Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-05-29
COMPARATIyE YELOCITIEs,

Velocity means rate of motion. But
a0lszt is 71otio,es Could there be found,
anywhere through space, point of alb
solute rest, from which to date as
starting point, we might quickly give
the old-time answer that motion is
change of place. And were there any
degree of speed, however great or how
ever small, measured from any such
point, which might be used rs a unit of
velocity, we could as easily define what
we mean by rate of motion. But, when
we come to realize that no such fixed
point has been found, and no unit of
velocity agreed upon, that every known
particle of matter is in absolute motion,
and that their motions are in every con-
ceivable direction, and, with every con-
ceivable degree of velocity, the case is
materially altered.
This is an unenviable predicament for
one who would write intelligently, if he
could, on a subject that certainly pos
sesses some interesting points. Our
fathers had much easier time. With
them there were many fixed points
broad earth, with its firm rocks and ina
movable hills-from which they could
measure motion at will But that time
was long since = before those arch
heretics," Copernicus and Calico,
played such wild work with the founda-
tions of physical faith, proving, to the
satisfaction of everybody, except the
Pope and few other conservators of the
oldregtnaes, that "tlte earth does naove, -
thus striking away the only fixed points
from which to measure absolute motion
This was not all the mischief done-it
was only the entering wedge. For a
time, after the earth had been abandon
ed to the resistless whirl upon it's own
axis, and the stupendous orbit round
the sun assigned to it by Copernicus,
the minds of few rallied around the
sun itself as a fixed center; and others
looked, as q last resort, to those twink
lers on high, which to this day are call
ed "fixed stars. Alas they are fixed
only in fancy. Science has demonstrat-
ed that the sun is no better behaved
than the earth, but is whizzing through
space, like q great red-hot cannon-ball,
shot in the direction of the constellation
Hercules, and that the starry hosts are
all engaged in brilliant dance, more
grand and nimble-footed than imagina-
Gon can conceive, in some order, and
probably around some center, as yet
beyond the reach of science.
This upturning of all the old settled
notions about rest and motion would
seem to have been pretty thorough, but
1T was scarcely the half When any one
wearied with the ceaseless motions o1
sun, moon and stars, sought relief by
looking to the earth in hopes to find
something here that was at least rela
lively at rest, they shared the fate of thu
dove sent out from Noah's ark. True
there were many things relatively at res
as to their external fO71s1s, but, when theil
interiors came to be critically examined
it was discovered that, not only is ever,
living creature, whether animal or vege
table, laboratory, with various depart
ments, forever alive with pumping
pushing, heating, cooling, depositing
rejecting, but that even the atoms O
hardened steel and other adamantin,
things, instead of being at perfect res
among themselves. locked each to each
as our fathers thought, appear to be il
state OF endless activity, how great il
proportion to their several magnitude
we know not, but perhaps even to tn
extent of rotation upon their severa
axes, and even of revolution round eacl
other, like stars in the unwearied sky
So says theory; and if it prove to b
trne, then is there no rest this side O
heGUeR.
In this state of affairs, what are we t
do for O zero and unit !? We must az
point them for ourselves, of course, an
the simplest plan will be to adopt th
principle involved in that queer Germa
philosophy which distributes the Who'll
universe into two grand divisions, &c Ih
Ne" on one side, and 4" The Not Me
on the other, and suppose each man t
make his person the zero, and his rat
of locomotion the unit of measure
Now, it is true that this plan involve
an almost absurdity; for, if each ma
makes his person zero, he is in fancy
his ocO1 fancy, by-the-by, the center {
the universe-the fixed point fro1
which, and to which, and tangential