andwouldsorenderittothatextentheterogeneous。Takeapieceofred—hot
matter,andhoweverevenlyheateditmayatfirstbe,itwillquicklycease
tobeso:theexterior,coolingfasterthantheinteriorwillbecomedifferent
fromitintemperature。Andthelapseintoheterogeneityoftemperature,
soobvious。inthisextremecase,takesplacemoreorlessinthecasesof
allsurroundingobjects,whichareeverbeingwarmedorcooled。Theaction
ofchemicalforcessuppliesotherillustrations。Exposeafragmentofmetal
toairorwater,andincourseoftimeitwillbecoatedwithafilmofoxide,
carbonate,orothercompound:itsouterpartswillbecomeunlikeitsinner
parts。Oftentheheterogeneityproducedbytheactionsofchemicalforces
onthesurfacesofmasses,isnotstriking,becausethechangedportions
aresoonwashedaway,orotherwiseremoved。Butifthisbepreventedcomparatively
complexstructuresresult。Insomequarriesoftrap—rocktherearestriking
examples。Notunfrequentlyapieceoftrapmaybefoundreduced,bytheaction
oftheweather,toanumberofloosely—adherentcoats,likethoseofanonion。
Wheretheblockhasbeenundisturbed,wemaytracethewholeseriesofthese,
fromtheangular,irregularouterone,throughsuccessivelyincludedones
inwhichtheshapebecomesgraduallyrounded,endingatlengthinaspherical
nucleus。Oncomparingtheoriginalmassofstonewiththisgroupofconcentric
coats,eachdifferingfromtherestinform,andprobablyinthestateof
decompositionithasarrivedat,wegetamarkedillustrationofthemultiformity
towhich,inlapseoftime,auniformbodymaybebroughtbyexternalchemical
action。Theinstabilityofthehomogeneousisequallyseeninthechanges
setupthroughouttheinteriorofamass,whenitconsistsofunitsthat
arenotrigidlyboundtogether。Themoleculesofaslowly—settlingprecipitate
donotremainseparate,andequablydistributedthroughthefluidinwhich
theymaketheirappearance。Theyaggregateeitherintocrystallinegrains
orintoflocculi;andwherethemassoffluidisgreatandtheprocessprolonged,
theseflocculidonotcontinueequi—distant,butasSembleintogroups。That
istosay,thereisadestructionofthebalanceatfirstsubsistingamong
thediffusedparticles,andalsoofthebalanceatfirstsubsistingamongthegroupsintowhichtheseparticlesunite。Theinstabilitythusvariouslyillustratedisconsequentonthefactthat
theseveralpartsofanyhomogeneousaggregateareexposedtodifferentforces
——forceswhichdiffereitherinkindoramount;andareofnecessitydifferently
modified。Therelationsofoutsideandinside,andofcomparativenearness
ofthepartstoneighbouringsourcesofinfluence,implythereceptionof
influencesthatareunlikeinquantityorquality,orboth:unlikechanges,nowtemporarynowpermanent,beingcaused。Forlikereasonstheprocessmustrepeatitselfineachofthecomponent
massesofunitsthataredifferentiatedbythemodifyingforces。Eachof
theseminorgroups,likethemajorgroup,mustgradually,inobedienceto
theunlikeinfluencesactingonit,loseitsbalanceofparts,andpassfrom
auniformintoamultiformstate。Andsooncontinuously。Whence,indeed,
itfollowsthatnotonlymustthehomogeneouslapseintonon—homogeneous,
butthemorehomogeneousmusttendevertobecomelesshomogeneous。Ifany
givenwhole,insteadofbeingabsolutelyuniformthroughout,consistofparts
distinguishablefromoneanother——ifeachoftheseparts,whilesomewhat
unlikeotherparts,isuniformwithinitself;then,eachofthembeingin
unstableequilibrium,itfollowsthatwhilethechangessetupwithinit
mustrenderitmultiform,theymustatthesametimerenderthewholemore
multiformthanbefore。Thegeneralprinciple,nowtobefollowedoutinits
applications,isthussomewhatmorecomprehensivethanthetitleofthechapterimplies。Nodemurrertotheconclusionsdrawn,canbebasedonthetruththatperfect
homogeneitynowhereexists;since,whetherthatstatewithwhichwecommence
