The Cause of Life and Motion 1 1 



If the theory were correct, all things whether in 

 masses or in atoms, would be attracted equally to the 

 earth, whereas it appears highly probable that nearly 

 all matters rise from the earth when decomposed or 

 vaporized in the air. But we are told that all masses 

 which rise in the air are of less density, and therefore 

 lighter than an equal bulk of air, and rise in conse- 

 quence. Although this does not necessarily follow, it 

 is nevertheless untrue, since steam confined at a high 

 temperature is of greater density than the air, and yet 

 at the moment of escape, it rises with greater rapidity 

 than afterwards, when it becomes more rarified. In. 

 fact it is only necessary to destroy what is called the 

 atomic cohesion of most bodies for. their immediate 

 ascension in the air. Fire may be so intense as to 

 dissipate a body and carry the atoms upwards almost 

 instantly. There is a legend about the air becoming 

 rarified by -heat, and that as nature very properly 

 abhors a vacuum, she causes the air to rush in and 

 fill the void. If heat rarified the air in the manner 

 taught us, the air would be rarified most in the hottest 

 place, which would be directly above the flame, and 

 as a consequence, the air would rusli into it from 

 above instead of in at its base. The fact is that the 

 air particles are held in regular geometric positions and 

 those of the consuming body, as they rise, force them 

 out of their positions. There is no vacuum produced 

 nor is there any tendency to its production. The posi- 

 tions occupied by the air particles are simply taken up 

 by the particles from the body, which are forced up 

 by a power which will be considered further on, not 

 only in spite of the airs' resistance, but in spite of the 

 so-called attraction of gravity. 



