W** ISAACS LOOMIS.LL.D, 
 Tte American Astronomer.
 
 
 THE ANTI-NEWTONIAN. 
 
 INCIDENTS ANB FACTS 
 
 M En I 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM ISAACS LOOMIS, 
 
 Pastor of the Antioch Baptist Church, 264 Bleecker Street, New York. 
 
 THOMAS HOLMAN, PBINTEK, CORNER OF CENTRE AND WHITE STREETS. 
 1869
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by 
 WM. ISAACS LOOMIS, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the 
 Southern District of New York.
 
 GOD THE SAY10R IS MT GLORY. 
 
 IN the Life of Flavins Josephus, written by him- 
 self, he boasts of somewhat better blood in his 
 veins than that of ordinary mortals, resting his 
 claim on a lineage of illustrious relatives, and a 
 motherhood in a line of priests and kings. 
 
 Being an ordinary mortal in the commonwealth 
 of men, I rejoice in that the one blood of mankind 
 flows through my veins. The beaming smile of 
 my mother, which shone on my infant face, was a 
 reflection of the smile of the Queen Mother of 
 Eden, and in it could be read my pedigree an 
 offspring of God. Such a descent of birth and 
 blood, made not less sacred on account of igno- 
 rance and sin, is glory ; and animated by it, my 
 brothers and peers of the race, in the use of their 
 godlike powers, may rise to a distinction which 
 their Creator will delight to honor. 
 
 After so long time from the creation of man, 
 and while the philosophers are so abundantly satis- 
 fied with Newton's demonstrations of his System of 
 the World, I announce to my countrymen and the 
 world discoveries of facts of nature in the celestial 
 science of astronomy which are anti-Newtonian. 
 An appeal from Newton's Principia to the facts of 
 nature constitutes the foundation of my arguments ; 
 and assuming that some may ask : Who is he ? I 
 have concluded to say a few words in reference to 
 myself, course of life, and the way in which I was 
 led to the conclusion that it was my duty to oppose
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 the philosophy of Sir Isaac Newton, and give to 
 mankind the natural law of the motions of the 
 heavenly bodies. 
 
 1. On a Christmas Day, 25th of December, old 
 style, 1642, a child was born, an Englishman, at 
 Woolsthorpe, in the parish of Colsterworth, in Lin- 
 colnshire, and named Isaac Newton. He became 
 the father of a new philosophy. At his kingly nod 
 erring astronomical savans of the past were un- 
 throned, retired, and laid away in silence, to gather 
 dust on their lips in a long repose. Under his all- 
 grasping scrutiny, Nature appeared to be no longer 
 willing to withhold the long-sougkt-for and knowl- 
 edge-coveted cause of the motions of the heavenly 
 bodies, but delivered it to the man she most sig- 
 nally delighted to honor. 
 
 2. On a Christmas Day, 25th of December, new 
 style, 1810, a child was born, an American, in the 
 city of New York, in Orchard Street, and named 
 William Isaacs Loomis. This child of God and of 
 nature was moved to investigate the works of his 
 heavenly Father, and being, as he believes, divine- 
 ly led in a new and true way, discovered the origin 
 of gravitation, and the way in which, the G-od of 
 nature generated the motions of the celestial 
 bodies. 
 
 The gloom of experienced wretched poverty 
 hangs over the early days of my remembered 
 being, and the pleasures of infanthood made
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 charming by the ordinary comforts of life I never 
 knew. 
 
 Once I nearly perished by fire. Then a watery 
 grave yawned in vain to swallow me up. After- 
 ward the dangers of a rocky precipice entangled 
 my feet, and gave momentary threatening of dash- 
 ing out my life. The hazards of the way culmin- 
 ated in the premature discharge of a musket, the 
 deafening report of which assured me that there 
 was less than one step between me and death. 
 Thus I was made acquainted with the alternations 
 of safety and danger, with the experience of being 
 scantily and plentifully fed, that all these changes 
 might be sanctified in the adorning of a blessed 
 life. In the epoch of Immanuel's advent and 
 humiliation, his divine sufferings and agonies gave 
 a repletion of interest to the glory of his triumph ; 
 and, in the annals of eternity, what has been or can 
 be so redounding to the praise of the Godhead as 
 the life of the Lamb of God from Bethlehem to 
 Calvary ? What if Death did wed Christ on the 
 cross, and Death and the Prince of Life became 
 one ? What if, by the unthrobbing heart of Jesus, 
 hope lay weeping in 'dismay? The resurrection! 
 Yes, the resurrection of our Redeemer assures us 
 that all was not lost. Have ye not heard of that 
 terrible moan of triumph when Death, in darkness, 
 put his crown on the dead Christ, and the lips 
 which had given life to the dead were closed in 
 silence ? All this ruin but preluded a reign of life 
 eternal for the suffering children of earth, and to 
 it the ragged and hungry, the sinful and suffering, 
 may look through Christ for a release from every 
 sorrow.
 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 (sy 
 
 I 
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 (L'rtucatiou, 
 
 My first teacher was an elderly matron, whose 
 wrinkled face wore an air of sad sobriety, unen- 
 livened by a smile ; but she was full of teacherly 
 goodness, and wolfish words, the twin brothers of 
 profanity, never defiled her lips or heated her 
 blood. Under her instructions the class of which 
 I was a member advanced to a first reading lesson, 
 which was the first chapter in the New Testament. 
 The Hebrew names of the memorable worthies 
 occurring in this first reading lesson were to us 
 insuperable obstacles, which compelled every one 
 of the class to change his base every minute during 
 the lesson. My second teacher was a bear-man, 
 whose hugs and slaps gave him a life-long place in 
 the memories of those who were put under his 
 care, and suffered the astonishment and surprise 
 incidental to his unexpected thumps and punches. 
 At this time our school books were a Spelling 
 Book, a Bible, used as a reading book, and an Arith- 
 metic. My first writing lessons were with a stick 
 in sand. Atlas and Geography were to us un- 
 known books. By a happy incident I got hold of 
 a Grammar, opened to the verb " To love," and 
 committed to memory the persons of the verb in 
 the indicative mood. Not understanding what the 
 persons of the verb, nor indicative mood, nor what 
 love did or could have to do with Grammar, I 
 cast the book aside as wholly useless, and that was 
 my first and only lesson in grammar till I was 
 over twenty-one years of age. Attached to our 
 school .was a gymnasium, under the personal and 
 sole direction of our teacher, to the benefits of 
 which the whole school was eligible, without a
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 money charge. The agility of the pupils was 
 brought into the most lively being by a fishing- 
 pole, fifteen feet long, a mahogany ruler, thirty 
 inches long, and other beautiful appliances, such 
 as a flat hand, a doubled-up fist, and booted foot, 
 interchangeably used, never failed to enlarge our 
 muscles, and give us a keen sense of lively times 
 and an enlargement of our lungs. But what 
 appeared to be an initiation into mathematical 
 skill, though unknown to us at the time, was our 
 gyrations, our master for the time being in his 
 own person the centre of attraction. In these ex- 
 ercises the master would take us by the hair of the 
 head, or by both ears, or by our coat collars, and 
 then we could describe the trajectory of a comet 
 in less time than by geometrical construction, and 
 our whirling descriptions of areas of conic sections 
 produced the deepest conviction of the accuracy of 
 our demonstrations in the mind of our teacher ; 
 and when we encountered the centrifugal force of 
 our master's boot, from the tip of it we flew off on 
 a tangent, and the period of my first eight years 
 was marked on the records of time. 
 
 1 SfttmA gigbt fan*. 
 
 About the beginning of this period I was em- 
 ployed by a very respectable hotel keeper, at 
 whose bar liquor sold for six cents per glass, the 
 measure of which was half a gill and no more, 
 and his charge for board was four dollars per 
 week in advance. These then first-class prices 
 raised this hotel to great respectability, and secur- 
 ed for it a superior company of customers. In 
 this hotel I experienced my first promotion in the
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 activities of public life, and was elevated to the 
 dignity of scullion in the kitchen and sub-bar- 
 tender. In this two-fold office the world opened 
 before me for the first time with plenty to eat, and 
 plentifully varied drinks. My dream of life was 
 enlivened by the music of gobbling turkeys and 
 cackling hens, while the sweet incense of hot rolls 
 and smoking cups of coffee regaled my sense of 
 smell. Now, indeed, had come to me a jubilee of 
 uproarious joy, a millennium of good things with- 
 out a night, for we were accustomed not to go to 
 bed till morning, and my translation from penury 
 and want to a bountiful larder and bar and money 
 drawer of my new home was all I could desire, 
 and more than my young visions of plenty had 
 ever dreamed of. I now mingled with a class of 
 men whose examples were in keeping with that 
 terrible proverb : "Eat and drink to-day, for to- 
 morrow we die ;" men whose darkened minds pre- 
 vented their knowing and doing aught but evil, 
 and among them I learned the following poetry : 
 
 " Friend of my soul, this goblet sip, 
 
 'Twill chase that pensive tear ; 
 'Tis not so sweet as woman's lip, 
 
 But, oh ! 'tis more sincere. 
 Like her delusive beam, 
 
 'Twill steal away the mind ; 
 But, truer than love's dream, 
 . It leaves no sting behind." 
 
 As if it were not enough to rob woman of her 
 sincerity, and crown her mistress of delusion, the 
 men of our house took pains to teach me that 
 womanly virtue was only a beautiful name, mar- 
 ketable at a given price, and sometimes as cheap 
 and cheaper than a glass of brandy. This wild 
 assault on the charity of heaven in the gift of
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 womanly virtue was but the outspoken effect of 
 how deeply depraved were the men of such senti- 
 ments, and, if warrantable, lead me to inquire 
 what kind of creatures had they in their chosen 
 wives and mothers ! 
 
 One time, and only once, a minor came to our 
 bar and called for strong drink. At this time the 
 master of the house and his lackey were behind 
 the bar, and one of the most beautifully formed of 
 young men. with rosy cheeks, entered the bar- 
 room. He was, as near as I could judge, about 
 eighteen years of age, richly attired in broad-cloth, 
 a diamond breast-pin glowing on his bosom, in his 
 hand a gold-headed cane, and, standing before the 
 bar in the statelincss of royalty, he called for a glass 
 of brandy! "Boys can not drink brandy at this 
 bar you may have a glass of beer," was the reply 
 of my master. The young man looked on us for 
 one moment, his face covered with a tinge of red 
 anger, then in silent contempt he turned from us 
 and went his way, to be seen no more at that bar. 
 But what would have been the measurement of his 
 astonishment had he known that behind that bar 
 stood a boy who, when the grass was growing on 
 his master's grave nearly half a century afterward, 
 would bring that beautiful youth into notice, and 
 rehearse: "Boys can not drink brandy at this 
 bar ; you may have a glass of beer." 
 
 From the enjoyed scenes of a joyful life with 
 men whose "great aim was to drive all kinds of
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 care away, I was taken and put in the employ of a 
 New York broker. The respectability of his family, 
 the lady -like deportment of his daughters, the quaint 
 nature of their mother, and the stern mandates of 
 their father, opened to my view new scenes and 
 contemplations. This part of my life, so unlike 
 anything in my former experience, made me un- 
 easy with its cold sobriety, and hate its moral 
 bearing. Without one drop of anything to cheer 
 me as I had been cheered with life among the 
 jolly drinkers, living less bountiful and varied than 
 when in my hotel home, tended to make a moral 
 life a burden to be avoided, and the hope of being 
 myself again as I had been was not to be indulged. 
 When among the sons of Bacchus I ranked in 
 dignity with them ; and now to be compelled to 
 acknowledge myself inferior to those I served, and 
 wear the yoke of their restraints, was too much for 
 my endurance. Invoking the third change in my 
 life it came, and I was advanced to the office of 
 sub-clerk in a grocery store on Long Island, where 
 the best of liquors sold for three cents per glass 
 with a cigar thrown in, and the cigars when re- 
 tailed sold three for one cent. 
 
 The most remarkable event of this period of my 
 life (about my twelfth year) was my falling in 
 love with a rich young lady whose years were 
 about a third more than mine. What made me 
 love her so I do not know ; but this I know, I loved 
 her. Now that first grammar lesson, of which I 
 have informed you, stood before me in the verb ".To 
 love ;" in a captivating force that bowed me abso-
 
 (G 
 
 SP INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 II 
 
 lutely to the service of a new-born passion, and 
 now understanding the verb and also what love 
 had to do with grammar, I wished to conjugate it 
 until unwearied death would tear asunder the con- 
 jugal bond. I had seen many a rose-bud of lovely 
 beauty like her blooming as the flowers of Para- 
 dise along tlie pathway of life, and because they 
 bore the divine image they were more exalted in 
 the scale of being than the angel Gabriel. He in 
 his princedom is nothing but a servant j but they 
 were queens of heaven, born to be the daughters 
 of Immanuel, to inherit eternity, and sing the 
 anthem of his holiness in heaven. All these left 
 me as unimpassioned as the rose of summer jeweled 
 with a dew-drop of the morning, its leaves gather- 
 ing strength and beauty as it drinks the rays of the 
 rising sun. Then, for the first time in my life, I 
 experienced a passion of loving-kindness, pure as 
 the sacrificial flames of holy priests at God's altars, 
 and sinless and unselfish as a mother's love. Had 
 I been a Peri, I then felt prepared to repass the 
 beautiful gates of Eden, and Cherubim with flam- 
 ing sword, instead of smiting a sinner, would pre- 
 pare the way to welcome a lover ; but, alas, the 
 earth earthy clogged my way, and not knowing 
 what else to do, I never told her of my adoration 
 of the beautiful, but embalmed her in the young 
 lover's dream. 
 
