re- 

 distributions among the parts of the body and 

 among the relative motions of the parts, — or, 

 in other words, to alterations in structure and 

 function going on within the body. Now the 

 ease with which such redistributions are effected, 

 and the ease with which they are maintained, 

 must depend alike, though in precisely opposite 

 ways, upon the amount of motion retained by 

 the integrating body. The greater the amount 

 of retained motion, the more easily will inter- 

 nal redistributions be effected. The smaller the 

 amount of retained motion, the more easily will 

 such redistributions be rendered permanent. 

 These propositions are so abstruse as to require 

 some further illustration. 



When water is converted, by loss of its in* 

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