declare that the rays transmitted
by the sun to the earth and the other planets are nothing more nor less
than the emanations of these souls?" And now we may begin to form an
adequate conception, of the rigorously scientific character of our
author's method. There have been many hypotheses by which to account for
the supply of solar radiance. One of the most ingenious and probable
of these hypotheses is that of Helmholtz, according to which the
solar radiance is due to the arrested motion of the sun's constituent
particles toward their common centre of gravity. But this is too
fanciful to satisfy M. Figuier. The speculations of Helmholtz "have
the disadvantage of resting on the idea of the sun's nebulosity,--an
hypothesis which would need to be more closely examined before serving
as a basis for so important a deduction." Accordingly, M. Figuier
propounds an explanation which possesses the signal advantage that there
is nothing hypothetical in it. "In our opinion, the solar radiation is
sustained by the continual influx of souls into the sun." This, as the
reader will perceive, is the well-known theory of Mayer, that the solar
heat is due to a perennial bombardment of the sun by meteors, save that,
in place of gross materialistic meteors, M. Figuier puts ethereal souls.
The ether-folk are daily raining into the solar orb in untold millions,
and to the unceasing concussion is due the radiation which maintains
life in the planets, and thus the circle is complete.

In spite of their exalted position, the ether-folk do not disdain to
mingle with the affairs of terrestrial mortals. They give us counsel
in dreams, and it is from this source, we presume, that our author has
derived his rigid notions as to scientific method. In evidence of this
dream-theory we have the usual array of cases, "a celebrated journalist,
M. R----," "M. L----, a lawyer," etc., etc., as in most books of this
kind.

M. Figuier is not a Darwinian: the derivation of our bodies from the
bodies of apes is a conception too grossly materialistic for him. Our
souls, however, he is quite willing to derive from the souls of lower
animals. Obviously we have pre-existed; how are we to account for
Mozart's precocity save by supposing his pre-existence? He brought with
him the musical skill acquired in a previous life. In general, the souls
of musical children come from nightingales, while the souls of great
architects have passed into them from beavers (p. 247).