 In this grocery my knowledge increased, and it 
 was not long before I was able to take four drams 
 a day without a scruple. Here I became a com- 
 panion of men who claimed to be the truly Scrip- 
 ture temperance men, who never scrupled to take 
 
 a dram, and always for their stomach's sake. 
 What to the uninitiated might appear droll, this 
 
 g- -^
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 society of men would commend the sanctity of 
 their lives to the diligent observance of church 
 members, men who claimed to be pure-minded and 
 religious. Of this company who frequented our 
 store, some of them had graduated from State 
 prisons, and others were from the respectable to 
 the lowest walks of life ; but the use of the three 
 cent rum sling slung all distinction to the four 
 winds, blending us in. the closest brotherly union. 
 When the most perfect of our customers were con- 
 gregated in the store by night, as they often met, 
 under the operation of the spirits they became sur- 
 prisingly learned and eloquent, and in these times 
 the law and religious commentaries of lawyers and 
 divines were transcended in legal lore and sacred 
 criticism, and were consigned to an age of dark- 
 ness. This company of immortals praised their 
 principles of unwavering virtue and priceless honor, 
 from which they could not be persuaded to part, 
 except the telling of a lie would do more good 
 than the truth. Such a sacrifice might be endured, 
 if it did not degenerate into a habit. These patrons 
 of the rare graces also concluded that it was wrong 
 to take strong drink only when you wanted it. 
 Never to fight and quarrel, only in manly self- 
 defense ; never to curse and swear, only when it 
 became necessary to exhibit a proper resentment 
 in righteous indignation. 
 
 One more plunge in the ways of evil and change 
 of employment, and the scene opens in a gambling- 
 house, in which I was installed game-keeper and 
 general runner. Occasionally it came to my mind : 
 There is something better to be enjoyed than I am 
 in quest of. But what could I do or know in my 
 surroundings? No men of God were to be found in
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 the paths I pursued, and darkness,, deep and awful, 
 buried me in its gloom. Paganism had its false 
 gods and altars of devotion, and times for worship, 
 but among the class I had moved in for years not 
 even the name of a false deity was known, but to 
 be profanely used in cursing, and the cultivation of 
 godless sensibility absolved from all future dread of 
 woe. In my new vocation I at first experienced 
 delight in new scenes, surrounded by well-dressed 
 men. Often seeing splendid jewelry and the pos- 
 sessors of large sums of money, I hoped for bright 
 days to dawn in showers of gold, and the reveling 
 joys of a gambler's life ; was growing to be a lover 
 of pleasure and hater of Grod ; but despite the ab- 
 scence from the good, the resulting destiny of a life 
 wasted in sin would haunt me like a ghost of evil. 
 At one time I was as godless in my thoughts as 
 though atheism had succeeded in obliterating from 
 the facts of nature the evidence of the existence of 
 the Crezfer, and then would rush in upon my soul 
 so deep v a sense of guilt, that the miseries of the 
 lost seemed to be my impending lot. I had known 
 of the dying unpardoned gambler in the grasp of the 
 mania a potu, suffering in his delirium the antici- 
 pated horrors of damnation, and trembling with the 
 thought that my chosen path led to that same re- 
 sult, and fearing lest I at last should find a place 
 and burial in that hell that my companions had so 
 often thundered in my hearing, I forsook the game- 
 keeper's life, and determined to be something. I 
 knew not what, or when, or how. 
 
 In the seventeenth year of my life I was in- 
 dentured to Mr. Michael V. Cregier, of the city of
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 New York, to learn the art and mystery of piano- 
 forte making. Under his care and instructions the 
 barbarian boy was inducted in ways of morality, 
 and advanced in well-being and mechanical skill. 
 My will being in almost complete submission to my 
 master and his wife, I tendered to them the most 
 perfect obedience, and the yoke of their restraints 
 I suffered with patience and to much profit in after- 
 life. Not one of my former employers but had suf- 
 fered some through my pilfering, though not enough 
 to balance my claim on them for unrequited labor ; 
 but during my apprenticeship I did not steal to the 
 value of a cent. So determined was I to lead a 
 different life, and so complete my conquest over 
 some of my former sins, that honesty and obedience 
 became pleasant and desirable duties, which I ren- 
 dered to every one entitled to my service. 
 
 . 
 
 On the fourth of July, 1776, our republican 
 fathers, of blessed memory, called the world to a 
 new cause of joy, by their declaration of freedom, 
 and then began a nation, whose course was destined 
 to gather under its shield a greater number of happy 
 families than had ever before found pleasant homes 
 in freedom's bower. On the anniversary of that 
 great day, July 4, 1828, feeling a desire for the en- 
 largement of my freedom, and the joy in hope of 
 making one of the happy families of the land, I 
 asked an orphan girl of the name of Hannah 
 Marshall to take a walk with me and enjoy the 
 pleasures of the day. During that walk our hearts 
 became so entangled as never to be separated, and, 
 on the 23d of February, 1829, Mr. and Mrs. Wm.
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 Isaacs Loomis began to be among the actualities 
 of married life. I had heard of the charms of soli- 
 tude, and a sigh for a lodge in some vast wilder- 
 ness; but the solitude of being alone, with your 
 sweetheart with you, and the lodge in the wilder- 
 ness of conjugal felicity, was more than poetry to 
 me, and nearer paradise than ever before. The 
 fruit of this marriage had been coveted by kings, 
 who had counted children a more glorious portion 
 than crowns and dominions, whose hopes, however 
 royal, were vain ; but our lot was to see eight kin- 
 dlings of God's immortality clothed in the vestments 
 of our flesh, reclining on their mother's bosom for 
 the nourishment of life. Six of our children were 
 brought up at our table, surrounded with the en- 
 joyments of a pleasant home, and were trained to 
 read the Bible in course as a part of our daily 
 family devotion. Our first child (deceased) and 
 fifth child (deceased) and eighth child were daugh- 
 ters. Gather the rose-buds of infant beauty, and 
 transplant the gems of immortality to the Savior's 
 crown, was the decree of the Almighty, and our 
 first and fifth child fell from their mother's bosom 
 into the Redeemer's arms. Our fourth child, when 
 he had attained the years of a man, had his hopes 
 in this temporal life destroyed by the angel of 
 death. But there is a record called the Lamb's 
 Book of Life, in which, if a name be written, it is 
 the name of an heir of the blessings of eternity, 
 whose well-being is identical with the well-being 
 of the Savior. This son having asked for and by 
 faith obtained a name and place in that Book, by 
 confessing Christ before men, and having been bap- 
 tized into his name, what can await him but 
 "Come, ye blessed of my Father," when Jesus
 
 INCIDENTS AND PACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 shall come the second time without sin unto sal- 
 vation ? 
 
 My wife was naturally opposed to frivolousness ; 
 and belief in the good truth of God, as set forth in 
 the divine Scriptures, was all-commanding, and she 
 earnestly desired to be made a follower of the 
 Lamb ; but I was indifferent to that holy estate, 
 while I did not care for Jesus, led me recklessly in 
 the way that leads at last to the lament of the loss 
 of heaven. At her request I was induced to attend 
 a meeting. In giving my consent, I thought only 
 of the novelty of the occasion, and went solely for 
 the fun of seeing the antics of the simpletons, and 
 to laugh at their foolishness. Esteeming the ideas 
 of sport and frolic supreme, there was not a place 
 on the earth, not excepting God's sanctuaries, too 
 sacred for its enjoyment, and in this way possessed 
 I found myself surrounded with the solemnity of a 
 company of men and women, whose blood-bought 
 souls worshiped God with power. When the final 
 amen of that meeting, its services, and God's work 
 in it, had passed into history, my Creator heard me 
 confessing my sins, and saw me feeling the need of 
 Jesus. A change for good and God- ward had come, 
 the light appeared, and henceforth the bond-slave 
 of sin resolved to battle for life, liberty, and eternal 
 happiness. Nearly four months afterward, a morn- 
 ing bright, resplendent with the heavenly light of 
 the Sun of righteousness, broke in upon the dark- 
 ness of my mind. My soul, receiving the spirit of 
 a freeman in Christ, was quickened into spiritual 
 joy, and from that hour to this Jesus Christ has 
 been the repository of my heart and hopes.
 
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 to tit* 
 
 Not long after the beginning of my acquaintance 
 with Jesus Christ, and companionship with the 
 Lord's people, I was moved by the Holy Spirit, 
 who had brooded over me and made me a child of 
 heaven, to preach the gospel. The idea of God call- 
 ing such a poor unlearned creature as I was appear- 
 ed as practicable as his calling the born dumb to 
 sing his praises, both of which are within the possi- 
 bilities of divine power ; but that he could use me 
 in the illustrious work of winning souls by preach- 
 ing was with me a great question. I had read and 
 learned so little of anything that was good and 
 true, had been so lately brought into the light and 
 knowledge of salvation, that if I preach the gospel 
 with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven God 
 must create a new way in this desert of my mind, 
 and lead me in a wilderness in which I had no ca- 
 pacity to walk. While I was deliberating in won- 
 der, the passage, " All things are possible to him 
 that believeth, inspired me with strength and hope. 
 I soon began to experience that a heart given to the 
 dear Savior, warmed by his love, and moved by it 
 with love for sinners, was one of the means to build 
 up the glory of Christ among men, that the excel- 
 lency of the power should be by the Spirit of God, 
 and not in the excellency of words which man's 
 wisdom teaches. Being anxiously desirous to set 
 forth the glad and heaven-ennobling tidings of sal- 
 vation in the most tender and effectual manner, I 
 resolved to educate myself to a degree that might 
 glorify my Creator, and cause some of my race to 
 hear th$ word of God in its munificent gifts of 
 promise to the sinful on their believing. Auxiliary
 
 18 
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 to this great aim of my life, I purchased a Bible, 
 Buck's Theological Dictionary, and Dr. A. Clark's 
 Commentary on the New Testament. The no-book 
 course of so much of my former life had induced 
 in me a perfect dislike of books, and the incident 
 weariness of study was slavery indeed. My ca- 
 pacity for compositions was limited in my new field 
 of thought to but few words, then followed a hard, 
 tedious time of thinking with the gain of a few 
 words more. Encompassed with these difficulties, 
 I laboriously pursued my way to the prize before 
 me, over a more than corduroy road of ups and 
 downs, rising at four in the morning to study the 
 word of God by lamplight. To enlarge my means 
 of giving to the heirs of glory gems of thought that 
 would tend to make them wish they were shouting 
 with the harpists of heaven, I acquired some knowl- 
 edge of the English, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, 
 German, and Spanish languages ; and each one of 
 said languages has contributed to increase the 
 powers of my mind and the emotions of my soul. 
 
 0rttwt*0 SMat and triumph* 
 
 In deference to human authority, which is sup- 
 ported by the best of reasons, I applied for license 
 to preach ; and my first rebut was : " What a fool 
 you are ! Your forehead is so low that thoughts 
 have no room to jump up and down in your brains." 
 I was, however, admitted to the dangers of trial 
 sermons, and the next stinger was : "William, there 
 is no use of your trying to acquire the art of 
 preaching, your articulation is so bad, you chew 
 your words to such a degree that it is difficult to 
 understand you." One more lunge, right through
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 my heart, and the agony was over. My friend and 
 companion, an old and holy man, whose gentle- 
 ness of manners made him appear lovely, had rec- 
 ommended me for license to preach, and on our 
 way home from one of the appointments of my 
 course, opened his mouth and said: "William, I 
 am sorry that I have had anything to do in com- 
 mending you for the office of a preacher, you are 
 mentally incompetent to comprehend the truth of 
 the gospel, so as to communicate it to the edifica- 
 tion of men ; you will be ever learning, and never 
 able to come to the knowledge of the truth." This 
 was to me agony indeed, because in my medita- 
 tions I had prophetically foreseen success crowning 
 my efforts, and kings and priests of God and the 
 Lamb sitting at my feet in transports of delight, 
 hearing my announcement of the heaven-derived 
 truth as it is in Jesus. Then looking on my con- 
 gregation, I saw their penitent tears, and heard 
 their cry for pardon, hope, and heaven, and then 
 to be told by the man whom I esteemed to be my 
 best earthly man- friend, "You are mentally in- 
 competent to become a minister," was like a chal- 
 ice of poisoned hemlock to my hopes. Oh, how it 
 did wring my heart, and ring in my ears, and hung 
 the black pall of desolation on my fondest, holiest 
 aspirations ! I had been a vagabond in sin, and 
 had seen men of wickedness make a chowder of 
 virtue and honor, and devour it as if the feast had 
 been one of purity ; and those guilty revelers in 
 evil had never questioned my mental ability and 
 eligibility to be one of their chosen number for a 
 life-course of sinful pleasure. I had passed from 
 death unto life, and going up the hill of hope, a 
 voice from the celesti&l world urged me with, "Go
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 preach the gospel ;" and in. the surroundings of 
 those deeply solemn circumstances, my heart given 
 up to the work, to be told : " You can never make 
 a minister of Christ," was sounding the loss of the 
 crown of my hope. One more opportunity was 
 granted me to try my gift, which was to be the 
 last before my case would be called up by those 
 who had it in their power to bind on earth what 
 God had bound in heaven, or, through their igno- 
 rance, throw to the winds my application for their 
 indorsement of the divine decree. 
 
