Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-12-18
Interesting Discussion About Plane
tary Science.

In August Word and Works NJ.
Dougherty voices the ideas held by
many, and some have expressed them
selves in similar terms. But to my
mind, the idea of a planet throwing
chunk of matter off into space beyond
it's own atmosphere, is contrary to the
known workings of law. 1 will try to
put the whole thing in a nutshell"
that is, my own ideas, so if not very
good, they may not take up much
space.
A great many years ago, perhaps
about the time grindstones were first
invented, the observation was made
that when water was poured on rap
idly revolving stone, little drops would
fly from it, like sparks from the blows
Of the blacksmith's hammer on a red
hot iron. On the day that observation
was made scientists, or at least some OF
them, jumped to the conclusion that
planet set revolving at a given high
rate Of speed, would hurl parts of it
self off into space. If only those scien-
fists or astronomers, as you will, had
jumped back and considered fact
which 1 will now point out to them,
and so plainly that it can be felt, they
would probably have looked in some
other direction for facts to prove facts.
A grindStOne has no center OF gravity
of its own; its center of gravity is at
the earth's center of gravity. The
grindstone must revolve against the
law; a planet revolves with the law.
AS l see 1t, and as you will doubtless
come to see it, it would be just as rea-
sonable to suppose that a man riding
in closed railroad carriage would lose
his hair from the forward motion OF
the train, as to suppose planet would
fly to pieces or throw of any part Of
itself as a result of rapid revolution.
Were a planet whirled through space
by mechanical means, sudden start or
stop would doubtless send all loose
material on its surface spinning on in
to space. AS it is, the law that gives
planet all its motions, acts with equal
force upon every atom composing 1t.
The planet as a whole might leave it's
orbit, but it is as impossible for any
part Of It to be thrown of as result
of its motion. as it would be for me to
lift myself to the moon by my boot
straps. 1t appears very much to me
like make-shift to give God credit for
making one planet and chance credit
for making all the rest. They were all
created by law, in which or whom
there is no shadow OF turning or
change, and you may call this God or
nature; it is one and the same to me;
but be assured of this-there is not an
atom in all the universe that is not
fully under the control of this law. A
planet has no weight; we say of the
earth or other planet, that it weighs
so many decillion tons, but we never
stop to consider under what part of the
planet we should place the scales to
weigh it. If we stopped long enough to
consider where to place the scales to
get the correct weight, we would see at
once that the only thing that could be
weighed would be the scales them
selves. All that we can weigh Of the
planet is the sympathetic attraction the
whole planet has for its parts. In rela-
tion to itself it has weight, but since
we see planets floating in space and
hung on nothing, we know that they
have no weight. To assert that planet
has weight, is to claim that there is
an up and down to space, a thing no
intelligent mind would claim. will
make an assertion, and then I am
through: The rapid or slow motions
of planet have no effect whatever on
it. There is no friction, and consequent
ly planet in motion is the same as
planet at rest. If the earth was made
to stand still for Joshua, either now or
at any past time, there would not be a
jar felt nor would there be the slipping
of a single cog.-Frank Reed in Word
and Works.