.896-97.] 371 



of gravitation dragging toward the centre of the earth ; and by- 

 and-by its elasticity is overcome ; it ceases to vibrate ; the air 

 which it had stirred resumes its equilibrium, and the sound 

 ceases. 



This beautiful analogy between Music and the Chemical 

 Elements in their characters and resemblances as we have shewn, 

 is deeply interesting further on account of this, there are just 

 12 Scales or Keys of Music, and, although in a different way, 

 they also go in pairs, " the Minor and the Major " as they are 

 usually called, but perhaps better named Feminine and 

 Masculine as D. C. Ramsay, the profound Musical Scientist, 

 prefers to call them. Each scale ascending is based on the fifth 

 of the preceeding one ; and when we have ascended 12 Fifths 

 we find that we have also ascended 7 octaves ; and that the 

 1 2th fifth and the 7th octave both terminate in a note of 

 practically the same number of vibrations ; and so the cycle of 

 the musical scales closes. To go on ascending would simply be 

 to repeat the cycle in higher vibrations; which musically, 

 however, would be of no service because our ears are not fitted 

 for more than the 12 pairs of relative scales. We cannot hear, 

 indeed, with any great delight even the 7 octaves of vibrations 

 which form the horizon of the musical system of vibrations. 

 The sweetest scales are in the middle region, under the zenith 

 of this horizon. So much for music and the chemical elements. 

 We shall find music to meet us again later on, meanwhile we 

 proceed. 



Every building presupposes a Builder and a. plan and materials. 

 The grand old Book has told us who the Builder is. The plan 

 on which He works we call familiarly '' the laws 0/ nature." 

 Very good. But laws do nothing. They are simply the way 

 the Builder proceeds to do His work. The plan of a building, 

 be it hut or palace, would lie long enough on the architect's 

 shelf unless he were to proceed with action and intelligence to 

 carry it out. 



Now then we have got materials before us, the chemical 

 elements, let us see how the building operation proceeds. The 



