. Astronomy and the Bible; . that the ratio between the inter-spaces of these atoms and the atoms themselves isvastly greater than the like ratio in ordinary, or pon-derable, matter. To put the case plainly: The atomsof the ether, in order to fit the theory, are as smallwith reference to the spaces between them, as the sunand the earth are as compared with the space betweenthem. And between these atoms there is absolutelyvacant space. Therefore we have abandoned the firstdifficulty of how the force passes from the sun acrossthe interspace to the earth, only to come to a secondjust like it,— Ho
. Astronomy and the Bible; . that the ratio between the inter-spaces of these atoms and the atoms themselves isvastly greater than the like ratio in ordinary, or pon-derable, matter. To put the case plainly: The atomsof the ether, in order to fit the theory, are as smallwith reference to the spaces between them, as the sunand the earth are as compared with the space betweenthem. And between these atoms there is absolutelyvacant space. Therefore we have abandoned the firstdifficulty of how the force passes from the sun acrossthe interspace to the earth, only to come to a secondjust like it,— How does the force pass from one atomof the ether to another atom through the vacant spacethat always exists between them? The illustration THE TRANSFER OF ENERGY 71 shows what we mean. The large circle represents thesun, the smaller one the earth, and the dots the us ask again the original question, and let thescientist answer. How is light to pass from sun toearth over ninety-three million miles of vacant space ?. By means of waves in the ether, says the scientist. But hold! Your theory of the constitution of theether is that it is composed of atoms which are neverin contact — which have, like the sun and the earth,vast spaces between them ? Yes. Then how does this force, in passing through theether, move from one of these atoms to the other? He is silent; he cannot tell. With our ether hypothesis, we are no better off thanwe were before. We still have to imagine a body asacting where it is not, and in the absence of anythingby which its action may be transferred. The phi-losophy of the thing is the same whether the exerciseof force be on a large or a small scale. In the wordsof Herbert Spencer: We see . . that the exer-cise of force is altogether unintelligible. We cannotimagine it except through the instrumentality of some-thing having extension; and yet when we have assumedthis something, we find that the perplexity is not gotrid of, but only postponed. We are
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