The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1867-01-10
THE SHY.

i've warn our readers that they will
get giddy before they reach the end Of
this article. IL is by Mons, Flanma-
rion, whose recent work on the inhabi-
ted worlds other than Earth is Que Of
the most successful books Of the Paris.
ian season. We have rarely read any
thing so interesting
To form an accurate idea Of the sky,
we must, in the first place, form an ac'
curate idea Of the earth, and conceive
the ball on which we live as suspended
in space without any support. except
as soap bubble which floats in the air.
or "a truth the earth is even mere isola-
ted tnan a soap bubble floating in the
air, for the soap bubble really rests on
the strata of air. whilp the earth rests
upon no fluid, no strata, and is iudepen-
dent of every sort of support. | may
be asked-But then if the earth is
thrown like a cannon ball into space,
why dosen't it fall? | answer: Fall
where? They may reply: Fall
down space. My response is !: But
what do you call down space |" Down
is = relative idea. Form clear idea Of
the terrestrial globe suspended in com,
plete isolation in Infinite space, and
you will at once see there is no such
thing as up or down in the universal
frame. Examine the question. Hare
is the globe in space. Il measures three
thousand leagues in diameter You are
some five or six feet high. Your sta
turo compared to the size of the earth
is consequently less than the space OF
au ant walking around ball OF the size
Of st. aufs church, London.
Suppose yon walk around this globe
in every direction, as an aut might do
on an immense cannon ball. This
globe is load stone and it is it's at.
traction which fastens you inyincibly to
its surface. Now whatever may be the
point Of this globe wherever our feet
rest, you will always call dorm below
your feet, and up the space above your
head. You may successfully place
yourself ut every point of the globe
without exception, all Of them win nc.
cessarily be dorm to you, and the cor.
responding point fspacc overhead win
always be up to you. At the North
Pole the South Pole will be your down;
ut the South Pole you may consider tho
North Pole dorm. 1t is consequently
nothing but matter of position so far
rs you are concerned--it is not absolute
reality.
Two observers placed at the cxtremi
ties OF the same diameter will have ~
rcciprocaAy opposed two others, placed
ut the extremities Of second diameter
intersccting the first diameter at righI
angles, would call up two points perpen
dicular to the former and so on, wcr,
tile whole globe covered with observers
each one would call the portion Of space
overhead Up, so that the whole space
which cnvirons the globe would be "
for the population of the earth.
Such is the sky. This word 90 lon
ger Expresses anything but the up re-
lstive to our position. that Is, the indef
mite space which enrirons the earth.
II the observer himself does not change
bis position, the vertical point, never
theless, changes every instant for each
of us, for the globe turns on its axis
once in twenty -four hours. Consequent
y there Is no such thing as absolute VI
or down in the aEiyerse, and therefore
there Is neither right nor leif, nor any
obsolute position.
The earth is a sphere isolated il
space, and the space extends H.fn;fel,
IN every direction and all around it,.
Lsfgheyi Let US try 10 ascertain n,
exact Specification Of this word. Sup
pose you determine to measure this in
Unity, and SO set out from the earth q,
your point Of departure, and move il
any direction Very well what eve
direction you may take, you may 20 il
. straight liuc and never rest one sec
ond--yon may nv as swift as light il