202 PHYSICAL BASIS OF CIVILIZATION 



conditioned manifestations or states of one original 

 unconditioned universal material. Since science 

 has established a parallelism in the equivalence 

 and transmutability of all the different kinds of 

 force and energy in the universe, this view com- 

 mends itself the more, and this equivalence and 

 transmutability points obviously to a common 

 origin in that universal reservoir of all force and 

 energy: the general commotion of all things. 



From these facts and arguments it follows, firstly, 

 that every kind of particle must be endowed by the 

 universal commotion with a kind of kinetic and 

 potential energy peculiar to it, its own — the result 

 of its peculiar shape, size, and mass when acted on 

 by the universal commotion. For convenience, 

 this peculiar motion of each element will hereafter 

 be designated as its proper motion. Secondly, 

 that the proper motion of every kind of particles or 

 masses must differ from the proper motions of 

 every other kind, and that this difference must be 

 homologous to the difference in form, bulk, and mass 

 existing between the particles and masses. Thirdly, 

 that, provided these particles do not change their 

 form, bulk, or mass, 1 these differences must remain 



1 If future observations and experiments should confirm the 

 lately reported transformations of the so-called element ur- 

 anium into helium, lithium, radium, etc., then on the hypothesis 

 that the so-called chemical elements are variously conditioned 

 manifestations of a universal, originally uniform matter, these 

 changes might be interpreted as arising from modifications in 

 the form, bulk, or mass of the ultimate particles of uranium. 

 These atomic modifications again might be explained as arising 

 from the unbalancing and consequent rearrangement of the 



