494 
Genesis of Matter . 
[October, 
however, remember that there is a difference in the forces ; 
the one is energetic — the gas will move of itself ; the solid 
will not. Yet here we come to a stand — we have abundant 
force in the dead hydrogen. Can nothing else bring it out 
but heat ? Can nothing cause it to burst forth of itself, 
and convert its terrible grip into activity ? Who knows but 
the cold may overdo its work, and break up the hydrogen 
itself, when the earlier elements may spring out and convert 
that deadly grip into the gay dance of life and a new crea- 
tion? If any one says that this is only a mode of manufac- 
turing heat out of cold, I will say I know the objection, and 
I will stop this direction for the present and go elsewhere, 
assisted by a little imagination. 
If we desire to rob hydrogen of more of its qualities we 
must break it up. Do we not see that the more it unites 
the more varied is its activity, and the more many-sided is 
its life ? Let us break it into more simplicity, and remove 
its powers ; let us say “ Hydrogen become simple, whatever 
that be,”- — either the one matter, the vcra substantia of all 
things, or at least something even more ready to escape 
than hydrogen is in a state of gas. For this we need a new 
power ; we must pass the bounds of the known ; we must 
find a force and split the hydrogen, tearing it asunder by 
aphairesis, and leaving a something or two somethings 
which have lost at least one of their powers, that of re- 
maining together until some equal force unites them again. 
That which they have lost is, let us say first, affinity. If 
affinity is lost, why not gravitation also, of which it is but 
a branch ? But by what right have you gone beyond the 
bounds of our matter ? It is only a leap, and I shall return ; 
but in my leap I saw that there was a something different 
from this earth, and the matter there did not gravitate. 
Indeed ! and how can it be matter if it did not gravitate ? 
I am not aware that gravitation is any necessary quality of 
matter. We can suppose matter without. Indeed there 
are various kinds of gravitation of one body to another, and 
much more powerful than that which we designate especially 
by the name of Gravity. But this I said in a previous 
essay, in part. A magnet has another gravitation in it, 
which may go out of it ; why may not our common gravi- 
tation be put out also ? It is a mere fancy that it is neces- 
sary. But how did hydrogen obtain its gravitation ? How 
does any body obtain a new property ? It is by intrusion 
of other things, arts, and conditions, as new races are 
formed ; and hydrogen most probably obtained its gravita- 
tion either by the combination which first made it hydrogen 
