Spinous process

“ That the particles of bodies must move, or separate from each other, when they become expanded, is certain. A repulsive motion of the particles is directly the cause of expansion; and when bodies are expanded by friction, under circumstances in which there could be no heat communicated by bodies in contact, no oxidation and no diminution of capacity, I see no difficulty in conceiving the repulsive motion generated by the mechanical motion. ”

“ The Vril-ya ignorance of the behaviour of spinning bodies existing as it does side by side with their deep knowledge of magnetism, becomes even more remarkable when it comes home to us that the phenomena of magnetism and of light are certainly closely connected with the behaviour of spinning bodies, and indeed that a familiar knowledge of the behaviour of such bodies is absolutely necessary for a proper comprehension of most of the phenomena occurring in nature. ”

“ The scales of the underside of the body are of the same form as those of the back, and are furnished with similar but smaller and less produced spines. The back of the neck of the two specimens I have seen is furnished with a large rounded protuberance like a cherry, covered with large granular spinous scales, and armed on each side with a large conical spine; but I do not know if this is common to the species or merely accidental in these individuals ”

“ One knows how the cells of bees are formed by pressure, and how by pressure elastic spheres may be converted into angular, such as hexagonal-shaped, bodies.
As remarked, the gravitation theory (and many independent facts) demand that the molecules of bodies shall possess an open structure; which also satisfies the conditions of lightness and economy of material. As crystals exist, it is sometimes supposed that the molecules of bodies (whose open structure is often illustrated by cubes and other figures formed of wire) themselves represent the shapes of the crystals. ”

“ Taking, for example, the hypothesis of globular particles, if electricity result from an action dependent upon the poles of each globule, magnetism may depend upon an action in the equator of each globule; or taking the supposition of transverse vibrations, if polarized light result directly from such vibrations, crystallization may have reference to the axes of the elasticity of the medium by which the vibrations are rendered transverse,—so far as the polar character only of the phenomena is to be accounted for. ”

“ Thus, when an apple falls on the ground, the principle of gravitation is the efficient cause, and the matter of the apple the inert cause. If a bar of iron be approximated to a magnet, it may be termed the inert cause of the motion, which brings these two bodies into contact; while the magnetic principle may be termed the efficient cause. In the same manner the fibres, which constitute the retina, may be called the inert cause of the motions of that organ in vision, while the sensorial power may be termed the efficient cause. ”

“ It becomes evident that bodies do not owe their gravity to an intrinsic force, but to the pressure of the medium in which they are immersed. The motion of heavy bodies no longer appears to us other than as a transformation of the aetherial motions ”

“ When all these great truths respecting molar motion, or the movements of visible and tangible masses, had been shown to hold good not only of terrestrial bodies, but of all those which constitute the visible universe, and the movements of the macrocosm had thus been expressed by a general mechanical theory, there remained a vast number of phenomena, such as those of light, heat, electricity, magnetism, and those of the physical and chemical changes, which do not involve molar motion. ”

“ By that very same impulse of coming together whereby it gathered its particles out of the dust on the bubble, by that very same force it draws towards its centre all that is near it or on it. Thus “up” is to these inhabitants a movement from the centre of the disk on the rim of which they live and away from it. “Down” is a movement from the rim towards the centre. The thin layer which forms the mass of the disk is their solid matter. They are not able even in thought to rise away from the surface of the bubble, and look from space upon their mode of existence. ”

“ On this principle, the differences observed between cells in which the spindle is well developed and the asters small, and others in which the spindle is weak and the asters enormously developed, can be easily explained by variations in the potential of the field, the large, conspicuous asters being probably correlated with a marked permeability of the surface of the cell.
The visible field of force, though often called the “nuclear spindle,” is formed outside of, but usually near to, the nucleus. ”

“ Passing towards the margin are other rows conveying the impression of a beautiful indented reticulated tissue. Many of the spines present no structure, while others exhibit a series of concentric rings of successive growth, which strongly remind one of the medullary rays of plants. When a vertical section of a spine is submitted to examination, it is seen to be composed of cones placed one above the other, the outer margin of each cone being formed by the series of pillars. ”

“ These bodies are thought to possess poles of mutual repulsion among themselves, and which are equally repelled by the magnetic points of convergence. Confining our ideas to single particles in one condition or the other, we shall, to a certain extent, comprehend the manifold results which must arise from the exercise of these two modes of force. At present, our knowledge of the laws of magnetism is too limited to allow of our making any general deductions relative to the disposition of the molecules of matter ”

“ The forces in operation are manifold—the influence of changing temperature, the stimulus of contact, of electric current, of gravity, and of light visible and invisible. They act on organs which exhibit all degrees of physiological differentiation, from the radial to the dorsiventral. An identical stimulus may sometimes induce one effect, and at other times, the precisely opposite. Thus under unilateral stimulation of light of increasing intensity, a radial organ exhibits a positive, a dia-phototropic, and finally a negative response. ”

“ In a simple train of waves in a transparent medium, the potential energy, on the elastic theory, may be divided into two parts, of which one is due to that general deformation of the ether which is represented by the equations of wave-motion, and the other to those deformations which are caused by the interference of the ponderable particles with the wave-motion, and to such displacements of the ponderable matter as may be caused, in some cases at least, by the motion of the ether. ”

