To turn to something of a happier nature, I shall proceed to tell you of some of my earliest recollections. Remember I shall be speaking of a time long before man existed--even before this great planet was a solid ball. CHAPTER V MY EARLIEST RECOLLECTIONS _THE SCRIBE'S NOTE ON CHAPTER FIVE_ This great globe upon which we live was once a glowing mass of flaming gas. It is possible that the whole solar system was once one great mass. In any case, we have no doubt that the moon is simply the result of a part of our glowing mass having become detached. In the hottest stars we find only the lightest atoms of matter, such as hydrogen gas, the atoms of heavier substances being found in stars which have begun to cool down. The electrons have been present from the very beginning, and it is they who go to make up the atoms of matter. We picture an atom of matter as a miniature solar system of revolving electrons. There is doubtless a corresponding amount of positive electricity, but so far we have no evidence of its nature. CHAPTER V MY EARLIEST RECOLLECTIONS Before giving an account of the everyday duties which we perform, it may interest you to hear something of our early history. Not only have we been on the move ever since the beginning of this world, but some of us have clear recollections of this planet long before it was a solid body. The whole world was a great ball of flaming gas. I have heard some fellow-electrons say that we were attached to a greater mass of incandescent gas before the beginning of this world, but I have no personal recollections of it. But one thing I do remember is a great upheaval which caused a large mass of gas to become detached from our habitation. Without any warning a great myriad of our fellow-electrons were carried away on this smaller mass. At first this detached mass circled around our greater mass at very close quarters, but we soon found that our friends were being carried farther and farther away, until they are now circling around this solid planet at a comparatively great distance. Man calls this detached mass _the moon_, and when I have heard children say in fun that they wish they could visit the man in the moon, I have longed to go and see how it fares with those fellow-electrons who seem to be separated from us in such a permanent manner.