The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1882-02-17
SOME OF lSeERsoLEs nlsrAaEs

the mOi0eulOuS questions WHICH arise
within these departments of human
thought, but because we propose to
leave them te those journals 70 which
they are especially appropriate, while
we devote ourselves TO placing before
eur young readers those practical ap-
plications and developments of science
which will give both heads and hands
something to do. Il is not, therefore,
with any of Col. IngerSolis religious
or theological utterauces that we pro-
Pose at present to meddle these we
leave TO other hands. But Col. In
gersoll has assumed the position of
ant advanced thinker in science a.
we'll as in other subjects IN his writ
ings we are constantly confronted
with such expressions as s'modern
science )" ''the science of the 10th
century :" ''modern scientific pro-
gress;n aud this to such an extent
that those who are not Well informed
in regard to the results of modern
scientific research are almost led to
believe that he knows something Of
science, at least so far as the elemen-
tary principles are concerned, where
as tae truth is that in regard to the
first principles of mathematics, phys
les and chemistry, it is dem3nstrahle
that he knows absolutely nothing,
or al least (which is the same thing
nothing that is OF any value to him
self or any one else, He has not even
sufficient knowledge TO enable him
to read our scientific authors, such rs
Tyndall, understandingly, and when
he attempts to quote from memory
every sentence is misrepresentation
and every statement n blundcr. 4
single specimen of his mistakes, TAX
en- from his lecture which he calls
ssThe Mistakes of Moses" is abun-
dainty sufficient to suhstantiate all
that we have just said. At page /
of the printed lecture we find the fol-
lowing ssI dsn,t believe that he the
author OF a certain passage in the Bi
blel knew that it the earth was turn
ing on its axis at The rate OF 4 thou
sand miles an hour, because IL he did
he would have understood the i'm
menSity OF heat that would have been
generated by stopping the world. II
has been calculated by enc Of the
best mathnetic.ans and astronomers
that to step the world would cause as
much heat as it would take 10 burn
lump of solid coal three times az
big es the globe"
Itwould be difficult for any writer
TO compress into the same space an
equal amount Of blnndering. In the
first place it dues net "take" much
neat to burn a lump of coal after the
coal gets TO burning il produces all
the heat that is wanted. Secondly,
the earth does not turn on is axis st
the rate Of thousand miles az hoCr f;
a narrow band round the equator
has this velocity, but IS we pass from
the equator to the poles the velocity
becomes less and less, until isally,
at the poles, the velocity IS slower
than the hour hand Of a watch. The
mean velocity of the earth on lis axis
is that ef the point which lies at the
center Of gravity Of . semicircIe OF
which the earth's axis IS the diane
ter. This velocity is very nearly
4SS miles an hour, or considerably
less than ons-half OF that stated by
Ingersoll. Thirdly, velocity OF
one thousand miles por hsur, IL con-
verted into heat, would not give any
thing like the temperature claimed
for by Ingersoll. He is confounding
two distinct motions, and his great
knowledge of natural philosophy is
not sufficient TO enable him TO detect
his error.
That the mistakes we have pointed
out are really kiunders, asy "math-
ematician or astronomer" can shoy.
But as some of our readers may not
be able to follow the calculations of
The mathematician and astronomer
we may cite the following simple IL
lustrations Railroad ears have been
propelled at the rate Of over hun
dred miles an hour, and stopped in
few seconds did anyone ever ob.
serve that they became perceplibly
hot to the touch when so stopped i?
and yet this is nearly one-fourih OF
the mean velocity Of the earth on It's
axis.
Another illustrations may be seen
ia fly wheels and circular saws.
They have rotated with ye-
locity nearly one-third that Of the
1noaU x1aIAoify nf 80 oarfE, -, - o-,;-
Did any one ever notice a dangerous
rise Of temperature when they were
brought to rest ? We have never OBJ
served any such thing, although we
have had considerable experience in
such matters. That motion may be
converted into heat we know very
well, but not to anything ike the ex-
tent that Col. IrgersoH claims. Axles
and bearings have been made not by
friction, but the extent to which they
are warmed by changing from an or
dinary velocity to a state of rest is
scarcely perceptible to the keenest
senses.
These and other mistakes have
not been pointed out by scientific
men, simply because scientific men
do not read Ingersolps Iucubration.
But as teacher of the young in this
department, the Young Scientist /
would fail in its duty if neglected
to point out the grossly erroneous
character OF so-caIled scientific"
statements which have been 50 wide
Unpublished by Col. Ingersoll. - Young
Scientist.
The traveller who would make the
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