beorbenotoneofperfecthomogeneity,theprocessmustequallybetowardsarelativeheterogeneity。§150。Thestarsaredistributedwithathreefoldirregularity。There
isfirstthemarkedcontrastbetweentheMilkyWayandotherpartsofthe
heavens,inrespectofthequantitiesofstarswithingivenvisualareas。
TherearesecondarycontrastsoflikekindintheMilkyWayitself,which
hasitsthickandthinplaces;aswellasthroughoutthecelestialspaces
ingeneral,whicharemorecloselystrewninsomeregionsthaninothers。
Andthereisathirdorderofcontrastsproducedbytheaggregationofstars
intosmallclusters。Besidesthisheterogeneityinthedistributionofstars,
consideredwithoutdistinctionsofkind,afurtherheterogeneityisdisclosed
whentheyareclassifiedbytheirdifferencesofcolour,whichanswerto
differencesofphysicalconstitution。Whileyellowstarsarefoundinall
partsoftheheavens,redandbluestarsarenotso:therearewideregions
inwhichbothredandbluestarsarerare;thereareregionsinwhichthe
blueoccurinconsiderablenumbers,andthereareotherregionsinwhich
theredarecomparativelyabundant。Yetonemoreirregularityoflikesignificance
ispresentedbythenebulae。Thesearenotdispersedwithanythinglikeuniformity,
butarefarmorenumerousaroundthepolesofthegalacticcirclethanintheneighbourhoodofitsplane。Noonewillexpectthatanythinglikeadefiniteinterpretationofthis
structurecanbegivenonthehypothesisofEvolution,oranyotherhypothesis。
Suchaninterpretationwouldimplysomereasonableassumptionrespecting
thepre—existingdistributionofthestellarmatterandofthematterforming
nebulae,andwehavenowarrantforanyassumption。Ifweallowimagination
torangebackthroughantecedentPossibilitiesandprobabilities,wesee
ittobeunlikelythathomogeneousmatterfilledthespacewhichourSidereal
Systemnowfills,atatimeimmediatelyprecedingitsinitiation。Rather
theevidencewhichtheheavenspresentimpliesthatthedistributionout
ofwhichthepresentdistributionarose,wasirregularinallrespects。Though
certaintraitsofourgalaxysuggestthatithasavagueindividuality,and
that,alongwiththeirspecialmotions,itsstarshavesomegeneralmotion;
yettheevidenceforcesonustheconclusionthatmanyvarietiesofchanges
havebeensimultaneouslygoingoninitsdifferentparts。Wefindnebulae
inallstagesofconcentration,star—clustersvariouslycondensed,groups
oflargerstarsapproximatingindifferentdegrees,aswellasregionslike
thosewhichthenubeculaeoccupy,presentingcomplexstructuresandapparently
activechanges。Themostwhichcanbesaidrespectingthistotaldistribution
isthat,subjectasallpartsofourSiderealSystemaretothelawofgravitation,
theheterogeneitiesitexhibits,everywhereimplyingaprogressingconcentration,
thatis,integration,pointbackwardtoalessheterogeneousstateandpoint
forwardtoamoreheterogeneousstate。But,leavingasidethistootranscendent
question,wemaywithoutunduerashnessconsiderfromtheevolutionpoint
ofviewthechangestobeanticipatedinoneofthosecollectionsofmatter
describedasadiffusednebulosity,oroneofthosemoredistinctonesof
whichtheoutlyingpartsarecomparedtowispsofcloudblownaboutbythe
wind。Theonlyevolutionalprocesswhichcanatfirstbedisplayedisthe
primaryoneofintegration——thegatheringtogetherthroughmutualattraction
oftheparts;forinthisearlystageinwhichindefinitenessandincoherence
aresofullyexemplified,theredoesnotyetexistsuchanaggregateasis
capableofexhibitingsecondaryre—distributions:wehaveonlythedispersed
componentsofsuchanaggregate。Contemplating,then,onlytheprocessof
integration,wemay,withoutaskinganythingabouttheprevioushistoryof
anirregularnebula,safelyassumethatitspartshavetheirrespectiveproper
motions;forthechancesareinfinitytooneagainstastateofrestrelatively
tooneanother。Further,thechancesareinfinitytooneagainsttheirproper
