The Red Cloud chief., 1886-01-22
IN NATURE.
Its Manifestation In Rcsson Of Celestial
Mechanics.

The standing still Of the sun. Of which
Mr.. Ruskin speaks so pleasantly,
the stopping Of the revolution Of the
earth. for the motion Of the sun is only
the earth's revolution: consequently
what is called the standing still Of the
sun involves tremendous dynamical
consequences. an utter disruption Of
everything upon the earth's surface, .
return Of chaos. or l know not what. l
am not criticising the expression as to
the sun standing still used in the Book
of Joshua without any attempt at scien-
tific language. What the actual fact
was to which the language refers. and
what was the actual phenomenon. ] IAN
not undertake to say; but il We adopt
the phrase into the language Of the
nineteenth century, and in that language
speak of the news Of the sun standing
still as a thing which need not surprise
us, but which we have rather expected
than otherwise. then / say that TO the
mathematician the language involves a
necessary catastrophe. and that IL the
sun did stand still even for "A moment
no IN would be left TO tell the tale.
II is truc that all men are not mathe-
maticians, and that it is impossible for
a mind which has not studied physical
science mathematically fully TO estimate
the impression Of contradiction and i'm
possibility produced upon the mind
which has SO studied by an allegation Of
any irregularity i'm the clock of Nature.
Be it observed that the belief in the uni
formity of such II phenomenon ~ the
rising Of the sun. or of the effect of the
moon on the tides. or Of ,Iieli observed
facts as procession and mutation. and
many others /. to the mathematical
physicist something different in kind
from that which arises from mere ex-
pericncc. Ii YOU say tina: the sun has
risen millions of times already. and
Therefore will probably. or almost GER
tainly. rise Tomorrow. Sou offer a good
p~rcSumptivc argument: but II ~ not the
argument which chiefly weighs with the
man who knows what the rising 81 the
sun means and what would ic the
mechanical result Of li> failing To- do 81.
Nv belief, however. l. that The feeling
of certainty as Ia natural phenomena,
which such men ~ Laplacr felt for the
first time in human history, has per-
colaicd TO to speak, through the strata
of human intelligence until il has be-
come the common property of almost
all. The whole aspect of nature has
been changed; and many Il man feels Il
persuasion Of the existence Of something
which NAV be described a. uniformity.
and in virtue of which he questions. or
doubts. or denies many things which
would have been accepted a, possible
or probable in the seventeenth century,
without knowing or bcin" able To rx-
plain upon what his convictions rest.
Hence, according Ia my view. the uni |
formitv of nature. instead of being capa- |
bile of being defended aS Il poS'ulaie, is, |
so far rs ii il true, the result of very hard |
scientific fighting.
I'm the region of celestial mechanics |
il may be- said Ia have gained absolute
SWAY. because the motions of the hcay- |
ems resolve themselves into the ordinary |
laws of mechanics, supplemented by the
law oi universal grayitation; and from |
this region there is Il very Ineligible |
tendency To extend the assertion of the |
principle I o other departments of scicn-
tiiic investigation. Such extension. |
however, must he made with caution;
even in the solar system itself. the mo-
mcnt we go beyond mechanics all uni |
fornliiy appears /" vanish. With re-
gard to size. arrangement. 'lcn>ity-in
fact. every element of planetary exist.
c~ncc-yarictv. which deiieS all kinds 90
classification. not uniformity. il the UNI
doubtcd order of nature Bishop ot
tarliSir in tie Nineteenth CcHtHrV.