SCIENCE. 



233 



etic energy also requires a starting place ; some way by 

 which the energy continually changed into mass motion 

 and heat of bodies gravitating into each other shall be 

 changed back again into gravic force. 



I think the luminously hot gaseous nebula shows the 

 earlier stages of these two required dispersions taking 

 place together. 



The fall of matter from space into central masses 

 takes up just so much gravic energy. This is changed 

 into mass motion and heat, so that on mechanical 

 principles, each particle bears just enough force still to 

 carry it back into space again. 



This leads us up to the idea of the life of a particle in 

 the universe, as being through an endless series of cycles 

 of charjge from space into masses and from masses into 

 space, each being, as it were, almost an eternity in dura- 

 tion, making a grand orbit, something like this : 



Meteoric matter falls from space into planets and suns ; 

 planets fall into suns ; suns grow continuously larger, 

 accumulating the momentum' of particles acquired in 

 falling from space, as motion and heat ; the heat of 

 overgrown suns at last becomes so intense, from accre- 

 tions and collisions, that it flies into a still higher form 

 of repulsive energy, as gravic force, causing disruptive 

 explosions ; the particles, by this change into gravic force 

 outward, receive a projectile force carrying them out into 

 space again ; and particles from space fall again into 

 planets and suns. 



This forms a closed cycle of action. The projectile 

 and outward gravic forces may carry part of the parti- 

 cles forward into space till they become parts of other 

 systems to run like courses ; and part may be driven 

 back at last to rebuild another system instead of that 

 destroyed. Some might be driven back by the extra- 

 force given others, and form nuclei of one or more suns. 

 And the disrupted parts going in different directions 

 might form a number of nuclei, having such dispersive 

 motion as to carry them continuously apart, as in some 

 reported cases. 



The history of a nucleus having such an initial projec- 

 tion might be something like this : 



I. It might pursue an interminable course ; should this 

 lead laterally near any region having matter in great 

 quantity, it would be deflected to pursue a great curve, 

 attracting to itself distributed matter within its reach, 

 from gravi'ation. 



II. The growth of a body pursuing a curved course 

 would produce in it a rotary motion, which would be the 

 resultant of the course and force of its own prior parts 

 and those of its continued accretions, and of the com- 

 bined attractions on its several parts of all matter passed, 

 which c f course would predominate on the inner side of 

 its curved path. 



III. Matter drawn into a moving body would come in 

 curved lines and spiral courses, tending to form great 

 rings and to produce planets, whose courses and veloc- 

 ities would be the resultants of the total averages of 

 those of the various particles uniting to form each of 

 them. 



IV. Secondary bodies of large size would approximate 

 primaries in the nature of their actions, falling in by 

 slow degrees : those of long life as secondaries tending 

 to eventual motion in one general direction, from having 

 similar producing forces and from their actions on each 

 other neutralizing conflicting equivalents ; giving to each 

 such position as its resultant velocity leads to, by union 

 or separate course, together with revolution, and possi- 

 bly secondaries to them. 



V. Differences of inclination of orbits of secondaries 

 may occur from the course of primaries having been at 

 some time near regions having predominant quantities 

 of matter to be drawn in on special sides, which unites 

 to form bodies having their special courses ; and, from 

 analogous causes some smaller bodies might chance to 

 have courses contrary to others. 



VI. The four terms of orbital and rotary velocity, heat, 

 and loss from radiance and from a resisting medium, 

 would form a sum equal nearly to the energy of fall from 

 infinity to the mean position of each body, qualified by 

 whatever initial velocity and direction each particle may 

 have had from its prior projections. 



VII. The distance of each body from its primary 

 would depend on its velocity in proportion to that which 

 fall from infinity would produce ; and all causes chang- 

 ing orbital into rotary motion, into heat and radiance, 

 and into friction on a resisting medium would shorten 

 the mean distance ; but add to the velocity. 



These I think are about the things which would occur, 

 stamping the history of the system upon its internal 

 peculiarities. 



Now, does this sort of hypothesis come nearer ac- 

 counting for the solar system than the original or present 

 day forms of the " nebular hypothesis? " 



I think that requires far too extravagant a conception 

 of a common initial force taking possession of the mat- 

 ter thinly distributed through so immense a region as a 

 globular space extending far out beyond the orbit of 

 Neptune ; and that it does not account for the variations 

 of detail, nor for a final closed system of action, as does 

 this. 



I have no faith in this stuff about burnt out worlds, 

 thinking that planets and suns grow warmer instead of 

 colder as they slowly grow larger from fall of meteorites, 

 as now going on. 



Gravic force, which causes gravitation of bodies to- 

 ward each other, probably has some resistance and loss 

 in passing through large bodies ; which would heat them 

 and give ample source for all extra heat in the sun and 

 large planets, and the interior of the earth ; and would 

 give ample time to geology for all its work. In fact, it 

 may thus greatly increase the stores of heat beyond that 

 given off by radiance, and that gained by falling from 

 space ; and so assist in forming the store for final dis- 

 persal. 



The analogies of the other forces in passing through 

 massive media seem to force us to expect such loss caus- 

 ing heat ; and there is reason to suppose there is a slight 

 resisting medium to matter in space : the dynamic equiva- 

 lent of this loss of gravic force, in the life of the particle. 



Without a resisting medium to matter in space it is 

 hard to understand how matter can congregate into 

 masses instead of always flying off again with equivalent 

 velocity. 



And it is equally hard without a resistance to gravic 

 force in bodies to understand how gravic force can act 

 to cause gravitation, or how the particles in a fixed body, 

 radiating its force, can ever again get energy for dispersal 

 into space. 



But the arrangements maybe so wonderfully balanced 

 that the one propulsive gravic force may bring particles 

 together from far space to form solid bodies and suns, 

 and then when their course is run, store up energy in them 

 to carry them back into space again, to go onward and 

 build up new systems of glory. 



The mountains of the moon, which have been called 

 dead volcanoes, are simply the drop marks of great 

 meteoric masses falling into the light meteoric 

 dust forming in the outer part of the moon. They 

 are similar in their peculiar forms to the rain drop 

 marks familiar to geologists in sand-stones ; and have the 

 same peculiar raised rims and concavities, with the bodies 

 which produced them still standing in their centres. 



Some seem to have exploded like shells, sending 

 masses in various directions tearing great furrows, some 

 radiating across the whole face of the moon. 



They may represent an enormous period, as the absence 

 of wind and moisture would permit marks once made to 

 remain until obliterated in a like way ; water, if there, 

 being a frozen dust, and if ever melted sinking into the 

 deep porous mass. 