 It was in 1832, in the city of New York, the 
 cholera was raging, and sorrowful sadness in its 
 carnival of gloom sat throned on every face. On 
 our way to the meeting-house, I said to my friend 
 who accompanied me in my preaching trials : " You 
 will take the lead in the service, and I will follow you." 
 He replied : " No ; because you know, William, 
 that it is uncertain whether you preach five minutes 
 or twenty. Therefore you will take the lead, and 
 if you break down I will come to your support." 
 We reached the meeting-house, and our eager eyes 
 were filled with the sight of a crowd. Many of the 
 hearers were clad in robes of deep mourning, and 
 all felt that the wing of the angel of death over- 
 shadowed us. I rose to speak to a company of men 
 and women, whose tearful eyes and grief-stricken 
 faces seemed to speak to me, and say : Young man, 
 if you have any words of consolation, say on ; for 
 God's sake, give us words^of comfort. Eyes of the 
 creatures made in the divine image never before so 
 glanced on me. And by one of those extraordinary 
 manifestations in which it was shown that the ex- 
 cellency of the power was^fiod and not of man, 
 the whole assembly was bathW in tears. For nearly
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 21 
 
 two hours, I charmed that congregation in a heav- 
 enly place ; then during that service I did hear the 
 kings and priests of God and the Lamb shouting 
 hallelujah ; I did see sinners in tears, imploring the 
 God and Savior of us to have mercy on them, and 
 give them hope and home in heaven. We were on 
 our way home once more, and my friend said : " Wil- 
 liam, I will give up my former opinion of you. 
 Your words are understood by your hearers, your 
 brains are big enough ; you do understand the 
 truth, and can communicate it understandingly, and 
 all my fondest hopes would be gratified if I could 
 change prospects with you." 
 
 In process of time I was examined by a regu- 
 larly constituted council of Baptist ministers ; passed 
 a creditable examination ; was counted worthy to 
 take rank with the ministers of Jesus, and Rev. 
 Duncan Dunbar, pastor of the Macdougal Street 
 Baptist Church, preached the ordination sermon. I 
 projected a course of studies, embracing that of 
 medical science, intending, if the opportunity ever 
 came to hand, to use it in procuring a degree of 
 M. D. I studied a plurality of authors on anatomy 
 and physiology ; numerous authors on diseases of the 
 lungs, stomach, and bowels ; and on some of the dis- 
 eases which render so many of human kind invalids 
 through life. I read treatises on their cause and 
 treatment by Allopaths, Homoeopaths, Hydropaths, 
 and Eclectics, and the knowledge derived was of 
 the most essential benefit' to me. 
 
 So far in my ministry, I have whirled through 
 many changes and been pastor of fifteen churches. 
 In one revival fifty-eight converts came to Jesus, 
 and in' another fifty-t^o. In one period of three 
 years one hundredjj^^s were introduced to the
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 knowledge of Jesus, and I baptized them ; and but 
 for the opposition of other parties, I have reason to 
 believe that the above numbers would have been 
 three times as large. In another revival we lost 
 more than we gained ; that is, because we were the 
 poorest, least honorable, the greater number of our 
 converts joined a richer and more popular church, 
 leaving us to lament the loss of those who, in join- 
 ing where they did, were lost to all usefulness 
 among the multitude they joined. In the year 
 1840 I began a translation of the New Testament 
 from the original Greek. In the progress of my 
 work I became understandingly convinced that the 
 translators of King James's version, which has 
 come to be the generally accepted English Bible, 
 had rendered some of the passages of holy writ in 
 such simplicity, power, and beauty, as to forbid 
 even the hope of a greater degree of perfection. 
 Being in communion with the original Scriptures, 
 it gave to me a power and insight to justify a 
 comparison with it and certain translations ; and 
 using the attainments, it was made to appear that 
 some of the passages which had been rendered by 
 the king's translators were put to shame when 
 placed in comparison with corresponding passages 
 in the Rhemish (Roman Catholic) Testament and 
 Douay Bible. Advancing, I was electrified with 
 divine delight, in learning new beauties of the in- 
 spired Greek, which the king's translators had not 
 introduced into their version, the knowledge of 
 which could only tend to make the people of God 
 love their God and Savior and their Bible more 
 intelligently. A CORRECT TRANSLATION WOULD 
 HAVE DISCLOSED THE KNOWLEDGE OP 
 
 OWLEE
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 it of tfo 
 
 The translators of the commonly received Eng- 
 lish Bible, otherwise known as King James's ver- 
 sion, finished and gave to their nation their copy 
 of the English Scriptures A. D. 1611. The reader 
 may learn from the chronology and fact, that if the 
 Hebrew writers of the Jewish Scriptures had, by 
 virtue of the divine inspiration by which they were 
 guided, made any allusion to any one of the heavenly 
 bodies moving in or having an orbit, the above 
 translators, if of the school of Ptolemy, their error 
 perverting their understanding, could not under- 
 stand what was meant, and consequently would 
 render their text accordingly, and the fact of 
 nature, a planetary orbit, would not be brought to 
 light. This, I claim, was the case, and that the 
 prophet Isaiah was the first man to intimate the 
 fact of the ORBIT of the earth. I further aver, that 
 when we shall be favored with a translation that 
 shall as nearly as possible equal the divinely in- 
 spired originals, it will be seen that the God of 
 nature, and the God of the Bible, the One I AM, in 
 respect to the truly natural sciences, inspired to a 
 certain degree the prophets and apostles in their 
 allusions to the facts of nature, and that they 
 opened the way to the knowledge of the truth of 
 nature as well as they did to the knowledge of 
 theological truth. 
 
 The prophet Isaiah flourished about eight hun- 
 dred years before Christ. He taught in Hebrew a 
 fact of nature, and brought to the knowledge of 
 his countrymen the orbit of the earth. Pythago-
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 ras flourished about six hundred years before 
 Christ. He taught his countrymen and others 
 that the earth has an orbit ; but the teaching was 
 denounced as false, and its discloser was counted by 
 his countrymen a fool or madman. After this, for 
 about twenty centuries, the dogma of a fixed earth 
 generally prevailed, and the most intelligent of 
 men gave the untruth of astronomy as hearty a 
 welcome as ever has been accorded to the Coper- 
 nican-Newtonian Astronomy. About the year of 
 our Lord 1500, Copernicus, an ecclesiastic of the 
 Roman Catholic Church, and also a mathematician, 
 announced his discovery of the orbital motions of 
 the planets, and in 1543 he informed Pope Paulus 
 III. that he had kept his book, which contained an 
 exposition of planetary motions, by him for four 
 times the nine years recommended by Horace. 
 
 In 1666 the discovery of universal gravitation 
 was made by Isaac Newton. For the want of this 
 or some other force it was not possible to give a 
 geometrical demonstration of the motion of the 
 earth in an orbital path, nor the law of its motion. 
 Seventeen years after this, or in 1683, Newton 
 sent to the Royal Society, in London, his laws on 
 the orbital motions of the primary planets. In 
 1684 Newton assured Halley that the orbital mo- 
 tions of the primary planets were demonstrated 
 most perfectly. Never before, in the history of the 
 world, had such a result been reached, and never 
 before had men's eyes been opened to see so nearly 
 the truth. From the forementioned dates it fol- 
 lows, that, while the translators of our common 
 English Bible had opportunities to know of the 
 Roman Catholic Copernicus' announcement that 
 the earth moved in an orljj| round the sun, they
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 were too early, by more than seventy-three years, 
 to avail themselves of any of Newton's revelations 
 of science to help them in understanding those 
 parts of the inspired word of God which refer to 
 the celestial science of astronomy. Hence, when 
 the translators came to the Hebrew text, Isaiah xl., 
 23, which was destined to give to mankind the in- 
 timation of the existence of the orbit of the earth, 
 they were at a loss what to do. None of them are 
 known to have been believers in the Copernican 
 theory ; they were, if anything in this science, fol- 
 lowers of the Ptolemaic system, and it is incontro- 
 vertibly certain that they had never heard of nor 
 seen a geometrical demonstration of the earth 
 moving in an orbit ; they were all in their graves 
 before Newton gave it to the world. 
 
 ISAIAH xl., VERSE 23. 
 
 "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the 
 earth." 
 
 The above passage is emphatically astronomical, 
 and should have been rendered, "It is he that sit- 
 teth upon the orbit of the earth ;" and thus justly 
 rendered leads to the result that Isaiah was a 
 prophet of God, and grand primate of nature, in 
 teaching the fact of the existence of the orbit of 
 the earth. Now, suppose the translators of King 
 James's version had, unwittingly or otherwise, in- 
 stead of giving the text as they have, rendered it : 
 " It is he that sitteth upon the ORBIT of the earth ;" 
 what an eye-opener it would have been to the 
 learned of that day ; and what a help for Newton 
 to have referred to the translation and to this He- 
 brew text of Isaiah to confirm his demonstration, 
 that the earth,, according to God's inspired book,
 
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 moves in an orbit. However obscure such a ren- 
 dering might have been to the men of 1611, the 
 men under Newton in 1684, the true men and the 
 good men would have seen it shining in a glorious 
 array of brightness, and, clasping the Bible afresh 
 to their hearts, would have thanked God that its 
 light disclosed a fact of nature two thousand four 
 hundred and eighty-four years before Newton de- 
 monstrated it to the satisfaction of men. It is ad- 
 mitted that the translation as contended for would 
 have been very mysterious to the men of 1611, 
 and also unintelligible to the world of English 
 readers ; but what of that, could it have been 
 more so than was the saying of Job, that " God 
 suspends the earth in the open space ?" 
 
 Sfo 
 
 The God of the Bible is the author of the crea- 
 tion, and hence because he inspires in religion, 
 leaving us not to the cogitations of our own igno- 
 rance, but specially illuminates us to do his will, I 
 incline to the opinion, and think it reasonable, that 
 he may make a philosopher in the same way that 
 he does a Christian, by special illumination, inspir- 
 ing and revealing to such the knowledge of natu- 
 ral astronomy. The cautious, while assenting to 
 the possibility of such a revelation, would most 
 likely question its existence ; but God did make 
 mechanics by special inspiration and revelation, 
 and pollylinguists on the day of Pentecost, and 
 the probability of his making an apostle of nature 
 is within the limits of a just expectation. In the 
 book of Exodus, chap, xxi., you may read that 
 Bezaleel and others, by special inspiration and
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 revelation, were made lapidaries, workers in wood 
 and gold, and all kinds of mechanical craft, in 
 order to be able to construct the tabernacle, ark of 
 the testimony, and mercy-seat ; without doubt, if I 
 give the celestial credentials of my call, I may in- 
 dulge the hope that there are living men who will 
 be benefited by my revelations of the way of the 
 Lord in nature. 
 
 About the time of the autumnal equinox, in the 
 year 1846, being at that time pastor of the South 
 Adams Baptist Church, in the State of Massachu- 
 setts, and occupying a dwelling-house, now owned 
 by Hon. Daniel Upton, I sat alone in the dining- 
 room of our dwelling in the midst of the evening, 
 meditating in reference to what next I should un- 
 dertake to advance me in the ways of truth. My 
 loneliness and the quiet of near nine P. M. in a 
 country place was favorable to my longing to know 
 more. My state of mind was much intensified by 
 there coming upon me an exceeding thirst for 
 another deeper drink of the waters of the true 
 philosophy which so ennobles the human mind, and 
 opens the ways of God to the perception and un- 
 derstanding of his children. Under the excitement 
 of that thirst I mentally inquired : "In what direc- 
 tion shall I go in pursuit of an increase of more 
 knowledge?" And a voice answered : "Go STUDY 
 ASTRONOMY !" The singularity of this way in 
 calling me to a study so entirely new to me was 
 very exciting ; and being awed into inclination to 
 obey, and the belief that something good would 
 come of it to my race, without conferring with any 
 one, I resolved to follow the path in which I had 
 been so mysteriously called to labor in, and a life- 
 long work had begun. The next day I went into
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 the village of South Adams, to the cabinet work- 
 shop of Deacon Elisha Ingraham, and was aided by 
 him in constructing a model with four arms, each 
 one of them two feet long, two inches wide, of 
 board thickness, and at right angles to each other. 
 Within an inch of the outside ends of these arms I 
 inserted wires, six inches long, to support balls 
 which I cut from the posts of an old bedstead ; 
 mounted them on the wires, to represent in one 
 view the places of the earth at the beginning of 
 the four astronomical seasons of the year, and 
 placed a candle in the centre of the model to rep- 
 resent the sun. In this manner prepared, I anx- 
 iously waited for the shadows of evening and that 
 great first philosophical night of my existence. It 
 came ; and the darkness falling so gently on the 
 clear atmosphere permitted the stars to shine in 
 the pomp of their twinkling glory, and, also, in the 
 centre of my model, in the plane of the centres 
 of the four balls the centre of the light of a tiny 
 candle was graduated, so that the flame of the 
 candle might shine as nearly as possible on a 
 hemisphere of each one of the balls. However 
 insignificant my model to represent the earth and 
 its motions, and the tiny candle to represent the 
 sun, by their agency I was about to enter into a 
 vision of the creation, the amplitude of which is as 
 immeasurable as the eternity of our heavenly 
 Father, and its grandeur the imprint of his being 
 and power. 
 