motionsbeingsuchthatduringconcentrationtheywillcanceloneanother:
themotionofsomepart,ortheresultantofthemotionsofseveralparts,
willconstituteapropermotiondistinctfromthatwhichmutualgravitation
generates——amotionwhich,unlessjustcounterbalancedbyanoppositeone
(againaninfiniteimprobability)willgeneraterotation。Itmay,indeed,
bearguedthat,apartfromanypre—existingpropermotionsofitsparts,
anebulousmass,ifirregular,willacquirerotationwhileintegrating;since
eachoutlyingfragment,arrivingaftertheresthavebeengatheredtogether,
isinfinitelyunlikelytofallintothemassinsuchamannerthatitsmotion
willbeentirelycancelledbyresistance;but,fallingintoitsoastobe
deflectedlaterally,willhaveitsmotionofapproachsochangedindirection
astobecomeinpartamotionofrevolution:aresultantofallsuchmotions,
largelyconflicting,beinganeventualrotationofthemass。Itmustnot,
however,beassumedthatthiswillnecessarilybetherotationofasolitary
aggregate。ThegreatnebulainAndromedadoesnotappearonthewaytoform
asinglebody;andisanadvancedspiralofwhichthethatinCanesVenatici
outerpartshaveatangentialmotiontoogreattopermitoftheirbeingdrawn
intothecentre。Rathertheapparentimplicationofthestructureisthat
therewillbeformedaclusterofmassesrevolvingroundacommoncentre
ofgravity。Suchcases,joinedwiththoseoftheannularnebula,suggest
thatoftentheprocessesofintegrationresultincompoundstructures,various
intheirkinds,whileinothercases,andperhapsmostfrequently,singlemassesofrotatingnebulousmatterareformed。Ignoringallsuchpossibilitiesandprobabilities,however,andlimiting
ourattentiontothatformofthenebularhypothesiswhichregardsthesolar
systemashavingresultedfromarotatingspheroidofdiffusedsubstance;
letusconsiderwhatconsequencetheinstabilityofthehomogeneousnecessitates。
Beingoblateinfigure,unlikeinthedensitiesofitscentreandsurface,
unlikeintheirtemperatures,andprobablyunlikeintheangularvelocities
ofitsparts,suchamasscannotbecalledhomogeneous;andanyfurtherchanges
exhibitedbyitcanillustratethegenerallaw,onlyasbeingchangesfrom
amorehomogeneoustoalesshomogeneousstate。Justnotingthatoneofthese
changesistheincreasingoblatenessofform,letusgoontoobservethose
whicharetobefoundinthetransformationsofsuchofitspartsasare
atfirsthomogeneouswithinthemselves。Ifweaccepttheconclusionthat
theequatorialportionofthisrotatingandcontractingspheroidwill,at
successivestages,haveacentrifugalforcegreatenoughtopreventnearer
approachtothecentreofrotation,andwillsobeleftbehind;weshall
find,inthefateofthedetachedring,anexemplificationoftheprinciple
wearefollowingout。Consistingofgaseousmattersucharing,evenifuniform
atthetimeofitsdetachment,couldnotcontinueso。Intheabsenceofequality
amongtheforces,internalandexternal,actingonit,theremustbeapoint
orpointsatwhichthecohesionofitspartswouldbelessthanelsewhere
——apointorpointsatwhichrupturewouldthereforetakeplace。Theoriginal
assumptionwasthattheringwouldruptureatoneplaceonly,andwouldthen
collapseonitself。Butthiswasamorethanquestionableassumption:such,
atleast,IknowtohavebeentheopinionofthelateSirJohnHerschel。
Sovastaring,consistingofmatterhavingsuchfeeblecohesion,mustbreak
upintomanyparts。Nevertheless,appealtoanotherhighauthority——the
lateSirG。B。Airy——yieldedverificationforthebeliefthattheultimate
resultwhichLaplacepredictedwouldtakeplace。Andhereisfurnisheda
furtherillustrationoftheinstabilityofthehomogeneous。Forevensupposing
themassesofnebulousmatterintowhichsucharingseparated,weresomuch
alikeintheirsizesanddistancesastoattractoneanotherwithexactly
equalforces(whichisinfinitelyimprobable);yettheunequalactionsof
