DIASTROPHISM AND THE FORMATIVE PROCESSES 681 
discontinuous and disjunctive, giving rise to diversions and scatter- 
ings of energy in oscillatory radiations. This vibratory phase of 
activity is at once dissipative, agitative, and demonstrative. It 
has a general destructive tendency, while cyclic motion has a 
general constructive tendency. However, by weakening old 
structures, vibratory action prepares the way for new construction. 
The two types are therefore co-operative as well as antagonistic. 
The vibratory type has its chief manifestation in the heat-light- 
X-ray series; the cyclic type, in the planetary-stellar revolutional 
systems, and in atomic, molecular, and crystalline organizations. 
In application to material substances, the revolutional type is 
predominant in atoms, molecules, crystals, and true solids generally; 
the vibratory type is most manifest in the true fluidal states; in 
a special sense it may be said to dominate gases. 
THE RELATIVE ENERGY-VALUES OF THE TWO TYPES 
In the ultimate analysis of all the cosmic states taken together, 
the revolutional type greatly preponderates in energy-value. 
This is not in accord with our sense-impressions. It is a rather 
singular fact that the values of these contrasted phases of energy 
are inversely proportional to their obirusiveness. Neither rotations 
nor revolutions are notably demonstrative, while potential energy 
of position is only visualized by a mental effort, if visualized at all. 
The rotation of the earth involves a motion of a fraction of a mile 
per second; its revolution involves a mean motion of 18 miles per 
second, while its potential energy of position has a value of 356 
miles per second. In this only relations to the sun are included; 
relations to the rest of the cosmos, in which further great, but only 
partly known, stores of energy are involved, are neglected. 
Over against these great but unobtrusive forms of the earth’s 
energy, stand the very impressive vibratory energies of the heat- 
light-X-ray series, the specially obtrusive and spectacular energies 
of the cosmos. While the precise sum total of these cannot be 
given for lack of adequate data, an excessive estimate may easily 
be made, and this will serve as a limiting value. According to 
Lane’s law the highest temperature of a condensing body occurs at 
the stage when it is passing from the gaseous to the liquid state. 
