Oct. i, 1885.] The Australasian Scientific Magazine. 
93 
“ Earths on Earths may go cycling on ” in space, teeming with all kinds of 
animals and human beings, and we have no reason to deny that planets 
may be populated with a far superior class of beings than ourselves ; and, 
although astronomers differ as to the constitution and atmosphere of many 
planets, yet there is no reason for disbelieving that beings may be consti- 
tuted of ethereal matter, and fed with a similar food, so attenuated that we 
are unable to appreciate, much less to distinguish or discourse of them, by 
reason of our ignorance of scientific research. 
We may feel the effect of a material force, as the wind or gravity, yet 
we cannot perceive the power or matter which originated force. 
The tremendous astronomic force is neither seen nor heard, which every 
moment holds the compact of the physical universe together: the lightning 
is, in fact, but a mere fire-fly spark in comparison ; but, because it glares 
on the clouds, and thunders so terribly in the ears, and rives the trees or 
the rock whence it falls, many will be ready to think it a vastly more 
important agent than gravity, which 
“ Keeps this earth a sphere, 
And guides it onward in its course.” 
The fine particles of camphor which affect the nerves of smell, and 
steam in an active state, are invisible, the same as CHNO, yet we are 
as certain of their existence as of our own. 
As animalculse exist in water, which require a powerful microscope to 
distinguish them, so may matter be so attenuated or subtle (spiritual or 
ethereal) that with all the scientific appliances we now possess or may 
hereafter discover, we shall be unable for generations, perhaps, if ever, 
to see, much less examine, its peculiar properties ; and yet that matter 
may have as fine, if not far nobler and transcendental a form, sur- 
passing our limited knowledge, as our grade and rank in the animal king- 
dom excels the nearly invisible monad atomus , or minute mass of 
protoplasm, the amseba, or even the eozoon, which is one of the yet 
discovered lowest types of animal creation, to whom an atom is a thousand 
worlds. The Scripture says, “ a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see 
me have,” but it is nowhere said that a spirit hath no material parts, or 
only an attenuated etheric or gaseous form. 
When matter becomes too attenuated to reveal itself, they (theo- 
logians) complacently call it spirit, and when this ethereal matter or 
electricity acts, they style it a miracle. 
All things which exist are material ; without matter nothing exists. 
Matter, however, may, in future ages, turn out to be only varied forms 
of one primitive element. 
“ O, that this too solid flesh would melt, 
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew.” 
— Shakspeare. 
“ I to the elements 
Resign the principles of life sent me.” 
— Sir W. Scott. 
Cyrus said to his sons “ You will as speedily as possible give back my 
body to the dust ; for what can be more desirable than to mingle with that 
which produces and fosters all that is beautiful, and all that is good ? It 
will, methinks, give me pleasure to become identified with that which is 
the great benefactor of mankind.” 