externaldisturbingforceswouldinevitablydestroytheirequilibrium——
therewouldbeoneormorepointsatwhichadjacentmasseswouldbeginto
partcompany。Separation,oncecommenced,wouldwithacceleratingspeedlead
toagroupingofthemasses。Alikeresultwouldeventuallytakeplacewiththegroupsthusformed;untiltheyatlengthaggregatedintoasinglemass。§151。Alreadysomanyreferenceshavebeenmadetotheformation
ofacrustovertheoriginallyincandescentEarth,thatitmaybethought
superfluousagaintonameit。Ithasnot,however,beenthusfarconsidered
inconnexionwiththegeneralprincipleunderdiscussion。Hereitmustbe
notedasanecessaryconsequenceoftheinstabilityofthehomogeneous。In
thiscoolingandsoldificationoftheEarth'ssurface,wehaveoneofthe
simplest,aswellasoneofthemostimportant,instancesofthatchange
fromauniformtoamultiformstatewhichoccursinanymassthroughexposure
ofitscomponentpartstounlikeconditions。Tothedifferentiationofthe
Earth'sexteriorfromitsinterior,thusbroughtabout,wemustaddoneof
themostconspicuousdifferentiationswhichtheexterioritselfafterwards
undergoes,asbeingsimilarlybroughtabout。Weretheforcestowhichthe
surfaceoftheEarthissubject,alikeinalldirections,therewouldbe
noreasonwhycertainofitspartsshouldbecomepermanentlyunliketherest。
Butbeingunequallyexposedtothechiefexternalcentreofforce——the
Sun——itsmaindivisionsbecomeunequallymodified。Whilethecrustthickens
andcools,therearisesthatcontrast,nowsodecided,betweenthepolarandequatorialregions。AlongwiththesemostmarkedphysicaldifferentiationsoftheEarth,there
havebeengoingonnumerouschemicaldifferentiations,admittingofsimilar
interpretation。Leavingasideallspeculationsconcerningtheoriginofthe
so—calledsimplesubstances,itwillsufficetoshowhowinplaceofthat
comparativehomogeneityoftheEarth'scrust,chemicallyconsidered,which
musthaveexistedwhenitstemperaturewashigh,therehasarisen,during
itscooling,anincreasingchemicalheterogeneity。Letuscontemplatethis
changesomewhatindetail。Atanextremeheatthebodieswecallelements
cannotcombine。Evenundersuchheatascanbegeneratedartificially,some
verystrongaffinitiesyield;andthegreatmajorityofchemicalcompounds
aredecomposedatmuchlowertemperatures。Probably,therefore,whenthe
Earthwasinitsfirststateofincandescence,therewerenochemicalcombinations。
Butwithoutdrawingthisinference,letussetoutwiththeunquestionable
factthatthecompoundswhichcanexistatthehighesttemperatures,and
whichmustthereforehavebeenthefirstformedastheEarthcooled,are
thoseofthesimplestconstitutions。Theprotoxides(includingunderthat
headthealkalies,earths,etc。)are,asaclass,themoststablecompounds
known——theleastchangeablebyheat。These,consistingseverallyofone
atomofeachcomponentelement,arebutonedegreelesshomogeneousthan
theelementsthemselves。Moreheterogeneousthanthese,moredecomposable
byheat,andthereforelaterintheEarth'shistory,arethedeutoxides,
tritoxides,peroxides,etc。;inwhichtwo,three,four,ormoreatomsof
oxygenareunitedwithoneatomofmetalorotherbase。Stilllessableto
resistheatarethesalts,whichpresentuswithcompoundatomseachmade
upoffive,six,seven,eight,ten,twelve,ormoreatoms,ofthreeormore
kinds。Thentherearethehydratedsaltsofayetgreaterheterogeneity,
whichundergopartialdecompositionatmuchlowertemperatures。Afterthem
comethefurther—complicatedsupersaltsanddoublesalts,havingastability
againdecreased;andsothroughout。Aftermakingafewunimportantqualifications
demandedbypeculiaraffinities,itmaybeassertedasagenerallawofthese
inorganiccombinationsthat,otherthingsequal,thestabilitydecreases
asthecomplexityincreases。Whenwepasstothecompoundswhichmakeup
