Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-12-17
UNIFORMITY In NATURE.
It's anifestatiOn I'm the Region of Celcs'
tial Mechanics.

It's Mantle station I'm the Region of Celcs-
tial Mechanics.
The standing still of the sun, of
which Mr.. Ruskin speaks so pleasantly,
means the stopping of the re olution Of
the earth, for the motion of the sun is
only the earth's revolution; conse-
quently what is called the standing still
of the sun involves tremendous dynam-
ical consequences, an utter d sruption
of everything upon the earth's surface,
a return of chaos, or know not what.
1 am not criticising the expression as to
the sun standing still, used in the Book
of Joshua without any attempt at sci
entific language. What the actual fact
was to which the language refers, and
what was the actual phenomenon, can
not undertake to say; but if we adopt
the phrase into the language of the
nineteenth century, and in that Ian
guage speak of the news of the sun
standing still as O thing which need not
surprise us, but which we have rather
expected than otherwise, then / say
that to the mathematician the Ian
guage involves Unnecessary catastrophe,
and that if the sun did stand still even
for moment no one would be left to
tell the tale. 1t is true that all men
are not mathematicans, and that it is
impossible for mind which has not
studied physical science mathematical
ly fully to estimate the impression of
contradiction and imposs bility pro-
duced upon the mind which has so
studied by an allegation of any irregu-
larity in the clock of Nature. BE it
observed that the belief in the uniform
ity of such phenomenon as the rising
of the sun, or of the effect of the moon
on the tides, or of such observed facts
as procession and mutation, and many
others, is to the mathematical phys clst
something different in kind from that
y3ii rssay that t1ies'a rifi has fiseh millions
of times already, and therefore will
probably, or almost certain, r Sc to-
morrow, you offer good presumptive
argument; but it is not the argument
which chiefly weighs with the man who
knows what the rising of the sun means
and what would be the mechanical
result of his failing to do so. My belief,
however, is that the feeling of certainty
as to the natural phenomena, which
time in human history, has percolated
$50 to speak, through the strata of
human intelligence until it has become
the common property of almost all.
The whole aspect of nature has been
changed, and many man feels a per-
suasion of the existence of something
which may be described as uniformity,
and in virtue of which he questions. or
doubts, or denies many things which
would have been accepted as possible
or probable in the seventeenth century,
without knowing or being able to ex-
plain upon what his convictions rest.
Hence, according to my view, the uni
formlty of nature, instead of being
capable of being defended as a postu-
late, is, SO far as it is true, the result OF
region of celestial mechanics it may be
said to have gained absolute sway, be-
cause the motions of the heavens re-
solve themselves into the ordinary laws
of mechanics, supplemented by the law
of universal gravitation; and from this
region there is very Ineligible ten
dency to extend the assertion of the
principle to other departments oil
scientific investigation. Such extension,
however, must be made with caution
even in the solar system itself, the
moment We go beyond mechanics al
uniformity appears to vanish. With
regard to size, arrangement, density
in fact. every element of planetary ex.
istence-variety, which deties all kinds
of classification, not uniformity, is the
undoubted order of nature. - Bishop o.
Carlisle IN the Nineteenth Century.