The sun., 1893-02-12

/
continued to teach the Copsrnican, doottin
after his removal from Padua to Tuscany. an
in 1915 Pope Paul v. requested him 70 come
bome to explain his views. He made mos
successful visit. maintaining his opinion
against fifteen or twenty disputants. and con
founding his opponents He. had an au
dience with the POPE. and the, two parte
good friends: he also made A. specia
friend OF Cardinal Barberino. who becam
the next Pope. Notwithstanding these pleas
ant features OF his reception. the Copernicai
system was condemned; both the book OF Co
pernicus and Kepler's epitome OF 1t were
placed on the forbidden list twhere they re
mainedtill 1885: and Calico himself was for
mally ordered mover to teach or believe the
motion Of the earth around the sun. Calico re-
turned to Florence in disgust but he would
have remained unmolested had he not. aftel
| the accession OF his personal friend. Cardinal
Barberino to the Papal throne in 1923 brought
out his greatest literary work. Dialogues on
the Ptolomaic and Copernican Systems" 1t was
said by his enemies that his friend. the Pope
was represented In the character OF Simplicio,
an Aristotelian philosopher. who was made
to PROFOUND the stock absurdities which
served in lieu OF arguments to the majority oil
mon. Whether Urban Will believed the
charge or not. It 10 certain that his favor
and In 1882 the latter was summoned to Rome.
where he was Examined BY the Inouisition.
For some time the Induisition dealt with him
as leniently as possible. Although frequently
interrogated between February and June.
1888 he was not then subjected to torture.
What happened during the three days between
June 81 and June "a. when he was In the
chambers OF the Inuuislton Ia to this day u
matter OF controversy. Several eminent
scholars have held the fact OF actual torture
to be indisputnble. finding conclusive evil
dencc in tho hernia from which he niterward
suffered. this being a well.known and
frequent outcome Of the rack. other
commentators. equally learned, deny that
the torture stage was reached What is
certain is that. at some time during
those three days and under pressure. either
physical or moral. the old man-he was seven-
ty-consented to recant. On the day after his
removal from the chambers OF the lnQuisition
he was taken to tho Convent OF Minerva.
where. in tho presence OF the Cardinals and
prelates assembled for the purpose. he for
mally abiured the belief that the earth is not
the centre Of the universe and the belief that
II is movable. They who credit the story
about his muttering to friend ms he rose
from his knees T. D'r 81 nmore" for all that
1t moves) do not appreciate the situation.
II
would have been fatal to mutter any
thing before such an assemblage. More
over he was by this time an utterly
broken and disGraced old man. wshful
OF all things to get away and hide himself and
his miseries from tho public Gaze probably
with his senses deadened and stupefled by the
mental sufTerings he had undergone. and no
longer able to think or care about anything
except, perhaps. his daughter. who was then
lying on her deathbed Condemned to soli
tary existence at Arcetr he yet found energy
enough to compose the dialogues in which
the true laws Of motion are set forth for tho
first time. and which. as we have said. are now
accounted his most solid achievement One
more Astronomical discovery he was to make.
hat Of the moons libratton. and then fell
final crushing blow: he became totally blind
Yet he lived I've years longer. during which he
was visited by John Milton. who has recorded
he pathetic incident in one Of his most menl-
orabIe prose compositions. and who was dss-
lined in his old age to suffer tho Same fate.
Nv.
We have said that Gaileo died in the year
1912, in which Newton was born. What
scientific name deserves to rank between
hon Many persons would say tin. Of Bacon.
but Bacon,s claiu,is rejected by. Mr.. Lodge on
! scientist. and that his so.called rules for
making discoveries have never been con-
'ciously or often unconsciously followed By
* xperimcntalists Bacon sneered at tho work
II Galileo and rejected the Copernican theory
Is absurd. 1t is accordingly Descartes whom
he author OF this volume would place between
ialileo and Newton. although the most im-
'ortant work OF Descartes was done In philos-
'phy. mathematics. physics and anatomy.
His chief scientific achievement was
he application OF algebra to geometry. and he |
S mainly connected with astronomy by his |
low abandoned theory Of vortices 4" invented
o account for the motions OF planets. De scar. |
es had no notion OF suffering on account OF |
ais opinions. When he heard Of tho persecu.
ion and recantation of Calico. he deferred for !
en- years tho publication OF his Prncipia |
and. when he ultimately printed |
I. formally denied that the earth moved. The |
ruth. OF course. was that Descartes cared |
lothing at all about the Church or its dogmas |
ie was skeptic. yet not In the least an athe.
st. for great part OF his philosophy was oc-
npied with what he considered o rigorous |
roof OF the existence Of tho Deity. ,.
To those who exnlt experiment at the ex-
ense OF deduction. Mr.. Lodge points out that
)escartes was precursor Of Newton in this
aspect. that his general method OF research
'as as nearly as possible "a purely deductive
ne. That is to say. he starts after the man
er OF Euclid with a few simple principles. and
hen by n chain OF reasoning endeavors to de-
uce from them their consequences. and so to
uild up. bit by bit. an ediflce OF connecte
nowledCe. 1t is true that this method can
ot be safely followed without continual ap-
enls to experiment for. verilcation. 1t was
Trough not psrceiying the necessity for such
ppeals that Descartes erred. His Importance
o science lies not SO much in what he actually
iscovcred as in his anticipation Of the right
onditions for the solution OF problems in
hysical science. lie. in fact. made the
iscovery that nature could, after all,
o interrogated mathematically. fact
hat was In great danger OF remain
az unknown. A reaction against de-
uctive reasoning had set in. led by Calico.
ersisted in by the whole modern school OF
xperimental philosophy. and lasting down to
he present day. 1t is not true. however. that
no only right way oil investigating nature is
y experiment and observation. This is, in
eed. an absolutely necessary way. but 1t is
OF tho only way foundation OF expert
lantal fao NJ has ot |