 % <|a'0t (Sxprnweut 
 
 I looked for the north star, which was sufficient- 
 ly near the north pole of the heavens to answer 
 the purpose, bent the wires of the model, so that
 
 
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 29 
 
 their upper ends pointed to the star, the wires 
 coinciding with the line of direction, and by this 
 means I was enabled approximately to mount the 
 balls of the model on axes, having inclinations cor- 
 responding with the inclination of the axis of the 
 earth, and from the representation I learned how 
 much the axis of the earth is inclined from a per- 
 pendicular line, and how the prolongation of the 
 earth's axis, north and south to the stars, consti- 
 tutes the axis of the heavens, around which the 
 whole starry heavens appear to move in the time 
 of a revolution of the earth on its axis. 
 
 I began to revolve one of the balls (call it a 
 globe), representing the earth, around the candle 
 representing the sun, being very careful to keep 
 the north pole of the globe pointing to the north 
 star during the entire revolution of 360, and the 
 knowledge of the parallelism of the earth's axis 
 dawned on my eyes and mind. 
 
 I then placed the ball, its north pole pointing to 
 the north star, so that a line joining the centres of 
 the flame of the candle and the ball would be per- 
 pendicular to the axis of the ball, and now the 
 light of the candle shone on one half of the ball 
 from one to the other of its poles, like the sun 
 shines at the time of the equinoxes on the earth. 
 This opened the way to see the truth of nature, 
 and in imagination I enlarged the candle to agnn, 
 the ball to the earth, and placed myself in the 
 open space, and by the eye of my mind I saw the
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 sun sliming on the day of the autumnal equinox 
 sidewise on the earth, illuminating one of its 
 hemispheres from pole to pole, excepting refrac- 
 tion, while the other hemisphere of the earth was 
 in darkness. This was as clearly demonstrated to 
 my mind as if I had with my eyes of flesh beheld 
 it. What moments of impassioned rapture I then 
 enjoyed ! The glory of the facts of nature shone 
 on my path where all had been dark before. 
 
 I then placed the four balls in position on my 
 model, their north poles pointing to the north star, 
 and the distances of the centres of the globes from 
 each other were 90 P . I then took a position facing 
 the north star, and placed my model before me as 
 above described, and in one view I saw how the 
 earth was placed in the beginning of each one of the 
 seasons of our year. Right before me one of the 
 balls, with its north pole illuminated, and its south 
 pole in the dark, showed me how the north 
 pole of the earth, on the 21st of June, is illu- 
 minated, and its south pole in the dark. I then 
 looked to the next ball on my model, and like as 
 the candle shone on one of its sides, and both its 
 north and south poles were illuminated, so in 
 nature, on the day of the autumnal equinox, in 
 like manner the sun shines on the side of the earth 
 from pole to pole. I then looked in the order of 
 the circle to the third ball, the candle shining on 
 its south pole, but its north pole was in the dark, 
 andf this showed me how and why the earth, on 
 the 23d of December, presents its south pole to the 
 rays of the sun, and its north pole is in the dark.
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 I then moved one of the balls on its axis in con- 
 nection with the orbital motion round the candle, 
 which produced a miniature representation of the 
 grand work of nature ; and as the light of the 
 candle at every instant changed places on the ball 
 at the point or line where light and darkness met, 
 so does the line where sunlight and darkness 
 meet on the earth change every instant. I was, in 
 this experiment, enabled to see why the point of 
 the sun's rising and setting are variable, and what 
 proportions of the earth, and also its parts, are 
 illuminated from day to day throughout the year, 
 and why the light of the sun for one instant twice 
 in the year shines from pole to pole, and how to de- 
 termine the vernal and autumnal equinoctial points. 
 Continuing my observations, I transferred the mo- 
 tions of the ball of my model or representative 
 earth to the sphere of the stars, and lo, I discov- 
 ered that the daily accelerations of the stars was 
 not due to the orbital motion of the earth, and 
 that fact of nature led to the result that the side- 
 real revolutions of the planets, as avowed by Kep- 
 ler, and demonstrated by Newton, are not to be 
 found among the facts of nature. On that memo- 
 rable night, as its midnight moment flitted by, I 
 was in possession of the key of nature, which, 
 if properly and understandingly used, would open 
 the temple of God's universe, and disclose to man 
 a better knowledge of its God-built chambers in a 
 new system of the world. I felt as if the phantom 
 of a new order of the starry world was calling^ne 
 to put on its garments of order, and place it in its 
 beautiful array before the men of my race, assuring
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 me that I had discovered the elixir of intelligence. 
 The way of toil lay open before me, and the suc- 
 cess within my reach. 
 
 I had resolved, on an early and considerate delib- 
 eration, never to write a book. At this period I 
 scorned even the idea of imitating anything that 
 had been done in the way of book-making, and 
 then claiming to be its author. Originality alone 
 made me abandon my anti-book purpose. This 
 originality of conception involved and set forth in 
 my book, the thought of being the first man of the 
 human race to explain the cause of the celestial 
 motions, the first gospel minister to say to the 
 Church of the Lord of all worlds: "Behold the 
 order of your God and Savior!" the first American 
 to say to his countrymen : " Rally round the flag, 
 boys, and march in the van of science, leading the 
 nationalities of the earth, and stand sentry over 
 these discoveries," so animated me. that the book 
 was written. 
 
 My book is commended to the reader. The 
 great features of it are contrary to the teachings of 
 Sir Isaac Newton ; and a comparison of the facts 
 of nature with the doctrines of the Principia is the 
 wedding supper of intelligence, to which I particu- 
 larly invite my countrymen, and then hope to 
 marry them to the facts of nature. The following 
 particulars constitute the value of my book : 
 
 1. Discovery of the origin of gravitation. 
 
 2. That gravitation is not universal. 
 
 3. That the force which moves the planets round 
 the sun is not centripetal force. 
 
 4. That the force which carries the heavenly 
 bocues round the sun was originally projectile 
 motive force.
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 5. The reason why the planets move eastward 
 round the sun is given. 
 
 6. The laws of motion, which were employed by 
 Newton, in his resolution of his system of the 
 world, are demonstrated to have been without 
 existence. 
 
 7. A new theory of the motions of globes ; in 
 which it is proved, from the entire passivity of 
 matter, that the doctrine of the equality of the 
 angle of the incident and reflected motions of 
 globes may or may not be equal, according to the 
 manner of the impress of the force. The revolu- 
 tionary nature of this part of my book is worthy 
 of the attention of every lover of truth. 
 
 8. I have not only shown the cause of the 
 earth's motions, but have brought to light the 
 cause of the rotation of the earth on its axis, 
 which fact has never been accounted for in a rea- 
 sonable way by the Copernican-Newtonian astron- 
 omers ; nor is it possible for any astronomer of 
 the present accepted system to do so. 
 
 9. I have demonstrated the orbital and axial 
 motion of the earth by an original argument, the 
 most perfect and convincing, independent of all 
 the arguments and demonstrations hitherto relied 
 on. 
 
 She @>Wm$ f tutwl 
 
 From* the time of the introduction of man to the 
 contemplation of the beautiful and majestic in 
 nature, on to the time of three years before the 
 birth of the illustrious Newton, not a transit of 
 Venus had been witnessed by any of the earth- 
 born race of men. What is farther remarkable,
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 the tables which mathematically predicted the 
 times of the transits were in error. Astronomers, 
 in their blindness, had forced figures, and forced 
 geometry to testify to their misunderstanding, and 
 all of these were proved to be wrong. About 
 three years before the birth of Newton, an English 
 boy, by the name of Jeremy Horrox, possessed by 
 a deep-seated love of the sublime in knowledge, 
 detected the errors of his astronomical fathers, 
 constructed new tables, from them predicted the 
 time of a transit of Yenus, and at the expected 
 moment Horrox sees Venus transiting the sun's 
 disk. I have thought that there have been mo- 
 ments of thrilling interest, when a great event was 
 of sufficient interest to excite heaven and fill its 
 inhabitants with rapture. Was not this one of the 
 events so glorious and worthy as to command the 
 rapture of every servant of the Lord in heaven 
 and on the earth ? It was, indeed, a moment of 
 glory as God looked on his child this infant of a 
 moment observing the first historical transit of 
 Venus. He would not, he could not, and did not, 
 withhold his notice and smile at the instant his 
 godlike child marked the beginning of the epoch 
 of the observed transits of Venus. A comet, at the 
 time nameless, was seen in its wonderful, awe-in- 
 spiring, and celestial majesty flying through the 
 expanse, and laying under tribute the admiration 
 and fears of all observers. Of those who observed 
 this comet, the most prominent was an Englishman 
 of the name of Halley, and he predicted the time 
 of its next appearance, which would be, in the 
 course of events, some time after his death. In 
 respect to which he said: "My countrymen, I 
 ihall be numbered with the dead when this comet
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 appears again ; and when the eyes of the world 
 greet its reappearing, tell them . an Englishman 
 predicted its advent !" Fame has its reward, 
 and now that comet bears the name of Halley's 
 Comet, and at least one of the celestial visitants 
 has become, by the discovery of its reappearing, 
 annexed to the mental empire of Great Britain. 
 Call to mind the unwearied Kepler, toiling on 
 during a score of years to reach the goal of his 
 hopes. His anxious cares had culminated in what 
 he believed to be a transcript of nature's wonder- 
 ful, mysterious facts. He had gained the happy, 
 proud eminence in which nature owned him as her 
 teacher, and henceforth his dictum will be law for 
 all the nations of the earth, arid also for all ages. 
 He had examined the archives of nature, deci- 
 phered her hieroglyphics, and prepared them to be 
 translated into a hundred tongues, so that all might 
 read and hear of the wonderful works of God. The 
 pen d-r-o-p-s from his fingers. The (his) book is 
 written. He reposes for a moment in the silence, of 
 devotional awe ; mentally surveys his field of work. 
 On wings of light he flies round the orbits of the 
 planets, beholding their order and their distances and 
 motions, and then gives utterance to : " The book is 
 written ! I will give way to my sacred joy. If I 
 find a reader now it is well. If not, if I find a 
 reader one hundred years hence, it will be well. I 
 can afford to wait a hundred years for a reader, 
 since God has waited six thousand years for an 
 observer." 
 
 I now appeal to you, men and women of our 
 nation, to reward my claims with your attention. 
 Belonging, as I do, to you by birth ; devoted to 
 your holiest and best interests for time and for-
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 ever, it becomes me to place the new views of na- 
 ture before you in such a way as to secure your 
 assent by the force of truth. Then you can under- 
 standingly admire the way of the Lord in nature, 
 and your convictions of the truth will rest on the 
 firm base of nature's facts. 
 
 IN observations of the celestial motions I learned, 
 that the centre of the apparent yearly sun could 
 not transit the same star at the beginning and close 
 of the astronomers' sidereal year of the sun, the 
 apparent diurnal revolutions of the stars precluding 
 the possibility of such a result. Hence the times 
 of the sidereal years of the planets as given by 
 Kepler must be false also, for he founded them on 
 the assumption that the stars have neither real nor 
 apparent motions, and the assumption being un- 
 true, Kepler's conclusion is of a like nature. 
 
 The laws of motion which the philosophers had 
 adopted as sufficient to account for the motions of 
 globes in any direction being inseparably connected 
 with the Newtonian force of universal gravitation, 
 (which force not existing) I found to be incompe- 
 tent for the uses of nature, and I supplied the want 
 by my discovery : That a single projectile side- 
 wise impulse impinging on a globe would as surely 
 urge the globe in the direction of a curve line, as 
 would the same force if directed in a line through 
 the centre of the globe urge it in the direction of a 
 right line. 
 
 The matter of the Universe was originally pas- 
 sive, being naturally without power to move itself. 

 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 This passivity excluded the possibility of there re- 
 siding originally in matter such a force as Newton's 
 assumed force of universal gravitation. The force 
 of gravity by which the matter of any revolving 
 sphere tends to its axial centre originated in the 
 rotary motion of the sphere, and hence the force of 
 the gravity of the matter of a heavenly body is 
 equal to its weight ; and the measure of that weight 
 always determined by the rate of the axial rotation 
 of the spheroid. 
 
 According to Newton, the mutual attractions of 
 the gravities of a bale of cotton weighing 400 Ibs., 
 and the weight of the whole earth, are in propor- 
 tion to their respective masses. 
 
 If this was or is so, a force a little superior to 
 the whole force of the attraction of the whole earth 
 would be required to lift the bale of cotton away 
 from the earth's surface. This is so contrary to 
 experience and observations of all bodies with 
 which we are acquainted by handling, that we have 
 the right to conclude that the Newtonian theory of 
 mutual attractions of all bodies is without the pale 
 of truth, save when two lovers are mutually at- 
 tracted to each other, and then it is not in propor- 
 tion to the respective weights of their bodies, but 
 the intensities of their affection. 
 
