WATER AND THE METALS
Now why are all these substances, so different from one another, called by the one name of metals ? They shine; a kind of inner light of their own seems to shine from them. They are not transparent. From the darkness of the metal a light of its own breaks out. Metals look quite different from stones. They are found in the interior of the earth. The experiences of a miner can be described, when, after working long days in the mine, he suddenly strikes a lode of metal, of silver or gold or perhaps of some metallic ore. It is as though a star were to shine out from the dark earth. An attempt should then be made to evoke a picture of such a lode of silver, as but a very small part of all the silver distributed throughout the whole Earth. The sum of this silver constitutes a sort of silver-body in the Earth. Imagine that you could see the whole of this silver-body on earth. You would see little threads of silver shining everywhere, veining the Earth. With gold and the other metals it is just the same. Everywhere such constellations shine in the interior of the Earth. They form a whole starry Heaven, and it is for these stars that the miners search. Mankind accomplish a great work in bringing out this shining metal from the dark interior of the Earth. It is this which gives to metals their value.
When we show the children gold, they will readily perceive how it glows like the sun. What then is the origin of the metals ? They have come down to Earth from the Heavens. In former ages, when the earth was not yet so solid, the metals, in the form of metallic vapours were dissolved in the earth’s atmosphere. They were later deposited on the earth, but before they became solid, they were for a while still quite fluid. In a gaseous world they were dissolved and were themselves gaseous. While they were yet fluid, they flowed into the metal veins. And then all became solidified and the metals were buried in the dark womb of the earth. The rocks had become solid first and enclosed the metals in their veins. Thus did the metals come down from Heaven. They are sons of Heaven enclosed within the Earth which embraces them like a mother. It was not on earth that the metals had their origin. From out the Cosmos they were radiated into our earth; small wonder then, that like the stars, they have their own independent light. That gold shines like the sun and silver like the moon is easy to discover. And so it is with the other metals, only in their case the likenesses are not so easily seen.
The individual metals may now be approached. Let us start with gold. It is found in the veins of the earth and also in the beds of streams. The veins might even be described as subterranean streams. Gold continues almost directly from one vein to the next. From the night of earth it flows out into the light of day. It is the association of gold with the sun that from the earliest times gave to gold its value. Here is an opportunity for bringing in some history. Thus, gold was used by the Indians of Mexico and Peru in their sun-worship. When the Spaniards took away this gold, their use of it led to much evil. It is evident that gold may be used in a great variety of ways. In the hands of unselfish men it may work much good, but when used in selfish ways it can do harm. In the hands of the Templars for example it was of great benefit to mankind. The moral aspects of a natural phenomenon of this kind can thus be brought home to the children. They can then be told how, through the ages, gold has been used as a measure of value for all other objects. In nature too the worth of all things is shown by the light of the sun. This kinship with the sun is the deeper meaning of the true value of gold. And now the material properties of gold can be examined. Gold is a noble metal. It is capable of withstanding the consuming power of fire, as may be demonstrated. Like stone or quick-lime, fire leaves it unchanged. And yet in colour it resembles such a combustible substance as sulphur; it does not look like a stone or an ash. It thus stands midway between inflammable sulphur and the unburnable salts. It is the noblest of all the metals. Here is a substance which is preserved from fire, not because it is cold and dead like a stone or ash but because it has the inner quality not to burn. The significance of this fact should be emphasised. Within the gold there is already a fire, but it is a controlled fire which is not permitted to burst forth. The position of gold, standing as it were in the midst of the chemical processes, is a striking one. It stands between the impressionable world of fire and the calm world of solid matter. If we hold up a piece of leaf gold before a light, it will appear green instead of its usual red colour. It is thus too with our blood which is usually red but shows green when light shines through it. Gold is in fact associated with the heart and is used as a remedy in heart disease. To view gold from such aspects as these engenders a feeling for its true significance. History and religious instruction have already made much of this familiar and by its means the economic significance of gold is also made understandable.
Two further metals, by nature opposites are now examined. Objects made of lead and of silver are shown to the children. The dull, grey lead is altogether unattractive, but its weight is remarkable. It has a marked affinity to the earth. It is found in the depth of mines, always in company with chalk. When exposed to air or water, it becomes coated with a greyish-white layer. It is no noble metal, for it burns readily in the presence of air and becomes ash. Nor can it endure very long in water. Certain everyday expressions aptly describe its character. We say “heavy as lead” and “leaden footed.” One of the chief uses of lead is for making the type from which all our books are printed.