68 SCIENCE AND IMMORTALITY 



differences of arrangement, arising by the com- 

 pounding and recompounding of ultimate homo- 

 geneous units." 



Still, science as a whole suspended judgment ; 

 and the state of scientific opinion in 1873 ^^Y 

 be well shown by a quotation from Professor 

 F. W. Clarke of Cincinnati, who in that year 

 wrote as follows : " We do not know but that 

 the evolution of one element from another may 

 be possible, under circumstances over which we 

 have as yet no mastery ; indeed, such a view 

 would have many points of probability about it. 

 Although unsupported, it is quite strongly sug- 

 gested by evidence. The demonstrated unity of 

 force leads us, by analogy, to expect a similar unity 

 of matter ; and the many strange and hitherto 

 unexplained relations between the elements tend 

 to encourage our expectations. These elements 

 which seem to-day so diverse in character, may 

 be, after all, one in essence. This idea is philo- 

 sophically strong, but waits for experimental 

 evidence to support it. At present it can neither 

 be discarded as false nor accepted as true. But 

 what an addition the proof of such a doctrine 

 would bring to the philosophy of evolution ! . . . 

 It is plain that the nebular hypothesis would be 

 doubled in importance and our views of the 

 universe greatly expanded if it could be shown 



