CHAPTER XVI.
VITALIZED DARKNESS.--THE NARROWS IN SCIENCE.
"In studying any branch of science men begin and end with an unknown.The chemist accepts as data such conditions of matter as he finds abouthim, and connects ponderable matter with the displays of energy thathave impressed his senses, building therefrom a span of theoreticalscience, but he can not formulate as yet an explanation regarding theorigin or the end of either mind, matter, or energy. The pierssupporting his fabric stand in a profound invisible gulf, into whicheven his imagination can not look to form a theory concerning basicformations--corner-stones.
"The geologist, in a like manner, grasps feebly the lessons left in thesuperficial fragments of earth strata, impressions that remain to bearimperfect record of a few of the disturbances that have affected theearth's crust, and he endeavors to formulate a story of the world'slife, but he is neither able to antedate the records shown by the meagertestimony at his command, scraps of a leaf out of God's great book ofhistory, nor to anticipate coming events. The birth, as well as thedeath, of this planet is beyond his page.
"The astronomer directs his telescope to the heavens, records theposition of the planets, and hopes to discover the influences worldsexert upon one another. He explores space to obtain data to enable himto delineate a map of the visible solar universe, but the instruments hehas at command are so imperfect, and mind is so feeble that, likemockery seems his attempt to study behind the facts connected with themotions and conditions of the nearest heavenly bodies, and he can notoffer an explanation of the beginning or cessation of their movements.He can neither account for their existence, nor foretell their end."
"Are you not mistaken?" I interrupted; "does not the astronomer foretelleclipses, and calculate the orbits of the planets, and has he notverified predictions concerning their several motions?"
"Yes; but this is simply a study of passing events. The astronomer is nomore capable of grasping an idea that reaches into an explanation of theorigin of motion, than the chemist or physicist, from exact scientificdata, can account for the creation of matter. Give him any amount ofmaterial at rest, and he can not conceive of any method by which motioncan disturb any part of it, unless such motion be mass motioncommunicated from without, or molecular motion, already existing within.He accounts for the phases of present motion in heavenly bodies, not forthe primal cause of the actual movements or intrinsic properties theypossess. He can neither originate a theory that will permit of motioncreating itself, and imparting itself to quiescent matter, nor imaginehow an atom of quiescent matter can be moved, unless motion from withoutbe communicated thereto. The astronomer, I assert, can neither from anydata at his command postulate nor prove the beginning nor the end of thereverberating motion that exists in his solar system, which is itselfthe fragment of a system that is circulating and revolving in and aboutitself, and in which, since the birth of man, the universe he knows hasnot passed the first milestone in the road that universe is traveling inspace immensity.
"The mathematician starts a line from an imaginary point that he informsus exists theoretically without occupying any space, which is acontradiction of terms according to his human acceptation of knowledgederived from scientific experiment, if science is based on verifiedfacts. He assumes that straight lines exist, which is a necessity forhis calculation; but such a line he has never made. Even the beam ofsunshine, radiating through a clear atmosphere or a cloud bank, widensand contracts again as it progresses through the various mediums of airand vapor currents, and if it is ever spreading and deflecting can it bestraight? He begins his study in the unknown, it ends with theunknowable.
"The biologist can conceive of no rational, scientific beginning to lifeof plant or animal, and men of science must admit the fact. Whenever weturn our attention to nature's laws and nature's substance, we find mansurrounded by the infinity that obscures the origin and covers theend. But perseverance, study of nature's forces, and comparison of thepast with the present, will yet clarify human knowledge and make plainmuch of this seemingly mysterious, but never will man reach thebeginning or the end. The course of human education, to this day, hasbeen mostly materialistic, although, together with the study of matter,there has been more or less attention given to its moving spirit. Newtonwas the dividing light in scientific thought; he stepped between thereasonings of the past and the provings of the present, and introducedproblems that gave birth to a new scientific tendency, a change from thestudy of matter from the material side to that of force and matter, buthis thought has since been carried out in a mode too realistic by far.The study of material bodies has given way, it is true, in a few casesto the study of the spirit of matter, and evolution is beginning toteach men that matter is crude. As a result, thought will in itssequence yet show that modifications of energy expression are paramount.This work is not lost, however, for the consideration of the nature ofsensible material, is preliminary and necessary to progression (as thelife of the savage prepares the way for that of the cultivated student),and is a meager and primitive child's effort, compared with the richnessof the study in unseen energy expressions that are linked with matter,of which men will yet learn."
