The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-02-04
THE CAUSE OF GRAvlTATION.
One of the Mysteries of Nature That Science
Cannot Unravel.


1.-THE offer of prize in magazine for
something new and scientifically valuable
In regard to gravitation forcibly suggests
the limits of our knowledge in this direc-
ton. There are no effects in nature with
which we are more familiar than those Of
gravitation, but the cause of gravitation
is entirely unknown to us. The general
attraction between masses which we des-
ignate as gravitation Is universally recog-
nized, the laws under which it acts are
well known, but we are entirely ignorant
of the means Of its action. We do not even
know whether the attraction is resident in
the masses themselves or in some medium
which surrounds them, - writes Colonel S.
e. Tillman.
ave know that Newton himself pro-
nounced as absurd the idea that matter
could act at a distance, through vacuous
space, upon other matter. He looked to a
universally diffused medium for the mech
anism of gravitation. He showed that If
the pressure of this medium increased as
we recede from dead bodies according to n
certain rate the law of gravitation would
result He was unable to suggest an ex-
PLANTATION for the supposed variation in
pressure Of the medium, and accordingly
left the cause of gravitation untouched.
lie Sage, the Swiss philosopher, at
tempted to fix cause for gravitation by
assuming space to be filed with innumer-
able atoms flying in all directions These
atoms he called ultra mundane, because
he supposed them to come from the outer
universe. A single body would be bonn
barded by these atoms equally on all sides,
but two or more bodies would partially
screen each other so that the lombard
NIL 1s. a1tI of aanb
body next to the other and greater on the
sides farther away. Consequently the bod
les would be forced toward each other by
the excess of bombardment on their outer
sides. Under this hypothesis the corpus
cular pounding necessary to produce the
gravitation effects of matter is so great
that the entire planetary system would be
melted from the excessive heat produced.
Hooke, the contemporary of Newton, at
tempted to assign the cause of gravita-
ton to waves propagated in the surround
ing medium. Ii has since been shown that
in fluid motion the average pressure il
least where the average motion is greatest,
SO that bodies immersed in the fluid would
be drawn toward the center of gravitation.
Sir William Thomson, by making certain
assumptions in regard to the medium OF
space and some very highly improbable
suggestions in regard to matter, was en-
abled to deduce from them one of the laws
of gravitation.
"The above may be said to be the only
| hypothesis which make any advance to.
ward the explanation of gravitation. OF
these that of lie Sage is the only one suffi-
GENTLY developed to be even discussed, We
have the high authority of the late Pro
| fessor j. Clerk Maxwell for the statement
that the progress toward solution of the
| problem has been almost imperceptible
since the time of Newton. He also says
that the science producing value of the eff
| forts made to answer tAe question is not
| to be measured by tho prospect they afford
Of ultimately yielding solution, but by
the effect in stimulating Investigations a
nature. Chicago Tribune.