r at least to be cognizant of certain
exact quantities. An atom of bromine will combine with one of
hydrogen; one of oxygen with two of hydrogen; one of nitrogen with
three of hydrogen; one of silicon with four of hydrogen, etc. They
marry without thought of divorce. A group of atoms married by affinity
is called a molecule. Two atoms of hydrogen joined to one of oxygen
make water. They are like three marbles laid near together on the
ground, not close together; for we well know that water does not fill
all the space it occupies. We can put eight or ten similar bulks of
other substances into a glass of water without greatly increasing its
bulk, some actually diminishing it. Water molecules are like a mass of
shot, with large interstices between. Drive the atoms of water apart
by heat till the water becomes steam, till they are as three marbles a
larger distance apart, yet the molecule is not destroyed, the union is
still indissoluble. One physicist has declared that the atoms of
oxygen and hydrogen are probably not nearer to each other in water than
one hundred and fifty men would be if scattered over the surface of
England--one man for each four hundred square miles.[2] What must the
distance be in steam? what the greater distance in the more extreme
rarefactions? It is asserted that millions of cubic miles of some
comets tails would not make a cubic inch of matter solid as iron. Now,
when earth and oceans are "changed" to this sort of tenuity creations
will be more easy. We shall not be obliged to hew out our material
with broadaxes, nor blast it out with dynamite. Let us not fear that
these creations will not be permanent; they will be enough so for our
purpose. We can then afford to waste more worlds in a day than dull
stupidity can count in a lifetime.

We are getting used to this sort of work already. When we reduce
common air in a bulb to one one-thousandth of its normal density at the
sea we get the possibility of continuous incandescent electric light by
the vibration of platinum wire. When we reduce it to a tenuity of one
millionth of the normal density we get the possibility of the X rays by
vibrations of itself without any platinum wire. The greater the
tenuity the greater the creative results. For example, water in
freezing exerts an expansive, thrusting force of thirty thousand pounds
to the square inch, over two thousand tons to the square foot; an
incomprehensible force, but applicable