4
CHAOS
Amidst the roar of Elements,
The nuptials are a lark;
They honeymoon in a crystal sphere
Afloat on a crystal barque.
(Loud explosion and sound of rushing waters. From the center of the group of Elements appears a large crystal globe in which the groom and his two mates stand with hands joined.)
A brother of the sturdy groom
Pays court to a damsel rare.
Dame Nitrogen is fair but cold;[1]
Their union forms the air.
Then other Elements unite
According to affinity;
The partners join and dance in glee,
And so on to infinity.
- ↑ Nitrogen forms nearly eighty per cent. by volume, and seventy-seven per cent. by weight of the atmosphere. Nitrogen and Oxygen have only the feeblest attraction for each other. Their mixture to form the air is not a chemical combination. The chief attribute of Nitrogen is to deprive all the elements, with which it combines, of the power of combining with Oxygen—that is, of undergoing combustion. It may be said, therefore, to be a damper upon affection or affinity. Yet it is indispensable to vegetation. Without it the world would be barren.
