The Litchfield County post., 1828-01-24


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 The observations upon the centre of gravity are illustrated by more curious ex- 1 ampleS:-
 '' X body, we have seen, is tottering in proportion as it has great altitude and nar- row base but it is the noble prerogative, and distinction of man to be able to sup- port his towering figure on a, very narrow base with great firmness. This faculty is acc quired slowly. because of the difficulty. A child does we'll who walks at the end of 10 or 12 months; while the young quadrupeds which have broadssupport, ,learn to move almost at once.
 The supporting base of man consists of the feet and the supporting space be- ! tween them. The advantage of turning out the toes is, that without taking much from the length. of the base, it adds much to the l breadth of it.
 |" If there be art in walking on two per- feet feet, there must be still greater art fn ] walking on two narrow wooden legs with round .extremities. This we see done nev- theless, by many mutilated soldiers and sai- lors.
 But surpassing in difficulty any ofthese instances is the practice of walking upon stilts, which is general among the inhabit- ants of the sandy plains in the south of France called Les Landes. These plains afford tolerable pasturage for sheep: but during one season of the year they are half covered with water, and during the other, 1t is most fatiguing to walk upon them by reason of their deep loose sand and thick furze. The natives lessen the annoyance ] from all these causes, by lengthening their natural legs about 5 feet, through the addi- ton of the stills mentioned, which they 1 call des enchasses.' These are wooden poles attached to the legs, and put on and of as regularly as they do the other parts ofthe dress. Raised upon them, the peo- l pie appear to strangers new and extraor- dinary race of long-legged beings they march over the loose sand or through the water with no inconvenience, with steps of eight or ten feet in length their walking speed is that of a trotting horse, and they easily perform journey of 30 or 40 miles in day. The shepherds, when watching their sheep, post themselves in convenient stations, and with long staff supporting them behind, and their rough sheepskin cloak and cap covering them above like
 matched roof, they have the appearances of little watch towers, or singularly lofty tripods scattered over the face ofthe coun- try" ..r Two thirds of our ordinary motions ar governed by the habitual necessity we find of preserving the centre of gravity. When man is seen rising from his chair, he first bends the body forward, so as to bring the centre of gravity over the feet or base, and then he lifts it up.-If he If! too soon, that is before the body be suf- ficiently advanced, he falls over back a. gain"
 A man standing with heels close to perpendicular wall cannot bend forward to pick up any thing that lies on the ground near him, without himself falling forward, because the wall prevents him from throw ing part of his body backward, to counter balance the head and arms that must pro- ject forward. A man little versed in such matters, offered ten guineas to try, under those circumstances, to possess himself of purse of 2Ol. laid before him; he ofcourse lost the money."
 The painful affection called sea sickness, has relation also to this topic. Man requir- ing always to maintain his perpendiculari- ty. insensibly regulates and ascertains that point by the fixed and known position of objects around him.
 Hence, on shipboard, where the lines of the masts, ,windows,& furniture,are con- stantly changing, sickness, vertigo, and o. ther affections of the same class, are com- mon to persons unaccustomed to ships. Many experience similar effects in carriag- es and in swings ,or looking from lofty prec- ipices, where known objects being distant. and viewed under a new aspect, are not SO readily recognized: also in walking on a wall, or roof, in looking directly up to a roof, or to the stars in the zenith, because then all standards disappear on walking into round room where there are no per- pendicular lines of light and shade, as when the walls and roof are covered with spot ted paper without regular arrangement of spot; and turning round as in wal,zing, or on wheel; because the eye is then not allowed to rest OH the standards, &c.'' The author however observes with truth that seasickness also arises from the irreg- ular pressure ofthe bowels against the dia- phragm, us their inerta varies with the ris-