New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-12-16

he opinion that enquiry inter more trutu IS
:1le With investigation and that TO spend
:. lCe in reading over the RECORDS OF oth%i nioH
sbouehts-to believe all they have sad oec ss5
ather people believe ito set down an as iacsa
w. 70 he ,ansaid, altered amended, aud 70 re-
fuse all advance and lh'Prosenen 80 al hut
rnnaicts with long chrshed error IS after an DTZ
sayy noor kind of Investigation. SUCH IS the ~
koweyer which your correspondent se SEE 46o
IL, - ooessarv. He thinks moreover tu1' suo
troqseors viii find SON, thing better 70 ~
| to trouble themselves with returns 'NI ~
iof Mr. Smiths book. Ii IS 70 DC MP ~ ,bo
tactical men of the age are lar II. aa' " to
PInfsoos If the schools in strength oil character
"a ;Ctallectual ability. and TO them no doGOc Mr.
ss c. will look for the appreciation Of his work
LII more coincidence and trust than TO the ff0'
fsesors-these are ouly expected to cone IN last,
nor other minds have determined It's merits, ior
s-rl, has always been the case. They are inter
ested by their position and authorship 10 oppose ",
;ts success would convict them OF error, lo"eF
.Ssir standing, and spoil the sale oil ther books;
sndif tkey were convinced Gifts truth, lew would
have the courage 10 declare 1t. ,,..,,-o4
| your CORRESPONDENT speaks of Mr.. Smith az
lack on the pure principles OF Geometry me cie =
Iof which Che says are the definitions thas
H. point is that which has position opt n.y. ,.t1It
H. Jude. ard line is that winch has 'ehs'"
indeed and how long is it since de.n'l9n; o,
came ptino ,.,,.od 70 convey an idea OF some
- 40 d - - sted before aud that definition
lick DO altered. amended, improved, ana eFcI
cbonged without in any manner aHeCtHi5 .uo
I.rnt or Tie principle. had thought moreover that
InrinciDles In Geomety especially were Nature
ppwr trf+bs which can never change, whether we
MAY choose to define OF tm rightly or not ana
aghen enquire of Nature as to the dehn'tloh OF
snoint, she tells me, that whatever may ny 70
bmake OF it. in her vocabulary position without
magnitude" means nothing more than tne
snlace Of magnitude without the magnitude ltscI,
saend il preciselv the same thing as position with
Amepnifndr You can make nothing else OF it
/" place or position is nothing else but por
Bhon Of space, which 10 the same as magnitude
land TO prevent our making mistake IN TINS mat
Ter Nature has so constructed our mental percep
ltons. that no man can hold last in bis mind an
identity of place, when magnitude mas ceased &c
lexist our very thought expires III the attempt
! There are many men who are even Iearhea ~
mathematics, whose power OF reasoning - limited
I1o the rules they have studied, and anythln9
(which comes not within these ralsS 49, to then
minds not mathematical and your correspondent
appears to me to be one OF them. ! heSe are Inc
linen who say, that there can be no change in ma
khematical or geomerica science. Their error
lies in their confounding deiniti0nS ithpr&1cples
hand the 7rYitten science, which is mere methol
lor system "a practice with the truths Of geometry
ElenSclpt luthS Of geometry,-the prl1lct
miles of I15-a eel ety, can never change nor ear
Iso mel rs he Of its conclusions ever be talsi
IGed; but ta "a nullions,-the mere n1ett0d Of the
Egst~u n D4aclice Of geometry may be altered
knlar cd and improved and because in every
khrr nd some method, much better thai
ktheys 20 for such improvement in this as vii
lend 70 PEoGREss.