organicbodes,wefindthisgenerallawfurtherexemplified;wefindmuch
greatercomplexityandmuchlessstability。Amoleculeofalbumen,forinstance,
consistsofmorethantwohundredultimateunitsoffivedifferentkinds。
Accordingtothelatestanalysesitcontainsineachmolecule,72ofcarbon,
18ofnitrogen,1ofsulphur,112ofhydrogen,and22ofoxygen——inall,
225atoms;or,morestrictlyspeaking,equivalents。Andthissubstanceis
sounstableastodecomposeatquitemoderatetemperatures;asthattowhich
theoutsideofajointofroastingmeatisexposed。Possiblyitwillbeobjected
thatsomeinorganiccompounds,asphosphurettedhydrogen,chlorideofnitrogen,
andthenitrogen—explosivesingeneral,aremoredecomposablethanmostorganic
compounds。Thisistrue。Buttheadmissionmaybemadewithoutdamageto
theargument。Thepropositionisnotthatallsimplecombinationsaremore
stablethanallcomplexones。Toestablishourinferenceitisnecessary
onlytoshowthat,asanaveragefact,thesimplecombinationscanexist
atahighertemperaturethanthecomplexones。Andthisisbeyondquestion。
ThusitismanifestthatthepresentchemicalheterogeneityoftheEarth's
surface,andofthebodiesuponit,hasarisenbydegreesasthedecrease
ofheathaspermitted;andthatithasshownitselfinthreeforms:——first,
inthemultiplicationofchemicalcompounds;second,inthegreaternumber
ofdifferentelementscontainedinthemoremodernofthesecompounds;and
third,inthehigherandmorevariedmultiplesinwhichthesemorenumerouselementscombine。Withoutspecifyingthem,itwillsufficejusttonamethemeteorologic
processeseventuallysetupintheEarth'satmosphere,asfurtherillustrating
theallegedlaw。Theyequallydisplaythatdestructionofahomogeneousstatewhichresultsfromunequalexposuretoincidentforces。§152。Takeamassofunorganizedbutorganizablematter——either
thebodyofoneofthelowestlivingforms,orthegermofoneofthehigher:
bothcomparativelyhomogeneous。Consideritscircumstances。Eitheritis
immersedinwaterorairoriscontainedwithinaparentorganism。Wherever
placed,however,itsouterandinnerpartsstanddifferentlyrelatedtosurrounding
agencies——nutriment,oxygen,andthevariousstimuli。Butthisisnotall。
Whetheritliesquiescentatthebottomofapoolorontheleafofaplant;
whetheritmovesthroughthewaterpreservingsomedefiniteattitude;or
whetheritisintheinsideofanadult;itequallyhappensthatcertain
partsofitssurfacearemoreexposedtosurroundingagenciesthanother
parts——insomecasesmoreexposedtolight,heat,oroxygen,andinother
casestothematernaltissuesandtheircontents。Hencemustfollowtheloss
ofitsoriginalequilibrium。Thismaytakeplaceinoneoftwoways。Either
thedisturbingforcesmaybesuchastoover—balancetheaffinitiesofthe
organicelements,andthereresultsdecomposition;or,asordinarilyoccurs,
suchchangesareinducedasdonotdestroytheorganiccompoundsbutonly
modifythem:thepartsmostexposedtothemodifyingforcesbeingmostmodified。Toelucidatethisafewcasesarerequired。Observefirstwhatappeartobeexceptions。Certainminuteanimalforms
presenteithernoappreciabledifferentiationsordifferentiationssoobscure
astobemadeoutwithgreatdifficulty。Concerningtheseforms,however,
notethefactthatinallcases(somesayinnearlyall)thepresenceof
anucleusshowsconformitytothegenerallaw,sinceitimpliesacontrast
betweentheinnermostprotoplasmandtheprotoplasmsurroundingit。Butlet
uspassontotheseeminglyexceptionalfactthatthesurroundingprotoplasm
doesnotexhibitthekindofdifferentiationbetweeninnerandouterabove
alleged。Tothisobjection,thereimmediatelypresentsitselftheanswer
thatthishomogeneousbody—substancedoesnotbecomeheterogeneousbecause
itspartsarenotsubjecttoanypermanentheterogeneityofconditions:it
hasnofixedsurface。Inallmembersofthelowestgroup,Proteomyxa,the
protoplasmcontinuallyprotrudesitself,nowinthickernowinthinnerprocesses
