Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1913-12-30
4 NATURAL RIDDLE
Attraction OF 6ravitation Is a
Mystery to Science.
1T CONTROLS THE UNIVERSE.

Vet That Wonderful Force That Di-
Seets and Regulates Moons, Planets
Suns and Stars Without VisibIs
heans of Connection Is InexplicabIs.
The mystery of mysteries in science
IL the attraction of gravitauon-that
very force of nature that is the most
familiar TO US all. 1t seems strange
| that The most familiar thing in the
world ShoEld be ut the same time the
most ineXpicable. but so it is.
In order 10 see clearly wherein the
mystery consists. let us first consider
what srayitation appears to be- 1t is
grayitation that gives the property OF
weight 10 all bodies. If there were no
grayitation we could float like thistle
downs and infinitely better than this
tledowns, for they too, are finally
brought down by gravitation.
it is grayitation that brings a can
non ball eventually to the earth, no
matter how swiftly it may be project
cd. The faster it starts the farther 1t
VIII 80, but during every second of its
fight il drops the same distance YER
ticalIy toward the earth, whether the
speed impaired to it by the powder is
Zoo 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
So, too. it is gravitation that gov
| ornS the earth in its motion around the
sun. preventing it from flying away
into bou8dless space. Astronomy shows
that gravifation acts between all the
plants and all the stars and controls
their motions with respect 70 one an
other
Now this mysterious force appears to
be IN attraction, as if there were elias
tic cords connecting all the bodies in
space ana tending to draw them to-
gether Bat space, as far as our senses
elastic cords aud no physical connec-
tons whatrver between astronomical
bodies or between a flying stone or
cannon ball ana 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 1t.
GravitatiOn does the trick, but com
petey hides from us the mechanism
through which it acts. We can discov-
eT no mechanism mt all
When an unfortunate aeroplanist
drops from his machine Mt height of
O thousand feet he begins at once to
fall toward the earth rs if It were pull
Ing him. But how can it pull If it
has nothing to pull with? You may
think mt FIST 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
a force equal to the strength of steel
cable 500 miles in diameter. But there
is no air and no other tangible thing in
the open space. 240,000 miles across,
that gaps between the moon and the
earth
Then. gravitation exerts the same
force at every instant No matter how
fast the falling aeronaut may be de-
scending at any moment gravitation
will keep on adding speed as if he had
Just started. DiSregapiing the slight
retardation produced by the resistance
of the air, lie will fan 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 durirg every second after the
first.
From a height of 1000 feet he will
come down in about eight seconds, and
will strike the ground with velocity
OF about 25G feet per second. From a
height of 10000 feet be wonld fall in
about twenty five seconds and would
strike with a velocity of 400 feet per
second.
The same kind of calculation can
be applied to the gravitation between
the earth ana the moon If the moon
were not in motion across the direc-
ton of the earths pull it would fall
to the earth in about 1l6 hours.
Now. to return to the mystery, how
ia this force exerted? Is it really a
pull. as it seems to be: The answer
to which science IS tending is that in
stead of being pull. gravitation is a
push: in other words, that the falling
aeronaut is pushed toward the ground
and the moon is pushed toward the
earth.
On the face of it one might think
that nothing was gained by this
theory. because it seems as impossible |
that a push should be eyerted without |
a tangible connection as pull. But |
the clew is found IN the supposed prop |
critics of that Invisible. Intangible. all |
pervading medium called the ether.
This. TO be sure. is explaining one
mystery by another. for we know |
nothing about The ether except that !
II cOnveys the waves of light and cleo
triclty: but. at any rate. it affords a |
conceivable explanation OF gravitation. |
DR.. Charles T. Brush's theory regards i
the ether is being filed with peeul- |
lar form OF WIVES and that material +,
bodies may intercept these waves in |
such a way as to be pushed toward |
one another on account of the dimin- |
tshed effect OF ihe ether waves In the |
space between the bodies. Garrett p.
Serviss In New York Journal.