Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-09-05

mcane OF SoUH~Ctlon - lnoNpNSdpto-
The mystery of mysteries in science
Is the attraction Of grayitation-that
very force Of nature that Is the most
familiar to us all. It seems strange
that the most familiar thing in the
world should be at the same time the
most inexplicable, but so It is.
In order to see clearly wherein the
mystery consists, let us frst consider
what gravitation appears to be. 1t Is
gravitation that gives the property Of
weight to all bodies. II there were no
gravitation we could noat like thistle
downs and infinitely better than this
tledowns, for they, too, are finally
brought down by gravitation.
1t is gravitation that brings a can
non ball eventually to the earth, no
matter how swiftly 1t may be project
ed. The faster it starts the farther It
will so, but during every second Of its
flight II drops the same distance ver-
tically toward the earth, whether the
speed impaired to 1t by the powder is
900 or 5000 feet per second. Gravita-
ton acts on n moving body exactly as
well as on one at rest.
1t is gravitation that curbs the mo-
tion Of the moon and keeps 1t in an
orbit of which the earth is the active
focus.
So, too. II is gravitation that gov
erns the earth In its motion around the
sun, preventing it from flying away
Into boundless space. Astronomy shows
that gravitation acts between all the
plants and all the stars and controls
their motions with respect to one an
other.
Now, this mysterious force appears to
be an attraction. as II there were elias
tic cords connecting all the bodies In
space and tending to draw them to-
gether. But space, as far as our senses
can detect. Is empty. There are no
elastic cords and no physical connec-
tlons whatever between astronomical
bodies or between a flying stone or
cannon ball and the earth. How, then.
can there be an attraction In order
that a body may be attracted or drawn
there must be something to draw II
Gravitation does the trick, but com
pletely hides from us the mechanism
through which II acts. We can discov-
er no mechanism at all.
When an unfortunate aeroplanist
drops from his machine at height Of
thousand feet he begins at once to
fall toward the earth as If 1t were pull
ing him. But how can 1t pull II It
has nothing to pull with? You may
think ut first sight that II is the air
which acts as an intermediary. but
that is not 80, because the earth and
the moon "pull" upon one another with
a force equal to the strength Of n steel
cable 500 miles IN diameter. But there
is no air and no other tangible thing IN
the open space, 100000 miles across,
that gaps between the moon and the
earth.
Then. grnvitation exerts the same
force at every instant No matter how
fast the falling aeronaut may be de-
scendlng at any moment, gravitahon
will keep on adding speed as II he hnd
lust started. Disregarding the slight
retardation produced by the resistance
OF the air. he will fall sixteen feet In
the arst second. forty-eight feet In the
second second. eighty feet In the third
second. gaining thirty-two feet In hi'
velocity during every second after th'
first.
From a height Of 1000 feet be wil
come down In about eight seconds, ant
will strike the ground with velocity
Of about 256 feet per second. From
height OF 10000 feet he would fall ii
about twenty-five seconds and woult
strike with velocity Of 400 feet PEI
second.
The same kind OF calculation cal
be applied to the gravitation betweel
the earth and the moon. II the moot
we're not in motion across the direc
tlon Of the earths pull" II would fal
to the earth in about 110 hours.
Now. to return to the mystery, hov
ia this force exerted? is It really
pull. MS It seems to be? The answe
TO which science is tending Is that In
stead Of being a pull, gravitatlon Is
push. In other words. that the fallin
aeronaut is pushed coward the gronn
and the moon is pushed toward tn
earth.
On the face Of II one might thin
that nothing was gained by thl
theory, because 1t seems az impossibl
that a push should be exerted wlthou
tangible connection as a pull. Blu
the clew is found in the supposed PROF
critics Of that Invisible. intangible. o.
peryading medium called the ether.
This. to be sure. is explaining on
mystery by another, for we kno'
nothing about the ether except thu
II conveys the waves Of light and ele'
tricIty; but, at any rate, Il affords
conceivable explanation Of gravitntiol
Dr. Charles r. Brush's theory regard
the ether is being 6lled with pecu
lar form Of waves and that materii
bodies may intercept these waves
such way as to be pushed towar
one another on account Of the dimil
ished effect Of the ether waves In Il
space between the bodies Garrett
ServlSs In New York journal.
II Won know how 10 spend less tina