Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-09-15
A NATURAL RIDDLE
Attraction of erayitation Is .
Mystery to Science.

The mystery of mysteries in science
Is the attraction of gravitation-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 inexpIicabie. but so IL is.
In order to see clearly. wherein the
mystery. consists. let us FIRST 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 foat like thistle
downs and infinitely better than this
itledowns, for they. too. are finally
brought down by gravitation.
b 1t is gravitation that brings a can
non ball eventually to the earth. nc
matter how swiftly it may be project.
ed. The faster it starts the farther it
will go, but during every second OF it's
flight it drops the same distance yer.
,tically toward the earth, whether the
speed impaired oft by the powder is
300 or 5000 feet per SECOND. Gravita.
ton acts on moving body exactly as
well as on one at rest.
: 1t is gravitation that curbs the mo-
ton Of the moon and keeps it in an
orbit of which the earth is the active
focus. -...--...r.-s.f.ag
! 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 If there were elias
Tic cords connecting all the bodies in
space and tending to draw them to-
gether. But space. rs far as our senses
can detect, is empty. There nre no
elastic cords and no physical connec-
tons 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 body may be attracted or drawn
there must be something 10 draw 1t.
Gravitation does the trick, but COM
pletely hides from us the mechanism
through which 1t acts. We can diScov-
er no mechanism at all.
When au unfortunate aeroplanlst
drops from his machine at a height OF
q thousand feet he begins at once to
FALL toward the earth as II It were pull
ing him. But how can It pull IL II
has nothing TO pull with? You may
think at first sight that it is the air
which acts as an intermediary. but
that IS not so. because the earth and
the moon pull upon one another with
u force equal 10 the strength Of n steel
cable 900 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. gruvitauon exerts the same
force nj every instant No matter how
fast the falling Geronaut may be de-
scCEding ut any moment. grGyitutiOn
will keep on adding speed aS II he had
Just started Designating the slight
retardltion produced by the resistance
OF the air, he will fall sixteen feet in
the first second. forty-eight feet in the
second second. eighty feet in the third
second. gaining thirty-two feet in his
velocity during every second after the
Lrst.
From n height OF LOCO feet be will
rome down in about eight seconds, and
will strike the ground with a velocity
OF about &c feet per second. From a
height Of 10000 feet be world fan In
nbout twenty five seconds and would
strike with a velocity OF 400 feet per
second
The same kind OF calculation can
be applied to the Grayitntion between
the earth and the moon. II the moon
were not IN motion across the direc-
tIUD OF the earths pull 1t would fall
10 the earth In about llG hours.
Now. to return 70 the mystery. how
Is this force exerted? Is It really a
pull. as II seems 10 be? The answer
70 which science Is tending is that IL
stead Uf being pull, gravitation is q
push: in other words, that the taking
serouaut is pushed toward the ground
and the moon Is pushed toward the
Earth.
On the face OF it one misst thinA
mat nOtuluE was Sdineu pE tHl'
theory, because It seems as impossible
that push should be exerted withou
u tangible connection as a pull. Blu
the clew is found in the supposed prop
critics OF that invisible. intangible. al
peryadlng medium called the ether.
This. TO be sure. is explaining on'
mystery by another. for we know
nothing about the ether except tina
Il conveys the waves OF light and cleo
tricity: but. at any rate. it affords
conceivable explanation OF gravitation
Dr Charles +. Brush's theory regard
the ether is being Oiled with pecul
lnT form OF waves and that materla
bodies may intercept these waves 4
zach a way rs TO be pushed towar
one another on account of the dimir
ished effect OF .he ether waves In III
space between the bodies. Garrett T
EervlsS 10 New York Journal.
simplified Spelling.
Ioyers of simplihed spelling shout