The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-07-27

observation Of apparent condolences.
Now, coincidence is one of the
most misleading things in the world,
difficult for even an expert to handle
altho 1t is the favorite form of evil
dence with people who love wonder
ing more than thinking, and prefer
guessing to logic.
Suppose we look at the known
facts amout the moon. The moon
revolves around the sun so near to
the earth that the latter interferes
with its motion and bends its track so
that, in the course of little less than
month. the moon appears. in sue
csesion, outside the earth's orbit,
ahead of the earth, inside the earth
orbit, behind the earth, and then
once more outside. That is the true
way in which the moon" revolves
around the earth. What IL really
revolves around is the sun. All that
the earth's interference does is To
make II weave in and out along its
course.
There are two ways in which the
moon manifestly affects the earth.
The first of these is by gravitation.
or force of attraction. The second
is by the light which sheds rehec-
ton from the sun. Neither the moon
nor the earth produces any light OF
its own, both being Opaque, nonlum-
nous bodies. The attraction that
the moon exerts upon the earth is
less than one-eightieth of that which
the earth eXerts upon the moon.
This attraction, at the earth's sur
face, at point directly under the
moon, amounts to the insignificant
fraction of i-S,64O,OOOth OF tha
eor'h's force of gravity. which means
that if YOU weigh 100 pounds the /
lifting froce OF the moon on your
body is 1-3,&75th of-en ounce. StII. /
this slight "diGerential attraction" .
1f The moon auHces to create ocean .
tides, and no doubt atmospheric tides
Of proportional magnitude. But is It
likely ;hat IL can have any Enuauc
upon the growth OF vegetation. or
even upon the state of the weather
Now let us turn TO the other uni- /,
,oaally known luna influence. viz.
It's light This as already said, IS
simply reflected sunlight. The most
,arc.gl measurements OF IFS maxim
nm intensity which. Of course, oc-
.urs at full moon, makes it equal &C.
'mout l-570,01oth OF the intensity I
If sunlight II then, the moon in
iuonccs vegetable growth by its /
ight, there must Lee something in IT, l.
'olativCly faint radiation that is Ia.
more powerful than any element o. /
unlght, but how account for that
when all observation shows that
moonlight is nothing but feeble re-
lection of sunlight
Neyerless, it may be said, moon
light VIGOROUSLY does have a singular
upon human feelings, as all
mankind have always acknowledged
md, why then may there not be
about it-sOme unCXplain-
d quality derived from the moon.
which is perceived by the delicate
rgans of plants? The reply to this
5 that it is an argument not based
pcn any thoroly ascertained fact
he alleged effect of moonlight on
umar sentiment has never beer
leasured or scientifically investigat-
d, and it is pure assumption to as
ert that, if real physical effect of
nat kind exists, it has any counter
art in the plant world.
The moon also very slightly affects
lie earth's magnetism, but this fact
IN only be detected by very delicate
eans of investigation. and again it !
pure assumption to suppose that |
lie moons slight magnetic influence
IN stimulate potatoes in the ground
hen it is too Insignificant to affect
nsitive instruments of observation. I