"I comprehend some of this," I replied; "but I am neither prepared toassent to nor dissent from your conclusions, and my mind is not clear asto whether your logic is good or bad. I am more ready to speak plainlyabout my own peculiar situation than to become absorbed in abstrusearguments in science, and I marvel more at the soft light that is heresurrounding us than at the metaphysical reasoning in which you indulge."
"The child ignorant of letters wonders at the resources of those who canspell and read, and, in like manner, many obscure natural phenomena aremarvelous to man only because of his ignorance. You do not comprehendthe fact that sunlight is simply a matter-bred expression, an outburstof interrupted energy, and that the modification this energy undergoesmakes it visible or sensible to man. What, think you, becomes of theflood of light energy that unceasingly flows from the sun? For ages,for an eternity, it has bathed this earth and seemingly streamed intospace, and space it would seem must have long since have been filledwith it, if, as men believe, space contains energy of any description.Man may say the earth casts the amount intercepted by it back intospace, and yet does not your science teach that the great bulk of theearth is an absorber, and a poor radiator of light and heat? What thinkyou, I repeat, becomes of the torrent of light and heat and other forcesthat radiate from the sun, the flood that strikes the earth? Itdisappears, and, in the economy of nature, is not replaced by any knownforce or any known motion of matter. Think you that earth substancereally presents an obstacle to the passage of the sun's energy? Is itnot probable that most of this light producing essence, as a subtlefluid, passes through the surface of the earth and into its interior, aslight does through space, and returns thence to the sun again, in acondition not discernible by man?" He grasped my arm and squeezed it asthough to emphasize the words to follow. "You have used the termsunshine freely; tell me what is sunshine? Ah! you do not reply; well,what evidence have you to show that sunshine (heat and light) is notearth-bred, a condition that exists locally only, the result of contactbetween matter and some unknown force expression? What reason have youfor accepting that, to other forms unknown and yet transparent to thisenergy, your sunshine may not be as intangible as the ether of space isto man? What reason have you to believe that a force torrent is notcirculating to and from the sun and earth, inappreciable to man,excepting the mere trace of this force which, modified by contact actionwith matter appears as heat, light, and other force expressions? How canI, if this is true, in consideration of your ignorance, enter intodetails explanatory of the action that takes place between matter and aportion of this force, whereby in the earth, first at the surface,darkness is produced, and then deeper down an earth light that man canperceive by the sense of sight, as you now realize? I will only say thatthis luminous appearance about us is produced by a natural law, wherebythe flood of energy, invisi
ble to man, a something clothed now under thename of darkness, after streaming into the crust substance of the earth,is at this depth, revivified, and then is made apparent to mortal eye,to be modified again as it emerges from the opposite earth crust, butnot annihilated. For my vision, however, this central light is not anecessity; my physical and mental development is such that the energy ofdarkness is communicable; I can respond to its touches on my nerves, andhence I can guide you in this dark cavern. I am all eye."
"Ah!" I exclaimed, "that reminds me of a remark made by my former guidewho, referring to the instinct of animals, spoke of that as a naturalpower undeveloped in man. Is it true that by mental cultivation a newsense can be evolved whereby darkness may become as light?"
"Yes; that which you call light is a form of sensible energy to whichthe faculties of animals who live on the surface of the earth havebecome adapted, through their organs of sight. The sun's energy ismodified when it strikes the surface of the earth; part is reflected,but most of it passes onward into the earth's substance, in an alteredor disturbed condition. Animal organisms within the earth must possess apeculiar development to utilize it under its new form, but such a senseis really possessed in a degree by some creatures known to men. There isconsciousness behind consciousness; there are grades and depths ofconsciousness. Earth worms, and some fishes and reptiles in undergroundstreams (lower organizations, men call them) do not use the organ ofsight, but recognize objects, seek their food, and flee from theirenemies."
"They have no eyes," I exclaimed, forgetting that I spoke to an eyelessbeing; "how can they see?"
