The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1857-01-07

: toscope., which is certainly the most extraor
t dinary and inexplicahle affair We ever saw
e After Witnessing the working Of this little appa
ratus, all ones incredulity as to the pessoll.'
\ of perpetual motion vanshes. It appears to DC
n monstrate, beyond the possibility OF doubt
e that rotation overcomes gravltation: Inc III
: strument was invented, or rather discovered
. by mathematical instrument maker OF New
e York city, whose name we have been unaoi'
to learn The discovery was altogether the re
5 suit of accident, as there is no known principle
$ in the philosophy of mechanics which could leat
any one to suspect the existence of the prlnci
ple involved in this Indeed its discoverer /:
as much at loss to account for its operation
as any one who has ever seenitln motion. Fol
the benefit of those who have no opportunity o
seeing it. we will endeavor to give description
of It AS near as words can do so, in the absence
of diagram.
It's very simple, and so easy of construction
, that any one of ordinary mechanical ingenuity
could do it. Our desert ption will apply to the
one we saw, although the same principle may
be modified according to the will of the con
structor.
In the first place, there is small brass stan
dard, about six inches long, and one-touth Of
an inch thick, with apivot point to 1t. and al
the base heavy weight to keep it steady when
standing upright. An ordinary paper file would
answer the purpose, provided the curve at the
top was cut off and the point sharpened. Next,
there is brass ring, about tour inches IN 'dla-
meter, and three eighths of an inch IN thickness.
At opposite sides of the ring, there are two lit
tie projections with lamentations in them, to ad-
nit of their being placed. either one, upon the
pivot point Of the standard, and sustained in that
position while the ring revoves around the stan
dard AS centre The pivot point isenot in the
nature of socket TO sustain the ring in hor-
zontal position. but merely to conine it to its
centre, and if it had no other support, it would
instantly fall. Across the ring runs a shaft,
sustained in its place by two little pivot poin
ted screws, running through the ring at the
points of the little projections mentioned above.
! Upon the centre of the shaft is a thin brass
wheel, just large enough to clear the inside of
the ring, having a heavy periphery, for the pur-
pose of giving momentum to It's revolutions
At one end Of the shaft is a hole for the pur-
pose of introducing the end Of string, which
is to be twined around the shaft, and then pull
ed to produce rotation. in the same manner as
boys spin an ordinary humming top.
After rapid rotary motion is thus communi-
Gated to the wheel, if the ring containing it be
then paesd upon the pivot point of the stan
dard at one of the indentations in the little pro-
jections on the side, it will be sustained in that
position and revolve about the standard, while
ever the wheel continues to rotate with any
considerable velocity.
If we have made our desert ption Ineligible,
it will be understood that the ring containing
the wheel is only supported by one edge upon
the standard, and neither it nor the offsets have
any thing to do with the principle involved, but
are merely used as a convenient vehicle for con-
tining the wheel during its rotation. The prin
ciple on which the ring is sustained in hori-
zontal position by one edge during the rotation
of the wheel, IS as yet mystery to all who
have seen it.
1t is supposed by some, that there is a faint
glimmering here of the principle involved in
the revolution and rotation of the planets, and
especially with reference 10 the rings et Saturn.
Whatever be the unknown principIe.the fact is
intensely interesting, and may lead to impor-
tant results, not only in mechanical science, but
in solving heretofore inexplicable problems in
natural philosophy -Four models of the appa
ratus were brought to this city on Monday last
by major Clark, q. S. A, from New Y ork-I
One is in the possession of the Academy of
Science, one of doctor Pollock, and the remain
ing two are at the mathematical instrument |
mandatory of Mr.. Blattner on Second street. |
st. Louis Intelligencer |
SOUTHERN THoUGHT.-Centralisat is the |
monster evil of the day. 1t tends to create
single centre of trade, and also one ofthought, |
intellect and fashion. The former centre is at
7 III l,tt1 Dc, w., a., IN.
nor the institutions ofany country are safe, that
come fully within the influence of those absorb
ing maelstroms. The evils of a single centre Of
thought are greater than those of centre of
trade, for 1t prevents originality, begets imita-
tlveness, and gives to the world but one set Of
ideas. After the conquest of Greece by tie
Romans, the schools at Athens, and their
branches at Alexandria and a few other cities,
to be the centres Of thought for the |.
civiised world. These schools borrowed from
the past, and the rest of the world borrowed
from them. The human mind was chained
down and imprisoned, and soon began to de-
cline. We have always considered the schools
Of Athens as the most potent cause of the de-
cline ofcivilisaton, and of the coming on of the
dark ages.
The south has strong and peculiar reasons
or resisting the influence of this centralisation
If thought. She can import from abroad only
such ideas AS are at war with her institutions.
Her sons had better observe and study the So
'lal phenomena that present themselves at
ZONE, or engage in the critical pursuit of Greek,
roman and Hebrew literature, than to 90 to Pa $
is to learn socialism AID in6delitv, or to the
lorth to imbibe abolionism. AT least, before +
hey travel abroad, they should thoroughly I'M s
lerstand the history, the theory, and the prac- ,
zeal working of their own institutions
The numerous colleges and universities that
ave been erected of late in the south, have {
lready checked the inroads of centralisation. I
md given birth to original domestic thought.
Professor Dew, of William and Mary, was the =,
'rst to write really southern book. His de-
ence of slavery is bold, original and learned,
nd leaps over the fashionable morality, relg- :
on and philosophy of the day, to appeal to the t
PRACTICES, the history, the religion, the moral v
y and philosophy of mankind in general Pro- v
essor Holmes, of the same college, has also :,
'rtten many learned, profound and original es- d
avs IN defence of our institutions Professor b
smith, of Randolph Macon, delivers a series If tt