“ I shall try to show you towards the end of the lecture that the fact of our earth's being a spinning body is one which would make itself known to us even if we lived in subterranean regions like the coming race of an ingenious novelist. [2] It is the greatest and most persistent cause of many of the phenomena which occur around us and beneath us, and it is probable that even Terrestrial Magnetism is almost altogether due to it. Indeed there is only one possible explanation of the Vril-ya ignorance about the earth's rotation. ”

“ While the relatively great inertia of these large and complex organic molecules renders them comparatively incapable of being set in motion by the ethereal undulations, and so reduced to less coherent forms of aggregation, this same inertia facilitates changes of arrangement among their constituent molecules or atoms; since, in proportion as an incident force impresses but little motion on a mass, it is the better able to impress motion on the parts of the mass in relation to one another. ”

“ Prior to the stage in the history of a nebula at which the degree of molar aggregation is sufficient to occasion a great amount of friction among the particles, the temperature of the primary molecular aggregates must be nearly that of space, and it can rise only as increase of density and molar motion increases that friction and converts material motion into ethereal vibration. ”

“ If two stones were placed in any part of the world near each other, and beyond the sphere of influence of a third cognate body, these stones, like two magnetic needles, would come together in the intermediate point, each approaching the other by a space proportional to the comparative mass of the other. ”

“ Now, the circular movements of the components do not disturb the uniform transit of the linear ray; but the rapid approach and recession of the components in passing through the violent elliptical transitions cause a rapid alternation of stress in the field of stress through which the rays pass—since the stress varies as the distance of the components—causing a vibratory deflection of the stream of particles, due to the variation of the attractive force, in all rays except the polar ray, and in the plane of the ray normal to the plane of stress. ”

“ When in uniform motion, it can be shown that these lines of electric strain tend to group themselves in a plane perpendicular to the line of motion drawn through the electron, and their lateral motion generates another class of strain called the magnetic strain, disposed in concentric circles described round the electron and lying in this equatorial plane. ”

“ If the magnet be removed the iron falls. The moon, however, cannot be removed from the sea, nor the earth from a heavy falling body, and we can, therefore, make no experiment upon them; but the case is the same.
Let the fourteenth motion be that configuration or position, by which bodies appear to desire a peculiar situation, collocation, and configuration with others, rather than union or separation. ”

“ These angular particles, by their intestine motions, he supposes to become, as it were, ground into a spherical form; the parts rubbed off are called matter of the first element, while the spherical globules he calls matter of the second element; and since there would be a large quantity of this element, he supposes it to be driven towards the centre of each vortex by the circular motion of the globules, and that there it forms a large spherical body such as the suu. ”

“ If we powder some alum crystals they will not again assume their crystalline form; if brought in contact there is no freedom of motion. It is like placing some globules of mercury on a plate. They have no power to create motion; their inertia keeps them separated by certain distances, and they do not coalesce; but incline the plate, give them motion, and bring them in contact, they soon unite and form one globule. ”

“ It is unnecessary to inquire whether or not a communication of motion between two absolutely rigid bodies is possible; all bodies, of which we know any thing, are more or less elastic, and therefore contract and expand at the instant of impact. And their contraction is accompanied by the evolution of heat, by the conversion of molar into molecular motion, while in the expansion we have a reconversion of molecular into molar motion. No transfer of molar motion ever takes place without this momentary transition through the molecular phase. ”

“ How can one imagine to oneself a structure composed of perfectly hard molecules situated far apart which shall have only tolerable stiffness and stability? Such a body made up of widely separated spherical molecules, if no other forces but gravity acted, could at the most behave like a gas, but never as a solid or liquid body.
On the other hand, elastic molecules of open structure may be made to cohere at their boundaries by the pressure of the smaller atoms, which at the .same time easily fly through the open parts of the structure. ”

“ We rank gravity among the mechanical attributes of matter, and we see no necessity to derive it from any ulterior properties. Gravity belongs to matter, independent of any conditions. But the conditions of magnetic or electrical activity require investigation as much as the laws of their action. Of these conditions no mere mechanical explanation can be given; we are compelled to take along with us chemical properties and relations also: and thus magnetism, electricity, galvanism, are mechanico-chemical sciences. ”

“ What is the effective direction of geotropic stimulus? In the case of light, we are able to trace the rays of light which is incident on the proximal side and measure the angle of inclination. In the case of gravity, the invisible lines of force enter by one side of the organ and leave by the other side. Assuming that the direction of stimulus is coincident with the vertical lines of gravity, is it the upper or the lower side of the organ that undergoes effective stimulation? ”

“ Four equatorial spines one and a half times as long and three times as broad as the sixteen others; all twenty spines cylindrical, of equal breadth throughout their whole length, with simple conical apex; each spine crossed in the distal third by two opposite, simple, conical apophyses. ”

“ The idea of the attraction of gravitation was preceded by the observation of the attraction of iron by a magnet, and of light bodies by rubbed amber. The polarity of magnetism and electricity also appealed to the senses. It thus became the substratum of the conception that atoms and molecules are endowed with attractive and repellent poles, by the play of which definite forms of crystalline architecture are produced. Thus molecular force becomes structural. ”