CONSTITUENTS OF THE UNIVERSE. 



most serious consideration because the atom 

 must be either changeable, or unchangeable. 

 Now it matters not which view is taken of it, 

 for EITHER ONE leaves the present chemical 

 theory in a pretty bad fix. 



If it is assumed that the atoms are change- 

 able, then there is no longer an element. It is 

 in fact, precisely the reason why the chemist 

 regards the atoms as unchangeable that he 

 believes they are elementary and not com- 

 pound. He cannot consistently take any 

 other view than that the atoms are fixed and 

 unalterable; and that is exactly the view he 

 does take of them. Now the difficulty with 

 this view of the atom is that it is absolutely 

 impossible for a chemical change to occur 

 under that condition; because with unchange- 

 able atoms or quantities, it would be impossi- 

 ble to make anything but a mixture. 



This will plainly appear if a quantity of 

 shot of different material are mingled together, 

 when a mixture ONLY will result from the ex- 

 periment; nor will it make any difference, no 

 matter what the size of the parts may be. All 



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