 It is worthy of notice, that La Place, Newton, 
 and their disciples, say nothing about the gravity 
 of matter arising from its absolute weight before it 
 was started into motion, but speak only of the 
 gravity or relative weight of it while subject to the 
 force of axial rotation. The density of matter is 
 never altered by motion, but its mass or weight 
 may be. On this account we shall be able to prove 
 that matter may be divested of its entire weight,
 
 38 
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 and consequently of its entire force of the gravity 
 of its mass. 
 
 Let us assume the density and the absolute 
 weight of the matter of the sun and planets to have 
 been equal to each other before they were set in 
 motion, and then learn what the force of gravity is, 
 how originated, and how the weight of matter may 
 undergo changes, its density all the time being with- 
 out change. 
 
 When the matter of the earth began to turn on 
 its axis, it encountered the centrifugal force arising 
 from the axial rotation, which reduced the absolute 
 weight of the matter of the whole earth below the 
 measure of its density. The change which took 
 place consequent upon the resistance of the cen- 
 trifugal force arising from the axial rotation, de- 
 termined the present weight of the matter of the 
 earth, and also its gravitating force ; and because of 
 this change, what can be more evident than that 
 the present relative weight and gravity of the whole 
 earth did not originally inhere in its matter, but 
 were caused by the force of rotary motion ? Hence 
 the conclusion is fairly reached, that the present 
 gravitating force of the earth did not exist coeval 
 with the existence of matter, nor before the begin- 
 ning of the earth's rotary motion. 
 
 A decrease of the rotary motion of the earth 
 would tend to increase the gravity of its mass, but 
 an increase of the rotary motion would tend to de- 
 crease the amount of its gravity. These variations 
 of axial rotations show how matter may bo im- 
 pressed with any measure of gravity, be passed 
 through every possible change of weight to 0, and 
 the density of the matter all the time remaining in- 
 
 tact.
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 Suppose three globes, D, E, F, of pure silver, 
 of equal diameters, at equal distances from the sun ; 
 the axial motion of D twice as much as E, and F 
 half as much as E. The matter of these globes, 
 opposed by their varying centrifugal forces, will 
 vary in the nature of the cases, for the weight and 
 gravity of F will be greatest, E less, and D least, 
 but their densities will be unchanged ; and a por- 
 tion of silver that would weigh exactly 16 ounces 
 on globe E, will weigh more on globe F, and less on 
 globe D. 
 
 Let us now advance to learn how the particles of 
 a globe may be without attraction for each other, 
 and the matter of the globe be without weight. 
 
 Suppose a globe of gold moving in free space, 
 the velocity of its rotary motion tending to equilib- 
 rium. In such a state, the particles of the globe 
 will press neither way among themselves, being nice- 
 ly balanced by the centrifugal force of the rotary 
 motion, and the whole globe will be without weight, 
 or, which is the same, destitute of gravity. 
 
 Newton assumed that all matter is pervaded by 
 a force of gravity which is distinguished from its 
 weight. 
 
 If such a force was coeval with the origin of mat- 
 ter, like its density was, what can be plainer than 
 that Newton did not even mention it? In fact, 
 did not discover such a whole force ! His discov- 
 ery was : that of the gravity of matter when op- 
 posed by a centrifugal force, (!) which is less than 
 the absolute weight of the matter. 
 
 Again: if a force of universal gravitation in- 
 heres in matter, how did it come to pass by what 
 oversight did Newton fall headlong in error, and 
 substitute the gravity of the matter of the earth,
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 which is known to arise as an effect of the earth's 
 rotary motion, for that of universal gravitation? 
 What a substitution ! ' What a mistake ! 
 
 Once more : if the dogma of the universal grav- 
 itation of matter is true, then the matter of the 
 earth must be subject to two forces of gravitation. 
 One arising from the rotary motion of the earth, 
 and exactly equal to its relative weight. The 
 other, the inhering force of gravitation, and exactly 
 equal to the absolute weight of the matter of the 
 earth. But two such forces involve an absurdity ; 
 and here, plainly seeing that Newton mistook the 
 former for the latter, we have the means at hand 
 to point out his error. 
 
 MY experiments to test the measure of the force 
 of the attraction of the whole earth on certain 
 bodies on its surface, which explode the Newtonian 
 theory of the mutual attractions of all bodies. 
 
 First. A body of iron, weight one hundred 
 pounds, slipped from the hands of a man and fell 
 to the earth. Now, if the attraction of the mass of 
 the whole earth on the mass of iron is as the at- 
 traction of the iron on the earth, the attraction of 
 the earth will exceed that of the iron by as many 
 times as one hundred pounds will divide the num- 
 ber of pounds contained in the earth. Newton af- 
 firms this to be so, and were the affirmation true, 
 all the men in the world could not lift the iron from 
 the earth's surface. Let us see. The man stoops 
 down and lifts the iron to the place from which it 
 fell, and this lifting demonstrates that the attrac- 
 tion of the whole earth on the iron is less than the
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 strength of a man. In this experiment we have 
 the disproof of the mutual attraction of the bodies, 
 and the mutual attractions of all bodies are equally 
 baseless. 
 
 Second. An ounce of iron lay on the earth's sur- 
 face. Schools, colleges, and universities teach that 
 the earth attracts the ounce of iron with a force 
 equal to the weight of the number of ounces con- 
 tained in the mass of the earth. Wishing to deter- 
 mine the measure of the force of the mass of the 
 earth on that of the iron, and that of the ounce on 
 the earth, I procured a horse-shoe magnet, having 
 an attractive force of one ounce and a grain. 
 When I so placed the magnet that its force could 
 act on the ounce of iron, it flew from the surface of 
 the earth, and, giving in its adhesion to the horse- 
 shoe magnet, was by this medium lifted away from 
 the surface of the earth. This is a clear and sen- 
 sible demonstration that the force of the gravity of 
 the whole earth on the iron was less than 17 
 grains. 
 
 Third. If the earth lay on the surface of the sun, 
 a force a little superior to the weight of the earth 
 would suffice to lift the earth and remove it into 
 space, and then at the earth's distance from the 
 sun, their mutual attractions (if assumed to exist) 
 must be altogether overcome by the superior force 
 of the earth's momentum, and hence the perturb- 
 ations of the heavenly bodies as an effect of univer- 
 sal gravitation is baseless. And because the mo- 
 mentum of the moving bodies of the solar system 
 is a force vastly greater than the weight of the 
 bodies, the latter must be subjected to the former, 
 and therefore not a force competent to control the 
 motions of the heavenly bodies.
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IX MY LIFE. 
 
 m 
 
 But suppose the utmost tension of a string to 
 represent the gravitating force of a 32-pound shot. 
 Then let each one of the many times the mass of 
 the earth may be divided by 32 pounds be repre- 
 sented by a like string. Then let all these strings be 
 twisted into a cable to represent the assumed grav- 
 ity of the earth to hold the 32-pound shot to its 
 surface. 
 
 Now, if the 32-pound shot is held to the surface 
 of the earth by said cable, do you not perceive that 
 a force more than equal to the whole force of the 
 earth's gravity is required to lift it from the earth's 
 surface ? But the force of a boy will suffice ; and 
 the reason is this : there is no mutual attractions of 
 bodies in proportion to their respective masses. 
 
 In Herschel's Outlines (442) he makes the ut- 
 most tension of a string equal the gravity of the 
 mass of a body ; say a string the tension of which 
 will equal the gravity of a 32-pound shot. 
 
 D. Olmsted says : A 32-pound ball moving 6,250 
 feet in a second of time, has a momentum of 
 200,000 pounds. Therefore the force of gravity 
 will be overcome by the force of momentum in the 
 proportion of 1 to 6,250. 
 
 HERSCHEL says the mass of the earth is to the 
 mass of the sun as 1 to 354,936, but the momen- 
 tum of the earth arising from its mass and velocity 
 is greater than the whole of the assumed gravity 
 of the sun's mass, and hence it is too weak a force 
 to counteract the force of the earth's momentum, 
 and it and the projectile force combined compose
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 43 
 
 a force too great to be balanced by the mere force 
 of the assumed sun's attraction. 
 
 The mass of the sun has been assumed to be 500 
 times greater than the mass of all the other bodies 
 in the solar system, and the astronomers suppose 
 that the sun is dragged about as much by the at- 
 tractions of the planets and other bodies as it drags 
 them about by its attraction. Suppose 500 
 men on a rope pulling against one man on the 
 other end of the rope. How absurd to say that 
 the force of the one man sufficed to pull the 
 500 men one five-hundredth of the way toward 
 him, and just such an absurdity is involved in the 
 Newtonian Law of Universal Gravity and Planetary 
 Perturbations. (See Principia, Book III., Proposi- 
 tion XII.) 
 
 The absurdity will be not a little amplified by 
 Herschel, who says : An effect of the mutual at- 
 tractions of the earth and sun is the circulation of 
 the sun around "a point 267 miles from the sun's 
 centre." Now when it turns out that the one force 
 of the weight of the earth will drag the combined 
 force of the weight of the sun (which is 354,936 
 times greater) around a point 267 miles distant 
 from its centre, then the force of one man will suf- 
 fice to drag 354,936 equally strong men toward 
 him, and when this of the men and that of the 
 earth and sun shall be esteemed the exact truth 
 with respect to gravity and the strength of the 
 men, then any theory can be welcomed as infallible 
 science. 
 
 According to Newton, the tendency of the grav- 
 ity of the matter of the earth is in lines directed 
 from the surface to the centre of the earth, and not 
 along and across the diameters of the spheroid ;
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 also, that the gravity of the earth's mass is directed 
 outward toward the sun. But how can the earth 
 have a whole force of the gravity of its mass di- 
 rected inward to its centre, and a whole force of 
 the gravity of its mass directed outward toward the 
 sun ; involving the idea that the matter of the earth 
 possesses an amount of gravitation equal to twice 
 its mass. Unless you accept this as true, you have 
 no use for Newton's Law of Gravitation ; and if 
 you still insist on its truth, please tell if it is not 
 like a wind that has the power to blow on the same 
 line in exactly opposite directions, in the same and 
 in every continuous instant. When the plan- 
 ets Earth and Venus were on opposite sides 
 of the sun, the force of the gravity of the 
 sun was assumed to be directed against the 
 earth, and also at the same time the whole 
 force acted against Venus in an opposite direction, 
 involving the singular agglomeration of the whole 
 force of the sun's gravity flowing inward to its cen- 
 tre, and the whole force flowing outward directed 
 to Earth, and the whole force flowing outward 
 in an opposite course directed to Venus, making 
 three forces, or three times as much gravity as 
 could arise from the sun's mass. 
 
 Newton, in his theory of gravitation and parallel- 
 ogram of forces, to account for the orbital motions 
 of the celestial spheres, adjusted the centrifugal 
 force of each one of the heavenly globes to an 
 equality with the force of the gravity of the sun's 
 entire mass ; requiring as many distinct centrifugal 
 or projectile forces as there are bodies in the solar 
 system. Each one of the forces to equal the whole 
 attraction of the sun on each body, its density and 
 the square of the distance always considered. What
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 a multitude of forces ! How can. the sun .furnish 
 them? 
 
 Again : Newton assumed that the expanse on all 
 sides of the sun was filled or pervaded by the force 
 of the sun's gravity to. an extent equal to the spher- 
 ical space occupied by the light of the sun. Let 
 us admit this, and then .our conclusion will partake 
 of the nature of an axiom ; for the sphere of the 
 sun's light is to the bulk of the earth, as the sphere 
 of the sun's gravity is to the mass of the earth. 
 Hence the earth can not be acted on by a greater 
 proportion of the gravity of the sun, than the part 
 it holds to the whole extent of the field of the as- 
 sumed sun's gravity, all other bodies must be sub- 
 ject to the same true reasoning, and therefore be- 
 cause any one of the heavenly bodies bears so small 
 a proportion to the expanse filled with the sun's light, 
 and the mass of any one of the bodies bears a less 
 proportion to the expanse assumed to be filled with 
 the sun's gravity, it is the perfection of human rea- 
 son to conclude that some other force than that of 
 the sun's gravity originated the orbital motions of 
 the heavenly bodies. 
 
 I HAVE communicated to a top whirling and 
 forward motions, and saw the top advance orbitally 
 in the curve line of a spiral, and when the top 
 reached the centre of the spiral its orbital advance 
 was arrested, but the whirling of the top on its 
 point or around its axis, being retarded only by the 
 resistance of the air, continued until exhausted by 
 atmospherical resistance. From this we may be 
 able to perceive how like motions were impressed 
 on the sun. (See pages 77 and 78.)
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 1. THE motions of the sun having been genera- 
 ted by a sidewise impulse, he moved forward in the 
 direction of a curve line of a spiral, and orbitally 
 advanced to the centre of the spiral, at which point 
 he finished his orbital career. 
 
 2. The same force which caused the for ward mo- 
 tion, precipitated the matter of the sun around his 
 axis with a velocity tending to equilibrium, and 
 there being no interference with the rotary motion, 
 it is perpetual. 
 
 3. The matter of the sun, being in a state of 
 equilibrium, will press neither way, being nicely 
 
 balanced by the centrifugal force arising from the 
 sun's axial rotation, and such a globe I fully believe 
 the sun to be, the particles of its matter without 
 tj attraction for each other, its mass without weight, 
 and without an}' conceivable kind of gravity, and 
 its centre, the true centre of the world. 
 
