﻿350 
  On 
  Matter 
  in 
  Diverse 
  Stages 
  of 
  Subdivision. 
  

  

  himself, 
  — 
  and 
  that 
  if 
  dimensions 
  oscillated 
  between 
  the 
  

   infinites. 
  We 
  seem 
  in 
  this 
  way 
  to 
  bridge 
  the 
  infinite 
  (so 
  to 
  

   say) 
  in 
  extremes 
  of 
  thought. 
  

  

  To 
  connect 
  dimensions 
  (if 
  only 
  in 
  one 
  isolated 
  instance) 
  

   with 
  our 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  indestructibility 
  of 
  Matter, 
  we 
  might 
  

   imagine 
  the 
  metrical 
  standard 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Conservatoire 
  " 
  to 
  have 
  

   alone 
  remained 
  unaltered 
  in 
  length, 
  when 
  the 
  accomplished 
  

   reduction 
  (or 
  increase) 
  of 
  size 
  of 
  everything 
  else 
  would 
  then 
  

   become 
  obvious, 
  — 
  by 
  comparison 
  with 
  the 
  metrical 
  standard 
  

   left 
  over 
  as 
  the 
  sole 
  test-relic 
  of 
  the 
  previous 
  state 
  of 
  Relativity. 
  

   Such 
  modification 
  of 
  dimensions 
  of 
  our 
  universe 
  would 
  evi- 
  

   dently 
  imply 
  a 
  proportional 
  " 
  creation 
  " 
  or 
  (respectively) 
  

   " 
  annihilation 
  " 
  of 
  Matter, 
  with 
  the 
  concomitant 
  shortening 
  

   (or 
  lengthening) 
  of 
  the 
  radius 
  of 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  

   system 
  affected. 
  And 
  if 
  these 
  changes 
  of 
  dimensions 
  be 
  

   imagined 
  to 
  be 
  instantaneous, 
  the 
  conservation 
  of 
  the 
  

   memory-mechanism 
  (itself 
  independent 
  of 
  scale, 
  and 
  united 
  

   with 
  a 
  psychological 
  side), 
  would 
  secure 
  the 
  unbroken 
  re- 
  

   cognition 
  of 
  undisturbed 
  Relativity. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  reason 
  effectively 
  on 
  some 
  questions, 
  we 
  may 
  

   fitly 
  make 
  certain 
  preliminary 
  assumptions, 
  which 
  do 
  not 
  

   abate 
  the 
  logic 
  of 
  the 
  conclusions. 
  

  

  The 
  catastrophic 
  change 
  of 
  absolute 
  size 
  (by 
  unaltered 
  

   relative 
  dimensions 
  of 
  internal 
  constituents) 
  of 
  our 
  cosmos, 
  

   with 
  variation 
  of 
  radius 
  of 
  extension, 
  implied 
  in 
  the 
  passage 
  

   from 
  one 
  state 
  of 
  Relativity 
  to 
  another, 
  — 
  must 
  be 
  imagined 
  for 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  our 
  argument) 
  to 
  be 
  perfectly 
  instantaneous. 
  

  

  It 
  appears, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  a 
  physical 
  catastrophe 
  

   being 
  involved 
  in 
  such 
  changes, 
  goes 
  to 
  demonstrate 
  that 
  

   there 
  is 
  such 
  a 
  thing 
  as 
  absolute 
  size, 
  or 
  that 
  this 
  phrase 
  has 
  a 
  

   meaning 
  within 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  Physical 
  Science. 
  Indeed, 
  

   in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  concept 
  of 
  " 
  absolute 
  size," 
  as 
  a 
  basis 
  to 
  

   rest 
  on, 
  it 
  seems 
  that 
  the 
  abstract 
  idea 
  of 
  infinite 
  extension 
  

   oscillates 
  hither 
  and 
  thither 
  in 
  uncertainty 
  (as 
  if 
  its 
  logical 
  

   justification 
  were 
  in 
  question). 
  

  

  Only 
  " 
  absolute 
  size 
  " 
  appears 
  to 
  possess 
  this 
  peculiarity, 
  

   that 
  any 
  imagined 
  fluctuations 
  of 
  its 
  value 
  [in 
  exact 
  parallelism 
  

   with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  metrical 
  standard 
  — 
  by 
  the 
  conservation 
  of 
  

   Relativity], 
  would 
  elude 
  our 
  observation, 
  even 
  under 
  the 
  

   implied 
  retention 
  of 
  memory 
  throughout. 
  For 
  the 
  inde- 
  

   pendence 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  elaborate 
  mechanisms 
  on 
  absolute, 
  and 
  

   their 
  unique 
  dependence 
  on 
  relative 
  scale 
  of 
  parts, 
  — 
  is 
  an 
  

   obvious 
  and 
  accepted 
  fact 
  in 
  Engineering 
  design. 
  

  

  Gross 
  Mottbek, 
  bei 
  Altona, 
  Germany, 
  

   Dec. 
  1907— 
  April 
  1908. 
  

  

  