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world of science looks approvingly on and applauds that 

 statement (which it does), they open our way to a choice 

 of these two deductions; (1) that it is the common trait 

 of all cubical iron mountains twenty miles high to liquefy 

 their bases, or (2) that some do but others do not, de- 

 pending on whether they have ever gone through the per- 

 formance before. Of these, the Conservationists through- 

 out their ratiocinations show that they unqualifiedly 

 adopt the second as a kind of basic principle, and accord- 

 ingly they are looking forward to the day when all of 

 Jupiter 's mountains of iron, and of lead, and of other ma- 

 terials will have learned not to liquefy their bases and to 

 stay chill against all pressures. 



To my mind the thing could not be more obvious than 

 it is, that a mountain of iron which by its pressure once 

 succeeds in liquefying its base will hold that base in a 

 state of liquefaction indefinitely. When lead assumes 

 the fluid form in the hydraulic press, it does so simply 

 because that is the natural condition for it to take on 

 when under that amount of stress. When either iron 

 or lead is in the fluid state, it means they are hot because 

 Nature has ordained that fluid iron, or fluid lead, and a 

 high temperature shall forever go hand in hand. The 

 bearing of heavy loads continuously oppresses matter as 

 it oppresses the human slave, the latter experiencing pain 

 and weariness, the former evincing its discomfort in 

 ' 'molecular inflammation," as it were, or heat. Jupiter, 

 like the sun and stars, is hot for keeps. 



Let it not be inferred, however, that all substances 

 react to gravistatic pressure to an equal extent. They 

 no more do so than they so react to acids, or than asbestos 

 reacts to fire in the same way as does ice. With the 

 first spurious law of conservation out of the way, we can 

 now go on experimenting unprejudicedly with the various 

 substances, resignedly allowing Nature to lead the way 

 and refraining from seeking to dictate to her at every 

 turn. Is there, to your mind in view of the sun whose 

 light and heat have demonstrably endured for millions 

 upon millions of years with no sign of failing, and in 



