Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-01-16


truth we need to learn is that state
educational system is On organic
unity, whose usefulness is married
and whose life is endangered inef-
ficiency and weakness In any of its
departments. To set these depart
ments in antagonism is to repeat the
suicidal blunder of the seeding Ro
man plebeians whom Menenius won
back to reason and allegiance by the
convincing fable of the Belly and the
Members"
The Newtonian law of grayitation,
that every particle OF matter in the
universe attracts every other particle
with a force which depends upon its
mass and which diminisaes in proper
ton to the square OF the distance be-
tween them, Ii commonly regarded as
one of the best established Of scientific
laws, but, according to a paper pre-
scented by Pref. G. c, Comstoek, OF the
University OF Wisconsin, at the last
meeting of the Wisconsin Academ, OF
Sciences, il appears shat astronomers
and mathematieians are beginning to
suspect that this law does not tell the
exact truth about the matter,
II is not doubted that over very
considerable range OF distances, say
from fraction of yard TO the re-
hottest planet Of the solar system, the
law fits very closely indeed to the oh
served facts, but that il correctly rep
presents the force acting over very
great distances, such as that between
the earth and the remoter fixed stars,
is regarded with Increasing skepticism
and it appears almost certain that at
the other extreme, the attraction OF
one molecule OF water, earth or air
for its neighbors, separated from II by
almost infinitesimal spaces does not
even approximately conform to the
Newtonian law.
From the theoretical point of view
we are presented with two alterna-
tives. Ii the Newtonian law is eX-
actly and absolutely correct then the
universe contains only a limited and
finite quantity OF matter Or, II the
universe is unlimited in quantity Of
matter then the Newtonian law can
not be strictly true. From the ex
perimental side several distinct lines
of proof oppose the first Of these alter
natives and converge toward the con-
clnsion that the attracting force di-
minishes more rapidly with Increasing
distance than has hitherto been sup
posed. Among these Tines Of proof
may be noted certain minute peculiar
titles in the motion Of the swifter NOV
ing planets and the behavior OF the
molecules Of i compressed gas when
the stress to which they have been
subjected is removed An interesting
suggestion made In this connection Is
that the gray!tative force suffers an
absorption in it's passage through the
celestial spaces similar to the loss Of
intensity suffered by light in shining
through an imperfectly transparent
substance such as glass or air. But
this must for the present be considered
as only suggestion and nothing
more although it adapts itself singu-
larry Well 10 some conclusions ABOUT
the law OF attraction furnished by
electrical phenomena.
The increase in the attendance at
the University Of Wisconsin for the
past few years is indicated by the fol-
lowing figures. The first column
shows the attendance as indicated by
the directories ISSUED at the opening
Of the fall term each year. the second
column shows the attendance as indi-
Gated by the catalogue which is pub
lished near the close of each college