 These reasonings carry conviction to the intelli- 
 gent mind ; and the dogma, that the orbital motions 
 of the planets are due to the mutual gravitations of 
 the masses of the sun and planets, is seen to be as 
 chimerical as is any known error of the ancients. 
 The wise among men will be constrained to seek 
 some other way not liable to so many destructive 
 objections. Which way of nature I have discover- 
 ed, and invite you to enter this glorious path, and 
 see and learn the long sought for cause of the mo- 
 tions of the heavenly spheres. Farewell, thou Law 
 of Universal Gravitation. Retire from the unbound- 
 ed field of space and worlds of light over which 
 thou hast reigned like a god, lulling to rest the in-
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 quiry : Why move the heavenly orbs in curve line 
 paths ? Thy destiny is finished, and now I pray thee 
 do homage to the truth, and let the disclosed 
 knowledge of A RIGHT LINE IMPULSE to urge a globe 
 in a curve line be thy mandamus to unloose the 
 swaddling bands by which thou hast bound the 
 works of God. Take off thy all-grasping hand of 
 gravitation and let the heavenly spheres assert their 
 liberty to move unaided by thee. 
 
 NEWCOMBS SOLAR PARALLAX. 
 
 IN 1867, Simon Newcomb, Professor of Mathemat- 
 ics, United States Navy, published, " Investigations 
 of the Distance of the Srtn, and of the Elements which 
 depend upon it. From the observations of Mars, 
 made during the opposition of 1862, and from 
 other sources, forming Appendix II., to the Wash- 
 ington Astronomical Observatory for 1865." 
 
 On page 29, Simon Newcomb says : " The mean 
 equatorial horizontal parallax of the sun is 8". 848 
 with a probable error of 0".013, corresponding to 
 a mean distance of 92,380,000 statute miles. For 
 astronomical purposes, the value of 8."85 may be 
 taken as a round number of hundredths having 
 equal weight with the above concluded value." 
 
 8".8485. 
 
 IN my analysis of Newcomb's parallax of the sun, 
 I proved that the angle which the equatorial radius 
 of the earth subtends, seen from the sun's centre, is 
 8". 8485, and corresponds to a mean distance of 
 92,380,416 miles.
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 In my studies to bring the solution of any equa- 
 torial horizontal parallax within the pale of com- 
 mon arithmetic, I obtained the following results : 
 
 1. The arc of the equatorial horizontal parallax 
 of the sun, or of any one of the planets, is the arc 
 of a circle, the semi-diameter of which is the mean 
 distance of the sun or planet from the earth's 
 centre. 
 
 2. The arc which subtends and is the measure of 
 the parallactic angle of the sun, or that of any one 
 of the planets, in linear measure is the same as the 
 linear measure of the earth's equatorial radius. 
 
 3. To prove an equatorial horizontal parallax, 
 compare the linear measure of the arc of the paral- 
 lactic angle, with the linear measure of the earths' 
 equatorial radius, and if they coincide, the parallax 
 is reliable. 
 
 4. The substitution of the linear measure of the 
 earth's equatorial radius, for the linear measure of 
 the arc of the parallactic angle of the sun is justi- 
 fied on the ground that there is no appreciable dif- 
 ference between the sine and tangent of the angle 
 of the solar parallax, and consequently there can 
 be no difference between the arc and tangent ; and 
 the same is true of the parallactic angles of all the 
 planets. But should some pedantic or inexperienc- 
 ed scholar think there is a difference, notwithstand- 
 ing the sniallness of the parallactic angles of the sun 
 and planets, a trial of the case in actual work will 
 convince the most skeptical of the truth of my 
 statement. 
 
 Example to find the sun's mean distance by 
 single proportion in common arithmetic :
 
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LTFE. 49 
 
 As the arc or angle of the sun's parallax 8".8485 
 
 Is to the circle in degrees > 360 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax 3,963 miles 
 
 To the linear measure of the circle, 580,442,786.91301 
 miles-f-3.14159= 184,760, 833 miles in the diameter of the 
 circlc-^-2=92, 380,416 miles in the radius of the circle, and 
 this is the term of the sun's mean distance. (See pages 91 
 and 92.) 
 
 This change in the solar parallax involves a 
 change in the real diameter of the sun, and I have 
 the honor of being the discoverer of how to find 
 the term of the sun's real diameter in the fourth 
 term of a single proportion in common arithmetic. 
 (See pages 88 and 89.) 
 
 Example to find the real diameter of the sun in 
 the fourth term of a single proportion in common 
 arithmetic. (See the " rule " on page 89.) 
 
 As the arc or angle of the sun's parallax 8".8485 
 
 Is to the sun's apparent diameter 32'.4" 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax 3,963 miles 
 
 To the real diameter of the sun 861,707 miles 
 
 N. B. The term of the sun's apparent diameter I selected 
 from the American Nautical Almanac for 1864. 
 
 Also, NewcomVs parallax of the sun ' changes 
 the value of the sun's mass, taking the mass of 
 the earth as unity to equal 326,800 earths, but 
 Herschel's mass of the sun, taking the mass of 
 the earth as unity, is equal to 354,936 earths ; re- 
 sulting in the decrease of the weight of the sun by 
 an amount nearly equal to 30,000 times the weight 
 or gravity of the earth. By so much, at least, it is 
 made to appear that the sun has not as much grav- 
 itating force by Newcomb's parallax as Herschel 
 thought it had. 
 
 ENCKE'S SOLAR PARALLAX. 
 The American and English Nautical Almanacs
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 for 1864, accepted as an approximation to the 
 truth Encke's discussions of the transits of Venus 
 in 1761 and 1769, as furnishing the standard equa- 
 torial horizontal parallax of the sun at the earth's 
 mean distance=8".5776. This parallax is equal 
 in linear measure to 3,841.671 miles. 
 
 HERSCHEL'S SOLAR PARALLAX. 
 Herschel, for just reasons, having objections 
 against the assumed integrity of Encke's solar par- 
 allax, makes the equatorial horizontal parallax of 
 the sun to equal 8". 6, which in linear measure is 
 equal to -3,852 miles nearly. 
 
 NEWCOMB'S SOLAR PARALLAX. 
 Newcomb, departing from all former standards 
 and statements of the value of the solar parallax, 
 in his investigations of "the sun's distance," came 
 nearer to the goal of truth than any of his eminent 
 predecessors, and makes the equatorial horizontal 
 parallax of the sun to be 8". 85, which in line 
 measure is equal to 3,963.657271 miles. 
 
 THE AUTHOR'S SOLAR PARALLAX. 
 
 My solar parallax of 8".8485, which is my cor- 
 rection of Newcomb's solar parallax, is in line 
 measure equal to 3,963 miles, and coincides with 
 the linear measure of the earth's equatorial radius. 
 
 The base line of every equatorial horizontal par- 
 allax, being the line of the earth's equatorial 
 radius=3,963 miles, the arc or angle of the par- 
 allax in degree should exactly equal a line measure 
 of 3,963 miles, and in any case when the line 
 measure of the arc or angle of the parallax is more 
 or less than 3,963 miles, the plus or minus is the 
 measure of the error involved.
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 TABLE OF SOLAR PARALLAXES IN ONE VIEW. 
 
 Encke's 8".5776 is equal to 3,841.671 miles. 
 
 Herschel's 8".6 is equal to 3,852 miles. 
 
 Newcomb's 8".S5 is equal to 3,963.657271 miles. 
 
 The Author's 8".8485 is equal to 3,963 miles. 
 
 From the above it follows, that the line measure 
 of the arc or angle of Encke's solar parallax is 
 minus 121.329 miles, and that of Herschel's is 
 minus 111 miles nearly, and the solar parallax of 
 Newcomb's is plus .057271 fraction of a mile, re- 
 quiring these corrections that each one of the par- 
 allaxes may equal 3,963 miles, with additions of 
 corresponding degrees of angular measurements. 
 
 And if any mathematician or astronomer should 
 be led, on further examination and discovery, to con- 
 clude that the line measure of the earth's equatorial 
 radius should be taken to be less in measure than 
 the term of 3,963 miles, which I have used in my 
 work, the parallax should be correspondingly cor- 
 rected, because mathematical law requires that the 
 linear measure of the arc and tangent of any equa- 
 torial horizontal parallax should always coincide 
 with the linear measure of the earth's equatorial 
 radius, which is made the tangent of the angle. 
 
 In my determinations of the diameter and dis- 
 tance of the sun as they may be seen hereafter, I 
 used the solar parallax of 8".6, which I found in 
 Herschel's Outlines, and in books of other learned 
 authors, as being most consonant with the truth, 
 which parallax I found, on subsequent examination, 
 to be in error, by an amount in line measure of 111 
 miles nearly, and in angular measurement 0".2485 
 of a degree. 
 
 My apology for not using my corrected equato- 
 rial horizontal parallax of the sun to the exclu-
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 sion of thatof8".6, byHerschel, is that Newcomb's 
 work did not come into my possession until after 
 all the subsequent part of my work was stereotyped. 
 
 KAISERLICHE AKADEMIE DER WISSENSCHAFTEN IN WEIN. 
 
 WEIN, den 26, Marz, 1868. 
 The Imperial Academy of Sciences, at Vienna, in 
 the Empire of Austria (in a letter bearing the 
 above caption and date), have tendered to me their 
 thanks, and commanded their Secretary to convey 
 to me their distinguished appreciation of my dis- 
 coveries, and that they had deposited my works in 
 their library. Then doing homage to genius, their 
 letter concluded thus: "To the honored Sir WM. 
 ISAACS LOOMIS, Pastor of the Piermont Baptist 
 Church." 
 
 ASTRONOMICAL .EPOCH OF MOSES, 
 
 Versus 
 
 Newton's System of the World and the American Bible 
 Union, 
 
 A revised edition of the Book of Genesis, by 
 Thomas J. Conant, on p. 4, speaks of a charge 
 11 against the sacred narrative, that it conflicts with 
 the known truths of astronomy." According to 
 Laplace and the tendency of the teaching of the 
 Newtonian astronomers, the sun was caused to be 
 before the earth, but Moses states the earth was 
 caused to be on the first day, and the sun on the 
 fourth day of the creation. What a difference ! 
 Because the structure of the planetary system of
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 Newton differs from that of Moses, all men should 
 have, out of reverence for God the Creator, de- 
 manded a verdict against Newton ; but our poor 
 erring eyesight, dazzled by the torchlight of the 
 new science, clothed Newton with the honors of 
 infallibility, and it was concluded that poor Moses, 
 like an old fossil, should be laid on the shelf, to 
 awaken our sympathy for the dark and ignorant 
 age in which he lived. 
 
 A true interpretation of the facts of Natural As- 
 tronomy demonstrates that the motions of the earth 
 are independent of any relation to the sun, and 
 consequently the earth could have revolved in its 
 orbit for seventy-two hours, or between three and 
 four geologic ages, such as were guessed at by 
 Agassiz and Hugh Miller, before the sun was 
 caused to be. 
 
 Permit me now to say to the infidel Ha ! ha !-ists 
 who have concluded that they know more by the 
 teachings of Newton than Moses ever learned of 
 God : To the front, gentlemen, and learn that the 
 narrative of Moses, in respect to the construction 
 of the solar system, is in the most perfect accord- 
 ance with Natural Astronomy. 
 
 WHAT MATHEMATICIANS HAVE PRONOUNCED MATHE- 
 MATICALLY IMPOSSIBLE, I HAVE DEMONSTRATED 
 TO BE MATHEMATICALLY CERTAIN. 
 
 The science of Trigonometry teaches : In a tri- 
 angle there are three sides and three angles, and 
 that to limit the triangle to a particular form and 
 size, three of the parts must be known, from which 
 to determine the remaining three parts. 
 
 T. Dick, LL. D., affirms : "On the demonstrated
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 properties of a triangle depends the mode of 
 measuring the distance of the sun and moon, the 
 magnitudes of the planets, and the dimension of 
 the solar system." 
 
 Here I join issue and affirm: That with two 
 measures of the arc of the vertical angle of any one 
 of the right-angled triangles projected in the equa- 
 torial horizontal parallaxes of the sun and planets, 
 I can determine the linear measure of its perpen- 
 dicular leg. Then the square root of the sum of 
 the squares of the base and perpendicular leg will 
 be the measure of the hypothenuse of the right- 
 angled triangle, and the three sides will be de- 
 termined. I hesitated not a little when I contem- 
 plated the disadvantages of my situation. On one 
 side is congregated a galaxy of intelligences, formed 
 of the mentally renowned of ages, composed of 
 Atheists, Deists, Pagans, Roman Catholics, and 
 Protestants, in one harmonious voice protesting 
 against the success of my seemingly hopeless effort. 
 On the other side, alone, and unsupported by the 
 prestige of fame or ardent friends, a Baptist min- 
 ister, coveting in this case to be crowned the men- 
 tal king, engages to give a new lesson in science, 
 that the living world of men will never forget. 
 
 First. A star seen from the ends of the diam- 
 eter of the earth's orbit exhibited an annual par- 
 allax of 1" of a degree. 
 
 Second. The triangle projected in the parallax 
 is an isosceles triangle, and the line of bisection 
 from the sun's centre to the star is the distance of 
 the star from the sun's centre, the linear measure 
 of which I will find. 
 
 Third. The linear measure of the diameter of 
 the earth's orbit, which arises from my corrected
 
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS OF MY LIFE. 
 
 solar parallax, as before seen, is 184,760,833 
 miles. 
 
