CHAPTER III 



THE GROWTH OF THE MODERN MECHANIC 

 CONCEPTION OF MATTER 



There is nothing more interesting in the history 

 of human thought than the endeavours of the 

 human mind to get to the bottom of the mystery 

 of matter. Some of these endeavours we have 

 already discussed in tracing the beginnings of the 

 atomic theory ; but the mystery is many-sided ; 

 and in order fully to understand modern views of 

 matter, we shall now require to look at their growth 

 through the centuries. We cannot see any beliefs 

 in their true character and context unless our 

 horizon includes their embryology and infancy. 



We shall now try, briefly, to trace the evolution 

 of the conception of matter as something active 

 and energetic. 



As we have said, the conception of matter as some- 

 thing passive and dead was not pristine and aborigi- 

 nal, and at what time it arose it is difficult to say. 

 Probably the conception of inorganic matter as dead 



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