, 1880-10-22
The Moons Force.

W @Ac SrcdtllcSS Auu bUrtlStu Oi UuT VI
solid steel l61 #, square, imagine one
which is one mile square, $3.50 #. wide
and as many thick. If it lay on the
ground near the Catskill mountains, its
upper surface would overtop their high
estsunmitIb by more than 1000 It. 1t
would be equal TO l02, 400 such monster
bars as othe last. Its Iiftirg 2 power
would be nearly 24O,s69,00o,00 tons.
The mind is utterly unable to, grasp
such figures. The whole globe contains
l,200, 0,000,0 000inhabitants. Ifeach man,
woman and child could pull with force
Of 100 lbs-s large estimate-to move
such weight would require the united
efforts Of the enhabitants Of 1000 such
worlds as this. roug.rta.ra n"i' h"
AS | shall have frequent occasion to
speak of the load which such a bar
could snstain, l shall, for convenience,
call 1t in round numbers 10000, ,000,-
600 tons, neglecting the other figures,
because the number is so inconceivably
great that taking from it q billion or SO
of tons will alter the result less than
one half Of l%. This bar is to be the
unit Of measure, which l shall for the
present employ, and with its help shall
attempt to give some idea of the inhu-
ence of the sun in holding the system
together, and Of the attraction exerted
BY the planets upon our earth, and by
the earth upon the moon; and, lastly,
by the fixed stars upon the sunandupon
each other. .aa unt..##'M '. --
We begin with the moon because j, is
nea-est to MS, and, with the exception
Of the sun, is to us the most important
of all the heavenly bodies. ai.' ..,.
Ifa half dozen persons were asked
how large the moon appears, they would
give as many different replies: -"The
sizelof cart Wheel" "rwelye inches
across" "The size ola diningplate;'"A
big asa mans head;" etc. Probably no
onewonld mention a smaller measure,
yet a cherry held at arms length much
more than covers its disk tits difficult
to believe that so small body exerts
any considerable influence on the earth
which seems so immensely Larger. Ii is
easy to admit that the earth holds the
moon in its orbit; 5ut that to do this, TO
bend lis course into nearly circular or
bit, requires any great outlay Of force,
is not so clear. Our credulity would be
taxed we're we asked to believe that the
moon in it's efforts to move in a straight
line would break away, although held by.
q bar Of steel one it, square, for that
means iorce able to lift nearly 5000
tons. An astronomer would grant it,
making first mental calculation toi see
if he was justified in doing soj but, even
he would hesitate, and perhaps would
deny that it was possible the moon could
pall asunder one Of those great unit bars
one mile square, and equal to more than
27,000000 bars each one #. square,. o.,
But lie would have no hesitation in
saying Gmpossible Pif told that, rather
than change its course from a straight
lineto its present curve, our willful little
satellite would snap like pack, thread not
one, nor two, nor three Of those unit bars,
but the united strength of l0,00--or, in
other words, one gigantic bar whose sec
ton is 100 miles square. Yet more than
eight such bars, ormoreprecisely, 81 500
unit bars, would but barely defect the
moon into its present path.
Tie non astronomical reader may perhaTe need to
ne reminded tAas the moon does not move easily ard
naturally IN circLe-or eipse- bnt that ts path, "a
lett 70 itself would be straight Inca tangent to its
ortiE Consequently, the moon requires 0 De forced
into curve. .H.....
The passage from the New Testament,
ATT is easier for a camel" &c., has pei.
picked many good men, who have read it
literally In oriental cities there are in
the large gates small ana very low aper-
tunes, called metSphorically needles
eyes" lust as wetalk ofwindovs on ship
board as bulls eyes" These entrances
are too narrow for a camel to pass
through them in The ordinary manner, or
even if loaded. When a loaded camel
has to pass through one Of these entran-
ces, it kneels down, its lead is removed,
and then it shufles through on its knees.
Yesterday" writes Lady Duff Gordon
from Cairo, 81 saw camel go through
the eye Of a needle-.-that is, the low
-arcfed door ofan enclosure. He must
kneel and bow his head, to creep through;
and thus the rich man must humbl him
self"
In three of the, London clubs ladies
are admitted as members, and in three
Others, the Orleans, Twickenham and
Salisbury, they may beinyited as guests.