 Fourth. The angle of the parallax being only 
 one second of a degree, there can be no appre- 
 ciable difference between the arc and tangent of 
 the angle, and therefore the linear measure of the 
 angle and arc of the parallax coincide. 
 
 The two measures of the arc of this parallax : 
 
 First. The circular measure of the arc of 1" of 
 a degree carried to seven places of decimals is 
 0".0000048, and is the divisor. 
 
 Second. The linear measure of the arc is the 
 same as that of the diameter of the earth's orbit, 
 and is 184,760,833 miles, and is the dividend. 
 
 DEMONSTRATION BY DIVISION. 
 
 184,760,833,0000000-48=38,490,840,000,000 
 miles, is the quotient, which is the distance of the 
 star from the conditions of the example. 
 
 You have now the proof before you that the 
 sublime problem of finding the distance of a star 
 can be determined without any knowledge of trig- 
 onometry. Furthermore: in all equatorial hori- 
 zontal parallaxes of the sun and planets, the arc 
 of the parallax (which is the measure of the angle) 
 is AN ARC OF A CIRCLE, the radius of which is the 
 required mean distance (see page 91), and. all these 
 examples can be solved, in fact are resolved in my 
 work by common arithmetic, and hence you have 
 the positive testimony, the most certain demonstra- 
 tion, that the bisecting line of an isosceles triangle, 
 and the perpendicular leg of any right-angled tri- 
 angle coming within the measures of angles of all 
 the equatorial horizontal parallaxes can be deter- 
 mined without the use of trigonometry.
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 I have done what T. Dick declared to be impos- 
 sible, and in my solutions of the diameters of the 
 sun and planets by a simple proportion in common 
 arithmetic, have invented a way in knowledge un- 
 known to all the mathematicians who were before 
 me ; and now I may be permitted to say : That 
 though all the trigonometers are unanimous with 
 Dick, the fact is brought to light that what they 
 pronounced impossible I have demonstrated to be 
 mathematically certain. 
 
 MEASURES OF THE CIRCLE. 
 
 1. MEASURE IN DEGREES. The intelligent of 
 mankind have concluded that 360 shall constitute 
 the measure of the circle in degrees. 
 
 2. CIRCULAR MEASURE. A circle whose radius 
 is unity, the measure of its circumference, retaining 
 seven places of decimals, is 6.2831853. 
 
 3. The circular measure of one second of a de- 
 gree is 0.0000048, and any other measure between 
 these can be found by proportion. 
 
 4. ARTIFICIAL MEASURE. By dividing the circu- 
 lar measure of an arc of an angle, by the natural 
 tangent of the angle, a quotient is obtained, which 
 I have constituted the artificial measure of the arc. 
 
 How to find the perpendicular leg of a right- 
 angled triangle when the angle of parallax is so 
 large that the linear measure of its arc and tangent 
 disagree. (See page 97.) In former cases, the 
 linear measure of the arc was given, but when the 
 linear measure of the arc of the angle is unknown, 
 substitute for it the artificial measure of the arc of 
 the angle, which may be found by dividing the cir- 

 
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 57 
 
 cular measure of the arc of the angle, by the nat- 
 ural tangent of the arc of the angle, and the quo- 
 tient will be the required term. Then by Propor- 
 tion : As the circular measure of the arc of the 
 angle at the vertex : is to the artificial measure of 
 the arc : : so is the base line of the right-angled 
 triangle : to the linear measure of the required side. 
 
 THE HEIGHT OF A TOWER. 
 
 What is the height of a tower, if a line of 100 feet 
 drawn from the bottom on a horizontal plane, sub- 
 tends an angle of 4230'? The circular measure of 
 4230'=7417649 for the first term of a proportion, 
 the artificial measure of 4230'=80.94953 for the 
 second term, and base line of the triangle 100 feet 
 for the third term, and the fourth term will be 
 the required height. 
 
 Demonstration. As 7417649 : 80.94953 : : 100 
 feet : 109.13+feet, which is the height of the tower. 
 
 A like problem to find the height of a tower by 
 Logarithms, may be seen in T. Dick's works, 
 Celestial Scenery, page 143, which 1 will lay be- 
 fore the reader. 
 
 DICK'S PROBLEM. 
 
 Logarithm of the 2d term Tangent of . ...47|=10.0379475 
 Logarithm of A B=100 feet 3d term.. 2.0000000 
 
 12.0379475 
 
 Logarithm of radius 1st term 10.0000000 
 
 Logarithm of C B, 4th term =1 09|= 2.0379475 
 
 The answer 109.13 feet, by my method, is more 
 exact than 1091 feet given by Dick. This exact- 
 ness of result is the merit and glory of my dis- 
 covery, the firm base on which it rests. 
 
 PROBLEM. An observer at the mast-head of a
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 ship 66 feet high, looking at another ship, de- 
 termines the angle of depression to be 10 C . What 
 is the distance of the two ships from each other ? 
 
 Demonstration. As the circular measure of 10, 
 which is 1745329 : is to the artificial measure of 
 10, which is 98.98080 : : so is the height of the 
 mast 66 feet: to 374.292 feet=22.68+rods. 
 
 Again my answer, 22.68+rods, is more exact 
 than that given by Day and Thomson in a like 
 problem, which is 22.661 rods. 
 
 If the height of an object is known, its distance 
 may be known, by the circular and artificial 
 measures of the arc of the angle of elevation, arid 
 the linear measure of its height. 
 
 PROBLEM. A man on the bank of a river, from 
 observations of a ship's mast, which is known to 
 be 99 feet high, finds its angle of elevation to be 
 o30'. What is the distance of the ship from the 
 observer ? 
 
 Demonstration. As the circular measure of arc 
 of 3i, which is 0610865 : is to the artificial 
 measure of arc of 3, which is 99.88636 : : so is 
 99 feet, the height of the ship's mast : to 1618.81 
 feet=98.1+rods, the required distance. Day and 
 Thomson's Trigonometry, page 133, makes .the 
 answer 98 rods. 
 
 Practical Navigation. By N. Bowditch. Third 
 Edition. Page 174. 
 
 BOWDITCll'S PROBLEM VII. 
 
 Being 96 fathoms from the bottom of a tower, 
 I found its altitude above the horizontal line drawn 
 from my eye was 1510' ; required the elevation 
 above that line ? 
 
 Demonstration. As the circular measure of arc
 
 INCIDENTS AND FACTS IN MY LIFE. 
 
 of 7450', which is 1.3060880 : is to the artificial 
 measure of arc of 74 P 50', which is 35.40407 : : so 
 is 96 fathoms : to 26.023 fathoms. The answer 
 26.023 fathoms, by my method, is more exact, by 
 1.63 inch, than the answer 26 fathoms given by 
 Bowditch. 
 
 Required the height of Bunker Hill Monument, 
 if a line of 80.44 feet, "measured from the bottom 
 on a horizontal plane, subtends an angle of 20. 
 
 First. Find the circular measure of the arc of 
 the given angle, which is obtained by the propor- 
 tion: As 360 : 20 : : 6.2831853 : 3490658 the 
 circular measure. 
 
 Second. From a table of natural tangents se- 
 lect the natural tangent of the given angle, which 
 is 36379, and with it divide the circular measure 
 of the arc of the given angle, and the quotient will 
 Sr' be the artificial measure of the arc of the given 
 angle ; thus, 3490658^-36379=r95.90510 which is 
 the artificial measure of an arc of 20. Then by 
 proportion : As 3490658 : 95.90510 : : 80.44 
 feet: 221.00 feet, the required height of the Mon- 
 ument. 
 
 The construction and use of tables of circular and 
 artificial measures of arc of 1" and upward, and a 
 knowledge of a table of natural tangents, will un- 
 fold the science of right-angled triangles, in a 
 clearer light than ever known before. 
 
 The teachers of our common schools, after a 
 few hours' study, are prepared to adopt under- 
 standingly, my system of science, for finding the 
 sides of right-angled triangles, and all heights and 
 distances.
 
 fef 
 
 c 
 
 DISCOVERY 
 
 OP 
 
 THE ORIGIN OF GRAVITATION, 
 
 AND THE 
 
 MAJESTIC MOTIVE FOECE 
 
 WHICH 
 
 GENERATED THE DIURNAL AND YEARLY REVOLUTIONS 
 
 OP 
 
 THE HEAYENLY BODIES. 
 
 IN TWO FARTS. 
 
 WILLIAM ISAACS L O O M I S, 
 
 Baptist Castor. 
 
 MARTINDALE DEPOT, COLUMBIA 00,, N, Y, 
 1866. 
 
 Okr
 
 ENTERED according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by 
 
 WILLIAM ISAACS LOOMIS, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 
 Southern District of New York. 
 
 THOMAS HOLMAN, 
 Printer and Stereotyper.
 
 To the Clergy. 
 
 IN respect to the strangeness of my seeming assumptions, 
 when compared with the believed certainty of the system of 
 the world by Sir Isaac Newton, you^may experience a shud- 
 der in consequence of my questioning the truth of a science 
 which you have thought to be infallible, and grieve that a 
 minister should be so unfortunate ! 
 
 But if you will call to mind the wise men of the past, who 
 were compelled from the force of facts to renounce long-cher- 
 ished notions, you may then begin to think of the possibility 
 of my having discovered the origin of gravitation and its 
 sequences. 
 
 The position I have chosen is one of difficulty, and danger 
 to the reputation of my wisdom. They crucified him, has 
 been the lot of many, though they held in their hands the 
 lamp of truth ! Asking for the sympathy of the holy, pure, 
 and noble minded, I subscribe myself yours, in the hope of 
 the ultimate triumph of the gospel of our Lord and Master, 
 in the feast of love and reason, tempered by the love and 
 intelligence of God. WM. ISAACS LOOMIS.
 
 To my Countrymen. 
 
 ' FINDING occasion to take exception to the accepted system 
 of astronomy, I freely engage in the work. 
 
 In my investigations, I reached the conclusion that gravity 
 is spheroidal and not universal ; and that nature requires but 
 one motive force to produce the dual, or diurnal and yearly, 
 motions of a heavenly body. 
 
 The Newtonian parallelogram of right-line forces, it will 
 be seen, can not be resolved, other than imaginatively, into 
 one force to cause the curvilinear motion of a globe. 
 
 The demonstration of this will arouse the learned world to 
 an examination of the true right-line projectile and sidewise 
 impulse, which is sufficient to cause the curvilinear motion 
 observed in a heavenly body in its course round the sun. 
 
 In the sincere conviction that the time has come to begin 
 a reformation in the Copernican system of astronomy, which 
 is supposed to be founded in the immutable laws of nature, 
 realizing the arduousness of the labor, and fearing the fate of 
 my illustrious predecessors in innovation, I cross over the 
 rubicon. Gladiators of science, to your posts, and like men 
 of wisdom defend yourselves, if you can ! 
 
 WM. ISAACS Looms.
 
 My Offering to my Nation, 
 
 AN American consecrates this book of New Philosophy to 
 the President of the United States of America and his Cabi- 
 net ; to both Houses of Congress ; to the Governors and Leg- 
 islators of the States and Territories ; to the Officers of the 
 Army and Navy ; to the Clergy, and other learned men ; to 
 every civilian, mother, sister, wife, and daughter ; and I in- 
 voke your aid to help establish the new facts brought to light 
 in this book. 
 
 With this offering, I breathe the prayer that our people 
 may accomplish a national destiny that shall be glorious in 
 the eyes of all men. 
 
 Yours in the hope of the nation, 
 
 WM. ISAACS Looms.
 
 :P.A:RT 
 
 nan 
 
 TRANSLATION : 
 
 " God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth." (Gen. i., 1.) 
 
 Commentary. 
 
 LET us conceive of the words heavens and earth 
 to mean, in part, the moving worlds or globes of 
 light which are to be seen in and from every part 
 of the expanse ; and then we may contemplate the 
 cause of the celestial motions, which, because of 
 the adoption of false science, has been uncompre- 
 hended, until now for the first time revealed by 
 an American. 
 
 Origin of Gravitation. 
 
 Sir Isaac Newton acted as grand master of cere- 
 monies in introducing to mankind the knowledge 
 of the law of universal gravitation, and he freely 
 confessed his inability to discover the cause of it. 
 
 Since the demise of this most illustrious of mor- 
 tals, the family of the scientific have been satisfied
 
 WHAT IS TRUTH?" 
 
 with his doctrine of gravity ; and, as far as I know, 
 I am the first to announce the knowledge of 
 
 The Discovery of the Origin of Gravitation. 
 
 To win the distinction incident to so great a dis- 
 covery is a prize of more value than the gems and 
 fortunes of every earthly empire ; for Fame stands 
 ready to crown the so distinguished king of the 
 mental realm. 
 
 The tempting honor and the nope of success in 
 this race for the mastery, and the faith that the 
 goal was in view, inspired me to say : I will try. 
 Is it not better to do and dare in a noble cause, 
 though failure blight the hopes, than ignobly to 
 fail in consequence of fear and indolence ? 
 
 Universal Gravitation. 
 
 Universal gravitation is said to be a compara- 
 tive, reciprocal attraction of all particles of matter 
 among themselves, and that every particle of mat- 
 ter in the universe is attracted by every other 
 particle of matter, proportional to the densities and 
 distances of the particles from each other. 
 
