The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-07-23

1
the other suns, which are ordinarily
called stars, he would weigh more than
one hundred thousand pounds. If he
were placed on some of the asteroids
the smallest globes of our own family OF
worlds-this same man OF 200 pounds
would not weigh more than two or three
pounds. All this will be understood
when we remember the universal law,
that all matter attracts other matter i'll
proportion to its quantity, and further,
that all matter is attracted to the center
of q globe, where attraction virtually
ceases, and the body has no aOeight, be-
cause it is attracted equally i'll all direc-
tons. Hence, were the earth q hollow
sphere, body placed i'll its center
would remain perfectly at rest, support
ed on nothing, but stationary in the
center of that empty space.
1t will then be seen, thatas the earth's
diameter is, say 5000 miles, there are
1000 miles of matter drawing body on
its surface to its center; while, as the
suns diameter is, say, $500, 900 miles,
there are 440, 900 miles acting on body
lying on its surface and drawing it to its
center. And, as some of the asteroids
are only about forty miles in diameter,
there are only twenty miles of matter
attracting bodies on their surface.
From this it will be clear why bodies
do not have the same weight on different
worlds.
SO also from the same cause, bodies
would fall TO the surfaces of these differ
ent worlds with different velocities, l. G.,
because attracted by different forces.
For instance: pebble that would fall to
the earth about 16 feet in a second
would fall to the sun about 440 feet in
the same time; while the same pebble
would fall to the surface of an asteroid
about as fast as feather would to the
surface of our own globe.
MOTION OF MOON AROUND THE EARTH.
The moon revolves around the earth
from west to east in q days, hours and
43 minutes. This is called q SidereaI
month, because she then returns to the
same point among the stars.
But while the moon has been COM
pleting one such revolution around the
earth, the earth itself has been moving
through space in the same direction
from west to east-and therefore the
ger in her orbit, in order to appear to
as to have completed revolution. This
is called lunar month, or, formerly,
mOOnth, from which comes the word now
used-month.
This lunar mOOnH, or month, is 20
days, II hours and A minutes long.
AS the moon is advancing, daily, from
west to east, in her path around the
earth, about Is degrees, it follows that
the earth must make more than one com
plete revolution on its axis, i'll order to
bring the same spot directly under the
moon. Hence the moon rises later each
day about 80 minutes, as the earth
must turn on its axis that much longer
to have the moon directly over any par
Hcular place of the earth.
THE HARVEST MOON.
There is a remarkable exception to this
daily later rising of the moon, which oc-
ours during the autumn, when it rises
only about t,Oenty minutes later for sew
eral days. This would seem to be spe.
cial and merciful provision of n kind
Providence for the purpose of lengthen-
ing the day at a period when time is
often exceedingly valuable to the hus-
bandman, thus permitting him to gather
the fruits of his years tolls, and while
exempt from the scorching heat of the
sun.
LUNAR INFLUENCES.
1t is very generally supposed that the
moon exerts great influence upon ami
mails and plants, as also upon food when
prepared at particular phases of this
body. Thus, many imagine that trees
must be felled, seed planted, animals
slaughtered, and medicines administered
at the full, or at the waxing or waning
of the moon. But all this is mere
superstition, and is wholly without
support, either from philosophy or fact.
The same remark will apply to the
moons influence upon the weather, long
and careful observation having proven
that atmospheric changes are wholly in
dependent of lunar influence. The
moons light upon the eyes of sleepers
seems to produce unfavorable effects in
oriental nations. There is, however, O
most powerful and beneficent influence
exerted by the moon in producing the
daily tides. The sun raises tidal wave,
also, but, on account of his distance, 1t If
only about one-third that of the moon, sc
that the moon is the chief agent in pro-
ducing these most wonderful ebbings
and fowlngs of the great world Of
waters. But this is an important and
benefcent arrangement of our mercifu
and all-wise and all-powerful Creator
EARTH LIGHT.
When the new moon is seen in cleal
sky, dim, globular light is observed
resting in the crescent or bowl of the
moon, and is generally termed "the ole
moon in the new moons arms" This
was long supposed to be the native hgh
of the moon, but it is now known to bt
the reflected light of the earth.
To understand this, it must be borne
in mind that our world appears in til,
moons sky, just as does the moon to us
but with this difference-the earth pre-
sents to the lunarians (supposing for tn,
moment that the moon is inhabited) {
glorious orb about thirteen times larger
than the moon appears to us. This
globe, therefore, is n most resplenden
object in the lunar sky, and affords abou
J thirteen times as much light as does TN,
moon to us. 1t is this light of the eartl
received from the sun that we see faintl,
outlining the moon form to us" "are flee
tion of reflection" giving us some idei
, of the comparative strength of the direc