——pseudopodia;provedtohavenolimitingmembranesbyoftencoalescing。
These,whentheytouchfragmentsofnutriment,contractanddrawtheminto
themassofthebody;sothatwhatwasjustbeforeexternalnowbecomesinternal。
Thustherearenofixedrelationsofpartsandthereforenodifferentiations。
AnditisnoteworthythatincertainoftheAmoebae,lessexcursivethan
othersofthetypeinthemovementsoftheirsubstance,weseeanincipient
differentiation:sometimesthereisaninvestingfilm,"delicateand
evanescent,"implyingthatanouterpartwhichisforashorttimestationary,
beginstobedifferentiated。Perceiving,then,thatthisapparentexception
isinfactaverification,wegoontoobservethatpermanentrelationsof
innerandouterarefollowedbypermanentdifferentiations。Elsewhere(Essays,
i,439)IhavequotedfromSachsvariousproofsthataportionofprotoplasm,
whethernormallydetached,asinaspore,orabnormallydetached,asbya
rupture,forthwithbecomingglobular,atonceacquiresasurfacedenserthan
theinterior;andKernersimilarlydescribestheprotoplasmofazoospore
as"fixingitselfandputtingonadelicatecell—wall。"Thesecases,
joinedwiththoseofvariousProtozoawhich,ceasingtheiractivechanges
ofform,passintoarestingstageandbecomeenclosedinacyst,andjoined
withthecasesofProtophyta,likeSphaerellanivalisor"RedSnow,"
which,initsyoungstageovoid,flagellate,locomotive,andsecretinga
skin,presentlypassesintoarestingstageandbecomessphericalandcovered
byasubstantialcell—membrane,yieldclearevidencethatintheselowest
typesthereisalapsefromamorehomogeneousstateintoalesshomogeneous
state。AndthroughoutthehigherProtozoaandProtophyta,theprimarycontrast
isbetweencell—membraneandcell—contents——betweenthepartexposedtoenvironingforcesandthepartshelteredfromthem。Thetransition——themostimportanttransitionwhichtheorganicworld
presents——betweenthesimpleformsaboveexemplifiedandthosecompound
formsinwhichanumberofsuchareunitedintoacolony,iswellseenin
certainminutealgae,PandorinaandEudorina:eachbeingaspherically—arranged
colonyofsixteenorthirty—twomembers。Inthisfirstadvancefromunicellular
typestomulticellulartypeswefindconformitytothegenerallawinso
farthatthehollowsphereconspicuouslydisplaystheprimarycontrastbetween
outerandinner;aprimitiveamorphousclusterhasundergoneamarkeddifferentiation
ofpartscorrespondingtothedifferenceofconditions。Stillmoreinstructive
istheevidencefurnishedbytypesslightlyinadvanceofthese——Pleodorina
andVolvox;thefirstconsistingofsome128cellsandthesecondof10,000
ormore。Hollowspheresliketheforegoing,theypresentincommonthesignificant
traitthat,revolving,astheydo,onaconstantaxisandmovingforward
approximatelyinthelineofthataxis,theirtwoendsareexposedtoslightly
differentconditions,andtheprimitivehomogeneityofthemembersofthe
colonyhas,inconsequence,lapsedintoappropriateheterogeneity。These
ciliatedalga—cells,whetherlivingsinglyorjoinedintogroups,severally
haveaminuteredspeckwhichisprovedtobesensitivetolight,andcauses
motiontowardsit。Nowinthesecompoundformsjustnamed,theeye—spots
aremoredevelopedinthosecellsformingtheanteriorpartofthespherical
colony—cellswhichalsocarryonmoreactivelythenutritivefunction;while
thosecellswhichformtheposteriorpartofthesphere,andcarryonthe
reproductivefunction,havesmallereye—spots。Onpassingtotheanimalkingdom
(whichatitsrootissolittledifferentiatedfromthevegetalkingdomthat
thereareunsettleddisputesrespectingtheinclusionofthelowestforms
intheoneortheother)wemeetwithparallelillustrations。Thenucleated
cell,whichisthecommonstartingpointforallorganisms,animalandvegetal,
presentsusasbeforewiththeprimarycontrastbetweeninnerandouter。