THE UNDERLYING FACTS OF SCIENCE 581 



out into space to re-create atoms for use in some other system. The 

 sun, while emitting an enormous amount of energy, may be gathering 

 an equal amount and be a vast atom-factory. Yico with his " metaphys- 

 ical points " and Boscovich with his theory of centers of force for atoms 

 were the forerunners of the theory that matter is energy objectified, 

 a theory so startling that it -would be unwise, not to say positively in- 

 decent, for modern science to accept it offhand without at least a show 

 of suspicion. Anaxagoras saw in the energy of atoms the evidences of 

 mental power; even the most sceptic must refrain from criticizing or 

 judging the statement that the energy of the atom is entitled to be 

 called intelligent in the broad sense. It is quite significant that proto- 

 plasm molecules are very rich in atoms, each molecule of human haemo- 

 globin containing not less than 1897. 



The Yortex At oh 



But we must now return to the vortex atom. It is a gratuitous 

 supposition, all too widely accepted, that atoms must necessarily be 

 round. Secchi favored a round revolving atom. Lord Kelvin and 

 many others found that the vortex atom more completely satisfies the 

 requirements of observed facts, but that the vortex atoms may vary in 

 their shape and proportionate dimensions. It may be best to give Pro- 

 fessor Tait's definition of Kelvin's vortex atom, instead of attempting 

 to fashion a new one. " The rotating part of an inert perfect fluid, 

 whose motion is absolutely continuous, which fills all space, but which 

 is, when not rotating, absolutely unperceived by our senses." By 

 " perfect fluid " is meant one which is frictionless, clearly an impossi- 

 bility for matter in the liquid state. 



The most pronounced features of the vortex atom as compared with 

 other conceptions which have been offered are its elasticity and its 

 permanent character; its mathematical study is of unusual difficulty, 

 but the properties which it must necessarily possess coincide in a re- 

 markable degree with the observed properties of atoms. The vortex 

 ring, one made of smoke, for instance, can not be cut ; it will move away 

 from the edge of the knife; it can, however, be deformed and will 

 vibrate in various ways. It can revolve axially or in any other direc- 

 tion. It is even conceivable that vortex atoms be linked so that a great 

 variety of arrangements would be possible, corresponding to stereo- 

 chemical groupings. 



One more point must be touched upon. Is the ether stagnant or in 

 motion ? At first it may appear as rather a waste of energy to attempt 

 to discover if the ether is in motion, but Professor Larmor has shown 

 mathematically that the absence of any optical influence of the earth's 

 motion on light from the sun and stars suggests that the ether moves 

 along with the earth. Prom another source comes the idea that the 



