Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-08-20
A DAILY WONDER.

G'ooo
completely turn around on its axis every twen
ty-four hours, causing our heads to point in
the direction of our feet turning all the wells
and rivers and seas and oceans bottom side up,
and placing the foundations 1T all the buildings
where their roofs ought 10 be-that all this
should take place every few hours was once
deemed SO absurd that those teaching 1t were
regarded as beside the mssvrs, and rs guilty OF
subverting the divine orac:cs Of God. But all
this Is now clearly proven. Aud yet many are
wholly unacquaiuted with The proofs. l notice
but briefly tho more common proofs OF the ap-
parent revolutions Of the sun, moon and stars
around the earth-simply renaIking that it is
preposterous to suppos: that these millions of
immense bodies. at such immense and various
distances, should all have their periods of revo-
lutioD 30 exactly timed as to simultaneously re
vOlve around vLr comparatively lnslgn:fca OF
globe.
If we ascend to the top Of loftly place, as
that Of Bunker Hill and drop from its summit
pebble, it will not fall to point exactly be-
meath our hand, but little to the east of it,
How is this explained Only by the revoIu
ton of the earth on its axis The top Of the
earth than the base, it describes larger circle
than the base, but it describes it in the same
time; ther. fore the top Of the monument
moves faster than the base. NV, as We fud
the pebble always falling east of the point from
which II FELL We can account for it only by sup
posing that the earth turns on its axis from the
West to the east.
Again; if We take clock from high latitude
to the equator, We shall fiod that it is too slow;
but if returned to the high latitude it will again
keep good time. This can be explained only by
attrlbuting it to the same cause of increased
rapidity of motion. The clock at the equator
Is father from the earth axis than when near
er the pole, and therefore describes much
larger circle than it did in it's oorthern home.
But it describes it 10 the same time, and hence
must travel faster than before. Now, this more
rapid motion will tend to throw it from the sur
face with more force; and hence the attractive
power of the earth is somewhat overcome, and
the weight of the pendulum is decreased, and
there moves sower-a clock from London losing
one hundred and thirty five vibrations 10 twen-
ty-four hours.
So We find all bodies weigh less at the eoua.
tor than in the higher latitude, always losing
one pound for every TWO hundred and ninety
pouDds-and this because. at the equator, they
describe circle Of twenty-five Thousand miles
circumference in twenty four hours. while in
big her atitudes the circles vary according to
their distance from the equator, and at the
poles describe none at all, being perfectly sta
tlooary. Did our globe revolve oD its axis 10
would have DO weight; and if it revoIyed 10 less
time, then they would be hurled out into space
just as water is thrown from the tire of car
rage wheel when revolving rapidly.
How happens it that we have such an exact
nj h,t hoI
are retained upon the earths surface, and
safety guaranteed to US alp Is this the resul,
OF chance? And so that most remarkable fact
that the attractive power OF the earth is so ex.
actly adapted to 40 animals strength. Thus
the earth's attraction Of the elephant is lar
greater than it's attraction of rabbit, and its
strength Is proportiooately increased. We com-
monty say the streagth Of the animal is greater
because his weight is greater. But weight is
wholly the result of the earth attraction. Now,
1t happens that this attractive power OF the
earth ls Invariably in proportion to an animal 8
strength. Suppose rabblt-or even a man-to
De attracted with the same force as 40 elephant
then the rabbit and man would be chained
down 10 utter heiplessness to the surface of the
earth, wholly unable to move even a fnger or
hDb. But We ind universal law operating,
namely, that all bodies are attracted 10 propor-
ton to their quantities of matter; and hence we
bod the rabbit and the man not attracted az is
the elephant but only in proportion to their
muscular strength, and so are able to carry
their bodies without Inconvenience over the
earth 8 surface, while the ponderous elephant
also does the sume.
Whence this aw7 Is all this mere chance
Does 1t not clearly show a great originatirg q
cause, and also prove that cause to be not only
all-wIse, but all-powerlul and bene6cept? He
who denies this cannot claim to be of sound
miod nor of right heart
A JAPANESE BATH.-In Japan, even 10 the
lowest luns, the travellers request for bath
is uever Met With that stare OF blank a.tonish-
ment which often attends the demand In our
Own and every other European ccuutry. [
know 10 Ireland | once asked for bath and
they brought mo horse bucket, and on an
other occasion, 10 France. | could get no nearer
the article than horse-trough; while 10 Fog
iand ana Germany the REQUEST has more than
once led to serious breach of the peace he
tween myself and the landlord. Ii Janan nm
the contrary, there would be much more sur.
prise felt if the traveller did not ask for ONE
There we're no preparations required, 20 rush.
ing about of ehambermaids, no turniag on this
aud of that-everythipg was quite ready. and
| was at once conducted to huge wooden
bath With small earthen furoace let 10 at the
loot, and lid enclosing the whole of the top
With the exception of space just Blk enough
Tor the head of the bather to emerge through.
lo one OF these coptrivances, with small fur
mace burning gaily. japanese, after bis day ;
work Is over, will sit calmly boiling himself
with the lid on, and the water bubbling about
d, n,m at boiling heat. He seems, however, to
IKE 1t uncommonly, to judge from the pleased
expression on bis face fast deepening under the
process into beetroot-like tints; and when he
las at last had euough-abou. an hour of it
ne takes of the lid aod emerges as % much like
STllsd M lobster as human being can become
soWed With live pieces of charcoal; the water
SSaGoied merrily, and my companion of the
SNs'a, Nt taxing off the lid, invited me to enter.
oIs IoIs,e oenR. however, either Japanese a blue
lU''Ir: lsU or potato, did not see any particu.