Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-09-26
S.lonih's Column,
HOW THE EARTH rs KEPT UP.

"Gllmpses or the Globe, written tor
young readers by Mr.. J. R. Blakiston of
Trinity College, Cambridge, we have the
following instructive conversation be-
tween little boy and his uncle:-
"Uncle, I've often meant to ask you
how the earth is kept up. as it travels
spinning round the sun ?"
Il thought you would be asking me
that some day. fear you will have to
wait till you are much older before you
can hope to understand it. Do you see
yon bright star rising over the wind
mill? That also, like the earth, is a
roamer round the sun. Yon star setting
is another planet, and there are many
others. some greater, some less, which
wheel day and night without ceasing
round the sun, spinning as they speed
along"
"Then they, too, have days and nights
as we have?'
"Yes; and perhaps seasons, for they
all travel as we do, somewhat aslant.
Two of them are SO much larger than
our earth as large and small orange
are than pea and have one four, the
other eight moons wheeling round to
light them by night"
"And do they travel as quickly as we
do?'
"The largest planet Qarge enough to
make thirteen hundred earths) spins
more than twice as fast as the earth.
Even at the equator the earth spins only
at the rate of seventeen miles in min.
ute"
"Seventeen miles in minute F! Why
| wonder we are not all of US, houses
and everything, hurled off as the water
when one trundles mop"
"Look at the hands of the clock. You
know that the large hand goes all round
once every hour, and that the short hanc
takes twelve hours to 60 once round
Well, if your eyes are good enough tt
see the long hand moving. you certalnl.
cannot see the short hand move, Cal
/ you?"
'No, indeed !"
"Now, the earth takes twice as lonI
as that to roll once round"
"Yes, | remember, it takes twenty
four hours to roll round. How man
miles is it round the earth ~
"Nearly twenty-five thousand at tn
equator. Thus every hour the earth ha
therefore to roll more than a thousan
: miles an hour. 1t would take a trai
; five weeks to 60 round the earth if
went thirty miles an hour, day an
] night. without stopping"
"You once told me that the sun We
: as much larger than the earth as an O
ange is than a tiny seed. Is the moor
= too, as large? 1t looks as big
{ "Oh dear, no The moon is far small
: err than the earth, but it is not so f:
away as the sun is. More than mi
lion earths could be made out of ii
sun. Fifty moons might be made Of
ct of the earth"
d. "And how many stars could be mac
at out of the moon? I've heard Wido
Jones say the old moons were cut up
IS make stars !"
" "Why, my dear boy, the stars a
I'd mostly great suns, so far away that if
r.. new star were created, years would pa
~ before its light could travel throuy
:. space to reach our eyes and enable US
ey see it. If one of them were destroye
iy years would pass before its light won
ne cease to twinkle. Such thing b
lis really happened oftener than once.
star has blazed up, burnt out, and be
:. seen no more !"
by "What an awful thing to think of !!
SAY, Charlie, you know the psal
VS., The heavens declare the glory of Go
nts There are few things more solemn tn
Up to sail for days together over the gre
nd deep, and to watch the countless st;
rise and set as one keeps watch on de
Ow at night. They that 60 down to the
In ships see the wonders of the sky
o, we'll as of the deep. Alone with G,
vas we hear His small, still voice speak,
ere to us in the night-watches."
ned "What grand sight it would be
tai be set somewhere so that one could
Is the earth rolling round the sun H
fast does it travel ?"
hot. Livery minute it speeds more tina
ter, thousand miles on its way, every sec'
more than eighteen miles. But fgu
cas- like these are mere words to us.
be can neither see nor feel the earth's
p0'- ton. You may form some faint ide;
a heavenly bodys motion from sli
an AS long as you keep the sling whirl
ct of round your head the stone is held ii,
Let go the string and off flies the ST.
con. The string is as the sun drawing in
vent planets, which else would fly off
1'oA knows where ?'
wing