"You should reflect that man can not offer a satisfactory explanation ofthe fact that he can see with his eyes. In one respect, these so-calledlower creatures are higher in the scale of life than man is, for theysee (appreciate) without eyes. The surfaces of their bodies really aresources of perception, and seats of consciousness. Man must yet learn tosee with his skin, taste with his fingers, and hear with the surface ofhis body. The dissected nerve, or the pupil of man's eye, offers to thephysiologist no explanation of its intrinsic power. Is not manunfortunate in having to risk so much on so frail an organ? Thephysiologist can not tell why or how the nerve of the tongue candistinguish between bitter and sweet, or convey any impression oftaste, or why the nerve of the ear communicates sound, or the nerve ofthe eye communicates the impression of sight. There is an impassablebarrier behind all forms of nerve impressions, that neither themicroscope nor other methods of investigation can help the reasoningsenses of man to remove. The void that separates the pulp of thematerial nerve from consciousness is broader than the solar universe,for even from the most distant known star we can imagine thenever-ending flight of a ray of light, that has once started on itstravels into space. Can any man outline the bridge that connects theintellect with nerve or brain, mind, or with any form of matter? Thefact that the surface of the bodies of some animals is capable ofperforming the same functions for these animals that the eye of manperforms for him, is not more mysterious than is the function of thateye itself. The term darkness is an expression used to denote the factthat to the brain which governs the eye of man, what man calls theabsence of light, is unrecognizable. If men were more magnanimous andless egotistical, they would open their minds to the fact that someanimals really possess certain senses that are better developed thanthey are in man. The teachers of men too often tell the little they knowand neglect the great unseen. The cat tribe, some night birds, and manyreptiles can see better in darkness than in daylight. Let man comparewith the nerve expanse of his own eye that of the highly developed eyeof any such creature, and he will understand that the difference is oneof brain or intellect, and not altogether one of optical vision surface.When men are able to explain how light can affect the nerves of theirown eyes and produce such an effect on distant brain tissues as to bringto his senses objects that he is not touching, he may be able to explainhow the energy in darkness can affect the nerve of the eye in the owland impress vision on the brain of that creature. Should not man'sinferior sense of light lead him to question if, instead of deficientvisual power, there be not a deficiency of the brain capacity of man?Instead of accepting that the eye of man is incapable of receiving theimpression of night energy, and making no endeavor to improve himself inthe direction of his imperfection, man should reflect whether or not hisbrain may, by proper cultivation or artificial stimulus, be yetdeveloped so as to receive yet deeper nerve impressions, therebychanging darkness into daylight. Until man can explain the modusoperandi of the senses he now possesses, he can not consistentlyquestion the existence of a different sight power in other beings, andunquestioned existing conditions should lead him to hope for a yethigher development in himself."
"This dissertation is interesting, very," I said. "Although inclinedtoward agnosticism, my ideas of a possible future in consciousness thatlies before mankind are broadened. I therefore accept your reasoning,perhaps because I can not refute it, neither do I wish to do so. And nowI ask again, can not you explain to me how darkness, as deep as that ofmidnight, has been revivified so as to bring this great cavern to myview?"
"That may be made plain at a future time," he answered; "let us proceedwith our journey."
We passed through a dry, well ventilated apartment. Stalactiteformations still existed, indicative of former periods of waterdrippings, but as we journeyed onward I saw no evidence of presentpercolations, and the developing and erosive agencies that had worked inages past must long ago have been suspended. The floor was of solidstone, entirely free from loose earth and fallen rocky fragments. It wassmooth upon the surface, but generally disposed in gentle undulations.The peculiar, soft, radiant light to which my guide referred as"vitalized darkness" or "revivified sunshine," pervaded all the spaceabout me, but I could not by its agency distinguish the sides of thevast cavern. The brightness was of a species that while it brought intodistinctness objects that were near at hand, lost its unfolding power orvigor a short distance beyond. I would compare the effect to that of abright light shining through a dense fog, were it not that the mediumabout us was transparent--not milky. The light shrunk into nothingness.It passed from existence behind and about me as if it were annihilated,without wasting away in the opalescent appearance once familiar as thatof a spreading fog. Moreover, it seemed to detail such objects as werewithin the compass of a certain area close about me, but to lose inintensity beyond. The buttons on my coat appeared as distinct as theyever did when I stood in the sunlight, and fully one-half larger than Iformerly knew them to be. The corrugations on the palms of my handsstood out in bold serpentine relief that I observed clearly when I heldmy hands near my eye, my fingers appeared clumsy, and all parts of myperson were magnified in proportion. The region at the limits of myrange of perception reminded me of nothingness, but not of darkness. Acircle of obliteration defined the border of the luminous belt whichadvanced as we proceeded, and closed in behind us. This line, or ratherzone of demarkation, that separated the seen from the unseen, appearedto be about two hundred feet away, but it might have been more or less,as I had no method of measuring distances.
"I WAS IN A FOREST OF COLOSSAL FUNGI."]