210 HERBERT SPENCER

tion of Spencer's Evolutionism; many inquiries point
to the idea that matter has a homogeneous constitution 5
and the recent revolutionary discoveries centred in
" radio-activity " have given new life to the view that
the eighty odd elements of the chemist have had a
long history behind them, and have evolved from
simple homogeneous units. The alchemists' dream
seems to be coming true, for we hear whispers of the
transmutation of elements. "It may be true," as
Prof. R. K. Duncan says in his Nevu Knowledge (1905)
" that all bodily existence is but the manifestation of
units of negative electricity lying embosomed in an
omnipresent ether of which these units are, probably,
a conditioned part."

Inorganic Evolution.—We cannot follow this fascinat-
ing new story of inorganic evolution, but we wish to
point out that the progress of science since Spencer
wrote his First Principles has tended to justify him in
beginning with formless diffused homogeneous matter.
Were that work being written to-day, it would have
to be entirely recast. It would probably begin (as
Prof. Duncan sketches) with units of negative
electricity, assuming motion and carrying with them
bound portions of the ether in which they are bathed,
becoming corpuscles endowed with the primary
qualities of matter super-imposed upon those of
electricity. " Corpuscles congregating into groups
or various configurations constitute essentially the
atoms of the chemical elements, locking up in these
configurations super-terrific energies, and leaving but
"a slight residual effect" as chemical affinity or gravi-
tation with which we attempt to carry on the work of
the world. These atoms, congregating in their turnnatural selection and artificial selec-