The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1874-04-23
TOO TECHNICAL.

TOO TECHNICAL.
We publish 10 another column an article en-
titled 1.-THE Procession Of the Equinoxes." writ
ten for the instruction Of young friend OF
ours who has become entangled in the vague
ness Of the ''books." The writer commits the
same error that all Of his predecessors have,
g., he employs all Of the technicalities OF the
trade without defining any OF them. so tnat
the party for whose benefit he writes VIII DC
as much in the fog when no has read 1t Us De-
fore As well try to teach one the principles
of science by the employment OF tongue
unknown to him as by employing without de-
6nine them-terms aud phrases ne does not
understand. "Plane Of the eelptic," celestial
couators," "yernal and autumnal equinoxes."
procession of the equinoxes," "the Inclination
or angle of an orbit with the ecliptic," 'celes'
tial equinox" and similar expressions are plain
enough no doubt to the instructed; but to the
student they are either meaningless or incom-
prehensible. The subjoined, which we borrow
from DIR Dick, furnishes the most understand
able explanation of the "ecliptic," the 'pIane
Of the ecptic," and the orbital inclination OF
the planets we have ever met with: "The or
bits of the different planets do not oil lie IN
the same plane, as they appear to d. in the
orreries, and in the representations generally
given of the solar system. 1t We suppose q
plane to pass through the earth's orbit, and to
be extended in every direction, it will trace
line in the starry heavens which is called the
ec!iptic and the plane itself is called the plane
of the elliptic The orbits Of all the other
planets do not lie in this plane, onehal OF each
rising above it, and the other hall falling De-
How it This may be illustrated BY supposing
large bowl or concave vessel to be nearly hiied
with water; the surface Of the water will trace
circular line round the inner surface Of the
bowl; which may represent the eci'p'if
L while the surface Of the water itself II
c the plane of the eclptic. aud the bowl is the
one half of the concave sky. II We now i'm
" merse in the bowl large circular ring ob
" liaurly, SD that one-half Of it is above the sur
face OF the v alter and the other half below
this ring will represent the orbit of planet IN
:. clincd to the eclipnc or to the fluid surface
or if We tax, two large rings or hoops "t near
ly equal size. and place the one within the 9th
: or obliauely, So that the half Of the one HOOP
= may BE- above. and the opposite below the 9th
er hoop, it will convey an idea OF the incliaa
. ton OF the planets orbit to the plane of th'
ecliptic." Procession is defined by DIR
Webster To be the slow. backward motion o
$ the equinoctial points along tho rclipic at IT,
o rate Of so" | annually. caused by the nc
ton Of the sun. moon and planets upon IN
e protuberant matter about the carth's equator
in connection with its diurnal rosation:-s
r called because either equinox, owing I" II
westerly motion. Comes to the meridian soonc
y each day than the poin, il would have occnps'
without th. motion Of precesss"n. and thu
precedes that point continually with rr'ercnc
To the transit and motion" And this Is tn. pith q
| the definitions given in the school books. Bi
what the action Of the planets on the equator
nj earth and in what manner such action q
fects the earth's proturbcrances in that local
ty differently to what it does in other l"calise
is not explained. We assume that precessio
e ia a myth-ihat there IL no such thing "a q
a actual backward notion: but that there IL il
"a stead a shortening Of distance on account {
g the greater sphercity assumed BY the earth. n
e its elevations are lowered and its depression
l. filed up by the wear of time.
IN -
L. THE Eastern Oregon Tribune says. Hi. Al
ia bott an old settler Of Southern Oregon. wa
n killed March 23. by tae accidental discharge I
y a gun. while he and A. Wrinkle were engage