The philosophy of science, which is the basis of all rational philosophy, rests upon the doctrine of the indestructibility of matter. Matter cannot be destroyed, and it is unthinkable that it ever was created. True, matter may appear in various forms: the tangible coal may escape through the chimneys as an intangible gas; water may vanish into vapor; gold may unite with acids to form compounds entirely unlike gold. However, the weight of the coal in the gases passing through the chimney is the same as the weight of the coal fed into the stove; the water vapor in the air weighs precisely as much as the water that was in the vessel; the gold in the compound weighs the same as the metallic gold used; in every case matter has been changed into another form, but has not been destroyed.
Along with this fundamental principle, science holds the doctrine of the indestructibility of energy. Matter of itself is dead and useless; it is only when it is in motion or in the possession of energy that it can take part in the processes of nature. Matter without energy is not known to man; however inert it may be, it possesses some energy. The ultimate particles of all things,—rock and plant, and beast and man—are in motion; that is, they possess energy. The immediate source of energy for this earth is the sun, though the ultimate source of universal energy is not known.
Energy may appear in various forms, as light, heat, electricity, magnetism, gravitation and mechanical motion; and each of these forms of energy may be changed into any of the others. In every change, however, there is no loss, but simply a change of condition. That which men call energy, the vivifying principle of matter, is indestructible. It has never had a beginning, and shall never have an end.
To the mind of man, however, a motion independent of something in motion, is inconceivable. An ocean wave without water is nonsense. It is equally difficult to conceive of energy which is immaterial, passing from the sun to the earth, through empty space. There must be something between the earth and the sun, which carries the energy. Such reflections have led the thinkers to the belief that all space is filled with a subtle medium, now called the ether, through which energy passes in the form of waves. Today, few doctrines of science are so well established as that of the universal ether. The ether is a refined kind of matter which fills all space, and permeates all things. It is in the table on which I write; in and through the ink; between the ultimate particles of the glass of the ink bottle. This earth, and all heavenly bodies, are simply suspended in the all-and-ever-present ocean of ether. By the agency of the ether, energy is carried from the sun to the earth, and may be carried anywhere in space. Light, heat, electricity, magnetism and gravitation are all various manifestations of ether motion. Many scientists believe that this world—ether is the original matter from which the various elements have been made.
On these three doctrines, the indestructibility of matter, the indestructibility of energy, and the existence of the universal ether, rest primarily the explanations of the phenomena of nature. Hand in hand they stand, an almost perfect example of the greatness of the human mind.
[Sidenote: "Mormonism" and science have the same fundamental laws.]
The religion founded by Joseph Smith rests upon the same or similar laws. To the very beginner in "Mormon" theology, it is a familiar fact that Joseph Smith taught that matter is eternal, and has not been nor can be created. Matter is coexistent with God. God, himself, is material, in the sense that His body is composed of a refined kind of matter. In the fundamental laws that underlie all nature, there is perfect harmony between science and "Mormonism". Few religions can say as much. In most systems of theology, it is assumed that the ruling power, God, can create matter. In "Mormon" theology he can only organize it.
It is not quite so well understood that the doctrine of the indestructibility of energy lies also at the foundation of "Mormon" theology, and was taught by Joseph Smith. It was clearly comprehended by the Prophet and his associates that intelligence is the vivifying force of all creation—animate or inanimate—that rock and tree and beast and man, have ascending degrees of intelligence. The intelligence spoken of by the Prophet corresponds fully with the energy of science.
That the Prophet did not use the word current among scientific men at that time does not destroy the validity of this claim. Different words have no quarrel when they mean the same.
The Prophet also taught that this intelligence fills all space, and that it may appear in various forms, such as heat, light, and electricity, and that it is eternal, and can neither be created nor destroyed. These are the very qualities assigned to energy by scientific workers. This doctrine and its coincidence with the doctrine of science appears marvelous, when it is recalled that the Prophet laid down these teachings in 1831, more than ten years before they were discovered by scientists, and a generation before they were generally accepted by the scientific world.