 "What is Truth?" 
 
 Is the doctrine of universal gravitation true ? Is 
 it a fact of nature? What are the known evidences 
 of its existence and operations? If it is true, and 
 a fact of nature, and operates to cause the periodic 
 revolutions of the heavenly bodies, the known testi- 
 monies of its existence are included in an infer- 
 ence. What ! an inference ! Yes. This is the 
 rock (?) on which was built the theory of the revo- 
 lutions of celestial bodies. Because it appeared 
 that a law of gravity subjected the matter of the 
 earth and all bodies moving in the air to its sway,
 
 
 MAGNITUDES. 
 
 Newton inferred that it might extend to the moon 
 and all other bodies ; and Newton, not nature, ex- 
 tended its empire, not knowing that the inference 
 was drawn from spheroidal gravitation, the power 
 of which does not extend beyond the atmosphere 
 of the celestial body. I claim that, so far as the 
 human mind is concerned in its possible compre- 
 hension of knowable objects, there is not in the 
 amplitude of space even a solitary witness for the 
 verity of the dogma of universal gravitation. 
 
 Should the curvilinear motions of the planets be 
 cited as proof to the point, it can be demonstrated 
 that the motion of a globe in the direction of a 
 curve line in nowise depends on gravity. 
 
 Nature being without evidence to corroborate 
 the splendid and so long serviceable inference, it 
 comes under the ban of her empire ; and however 
 audacious the charge may seem to be to learned 
 pedants and gentlemanly wise men, their zeal will 
 be somewhat chastened when they reflect that all 
 the evidence they can bring forth in defense of the 
 law of universal gravitation is an inference. Could 
 more have been done, Newton would have perfected 
 the work. That he did no more, is a bar to all 
 further inquiry in that direction. 
 
 Magnitudes. 
 
 In a time not long past, the orbit of Saturn was 
 thought to be the outmost limit of the planetary 
 boundary of the solar system. Then the magni- 
 tude of the sun was said to be five hundred times 
 greater than all the magnitudes of all the other 
 bodies belonging to the system of the sun. 
 
 Subsequent discoveries of the planet Uranus, 
 with a real diameter of 33,570 miles, and the 
 planet Neptune, with a real diameter of 33,392
 
 DIAMETERS. 
 
 miles, with their moons, and nearly one hundred 
 asteroids, have greatly augmented the known 
 weight of the satellites of the sun, while the weight 
 of the sun has sensibly diminished. 
 
 Astronomical discoveries are climacteric, and 
 farther conquests in knowledge will bring to light 
 other planets which revolve around the sun, in 
 orbits beyond the orbit of Neptune, and a myriad 
 of comets, besides a multitude of interplanetary 
 asteroids, all of which, when aggregated and 
 weighed against the sun, would have dragged the 
 sun away from his central position, had the doc- 
 trine of universal gravity of matter, as taught by 
 Newton, ever been true. 
 
 Diameters. 
 
 To our vision the apparent diameters of bodies 
 become less in proportion as their distances are 
 increased. If the sun's real diameter of 890,569 
 miles appears so small when viewed from the 
 earth, what must be the dimensions of each star.! 
 The annual parallax and apparent diameters of the 
 stars fall below one second of a degree ; but if, 
 after the example of Herschel and others, we as- 
 sume the stars to have an annual parallax, and also 
 an apparent diameter of one second of a degree, 
 the distance and real diameter may be determined, 
 and the result will be that each star contains an 
 amount of matter equal to about ten millions of 
 suns. These things being premised, what is there, 
 if the law of universal gravitation is true, to hinder 
 the planet Neptune, at the time of his aphelion, 
 from falling away from the sun toward the stars 
 nearest his aphelion, the millions of which and 
 their conjoined attractions constitute a force to
 
 STELLAR DISTANCES. 
 
 attract Neptune which leaves that of the sun's 
 attractive force wholly insignificant ? 
 
 Lexicographical Disagreement. 
 
 That Webster and Worcester should disagree in 
 their definitions of an annual parallax is startling. 
 The base line of an annual parallax, according to 
 Webster, is the diameter of the earth's orbit ; the 
 linear measure of which, according to my system of 
 measurements of the solar system, is 190,099,404 
 miles. The base line of an annual parallax, accord- 
 ing to Worcester, is the semi-diameter of the earth's 
 orbit, the linear measure of which is 95,049,702 
 miles. Worcester's base line is that which was used 
 by the astronomers in their trigonometrical solu- 
 tions of annual parallaxes. Hence, in every case of 
 solution of stellar parallax, the resulting distance 
 has been but one half of what it should have been. 
 
 Webster's choice was natural, but that of Wor- 
 cester was artificial. From Webster's base line and 
 points of observations of an annual parallax of 1", 
 the resulting distance is about forty trillions of 
 miles ; but from those of Worcester the resulting 
 distance is about twenty trillions of miles. 
 
 Now, because Webster's base line is true to na- 
 ture, and does arise in the observations incidental 
 to an annual parallax, and does not mislead, like 
 Worcester's is sure to do, being nothing more than 
 an artificial creation, the artifice should be reject- 
 ed, and that of Webster, on account of its integ- 
 rity, should take its place in the true expositions 
 of the celestial science. 
 
 Stellar Distances. 
 
 Let us assume that a star seen from the ends of 
 the diameter of the earth's orbit would suffer an
 
 REAL DIAMETER OP A STAR. 
 
 apparent angular displacement of 1" of a degree. 
 The angle so subtended is called the star's paral- 
 lactic angle. Also seen from the star, the diameter 
 of the earth's orbit would subtend an angle of 1" 
 of a degree, which is called the angle of the paral- 
 lax. 
 
 Instead of solving the example by trigonometry 
 and logarithms, I propose to do it by division, 
 using only the circular and linear measures of the 
 arc of the parallax. 
 
 EULE. 
 
 Use the circular measure of the arc of the paral- 
 lax for a divisor, and the linear measure of the arc 
 of the parallax for a dividend, and the quotient 
 will be the required distance. 
 
 EXAMPLE. 
 
 Required the distance of a star, given the cir- 
 cular and linear measure of the arc of its annual 
 parallax of 1" of a degree. 
 
 The circular measure of the arc of the parallax, 
 carried to seven places of decimals, is 0.0000048. 
 
 The linear measure of the arc of the parallax 
 equals the linear measure of the diameter of the 
 orbit of the earth, arid is 190,099,404 miles. 
 
 Demonstration. 190,099,404.0000000 miles-r- 
 4839,604,042,500,000 miles,=the star's distance 
 from the centre of the sun. 
 
 Real Diameter of a Star. 
 
 In nature, the parallax of a heavenly body, its 
 apparent diameter, the base line of the parallax, 
 and the real diameter, are in a geometrical ratio ; 
 from which I have derived the following rule, 
 which may be resolved by common arithmetic.
 
 REAL DIAMETER OF A STAE. 
 
 BULE. 
 
 As the parallax of any body on the surface of 
 the earth, or celestial body, is to its apparent 
 diameter, so is the base line of the parallax to a 
 fourth term, which will be the real diameter. 
 
 EXAMPLE. 
 
 Given the annual parallax, apparent diameter, 
 and base line, to find the real diameter by common 
 arithmetic. 
 
 Demonstration, As the star's annual parallax of 
 1" is to the star's apparent diameter of 1", so is 
 the base line of the parallax of 190,099,404 miles 
 to 190,099,404 miles, which is the star's real di- 
 ameter. 
 
 In the use of my two rules, all examples in 
 respect to finding distances and diameters may be 
 resolved, and the royal road to the solutions of the 
 sublime examples afforded by astronomy is thrown 
 open to all who understand common arithmetic. 
 I am aware of the objections which may be urged 
 in opposition to my views 011 this point : that there 
 is not a star but has a less amount of parallax and 
 apparent diameter than those I have mentioned. 
 I accept the objection, because it makes in my 
 favor ; for if you reduce the parallax and apparent 
 diameter, the star's distance is correspondingly in- 
 creased, and its real diameter augmented. What 
 I wished to do, was to find the least distance with- 
 in which there is not a star, and, gaining an ap- 
 proximate or least probable size of a star, bring 
 the vast bulks of the star- worlds to bear on the 
 subject of universal gravitation, and I am assured 
 that the learned will find no just cause of objection 
 against the hypothesis.
 
 NEPTUNE'S OPPOSITION. 
 
 Neptune's Opposition. 
 
 At the time of an opposition of the planet Nep- 
 tune, I determined his distance from the sun to be 
 2,850,115,900 miles. 
 
 Being prepared with the necessary magnitudes 
 and distances, we may now represent the distance 
 of Neptune from the sun by unity, or 1. Then the 
 distance of Neptune from the sun will be to Nep- 
 tune's distance from the stars as 1 to 13,895; and 
 estimating the bulk of the sun as unity, and com- 
 paring the bulk of the sun with the bulk of a star, 
 the sun will be to the star as 1 to about 10,000,000. 
 What if the matter composing the sun is five hun- 
 dred times greater than that of all the bodies of 
 his system? The matter of a single star is millions 
 of times greater than that of the sun ; and this 
 enormous mass, conjoined with millions of like 
 bodies, should, if the accepted theory is true, com- 
 pel Neptune to increase his distance from the sun 
 and lessen his distance from, the stars. Bat this is 
 not the case, and never can be ; and the absence of 
 such an active force can not be explained away by 
 the apology of the vast distance. 
 
 Gravity, to be universal, must act. And if under 
 any circumstances it does not, what next follows, 
 but that gravity is not universal and stands im- 
 peached? 
 
 Contemplate the planet Neptune, in the pomp 
 of his yearly journey, moving round the sun. At 
 the point of his aphelion, not only one, but millions 
 of stars nearer to him than others on the opposite 
 side of the planet toward the sun reach forth their 
 long arms of gravitation, if they have any, to em- 
 brace this outside world. But no. Neptune, true 
 to the one right-line projectile force which gave
 
 (6) 
 
 COMETS. 
 
 birth to his motions, and owning fealty to no other, 
 pursues his continuous journey without being in the 
 least disturbed by any other force. 
 
 For a moment consider gravity under the figure of 
 weight. The weight of the matter of the sun is to 
 the weight of the matter of a star as 1 to 10,000,000. 
 Multiply this large figure by the many millions of 
 stars nearest to Neptune, to represent the weight 
 of the stellar matter to be opposed to the weight 
 of the sun against Neptune. Then the square of 
 the distances considered, the weight of the sun 
 against Neptune, compared with the weight of the 
 stars against Neptune, will .cause the weight of the 
 sun to appear lighter than the fine dust of the 
 balance, and of no moment in the inquiry, What 
 causes the curvilinear motion of the planet Nep- 
 tune? 
 
 Comets. 
 
 H. Westphalen, in his Elements ofHalleifs Comet, 
 assigns 3, 370, 300, 000 miles as the greatest distance 
 of the comet from the sun. This is more than five 
 hundred and twenty millions of miles further from 
 the sun than is the aphelion point of Neptune's 
 orbit. 
 
 Consequently, Halley's Comet, when at his aphe- 
 lion, is most favorably situated tabe brought under 
 the attractions of the stars nearest to the aphelion 
 point ; but such attractions, if they exist, live only 
 in inference. While the possibility of a body fall- 
 ing into the sun in consequence of his attraction 
 has been assumed, none of the sons of science have 
 ever been exercised with the fear of the bodies of 
 the system of the sun falling away outward as an 
 effect of the gravity of the stars. The force that 
 originated the curvilinear motion of this comet,
 
 COMETS. 
 
 and the regularity of its periodic revolution, forbid 
 the possibility of such a deflection ever taking 
 place. 
 
 COMET or 1811. 
 
 The comet of 1811 requires three thousand 
 years, measured as we measure years on the earth, 
 to complete its year of revolution round the sun, 
 and when at its aphelion point its distance from 
 the sun is 160,000,000,000 of miles. 
 
 The aphelion distance of this comet being made 
 unity, or 1, if it is compared with my stellar dis- 
 tance, bears the proportion of 1 to 247 ; or if com- 
 pared with the astronomers' distance of the stars, 
 is as 1 to 123 +, exhibiting a very near approach 
 to the stars. Were the doctrine of the gravitation 
 of the celestial orbs among themselves consonant 
 with nature, this comet must obey the superior 
 attraction, and launch away into the depths of the 
 wilderness of stars, and revolve around stellar orbs, 
 whose magnitudes are the exposition of God's al- 
 mightiness. But there being no mutual attractions 
 of orbs among themselves, or exterior to the at- 
 mospheres of the heavenly bodies, they are left 
 free to obey the force which once having marked 
 their ways, they follow in those paths continually. 
 COMETS OF 1680 AND 1843. 
 
 The perihelion, or nearest distance to the sun, of 
 the comet of 1680 was only 148,428 miles. 
 
 The perihelion, or nearest distance to the sun, 
 of the comet of 1843 wus only 63,613 miles. 
 
 Let the reader suppose that the force of what is 
 called the gravity of the sun is exerted on the 
 comets of 1680 and 1843 at the instant they at- 
 tained their aphelion points, and that the New- 
 tonian centripetal and centrifugal forces at those
 
 A CONCESSION. 11 
 
 times are equally adjusted to each other. The 
 centrifugal force must remain constant ; but the 
 centripetal force, as the comets move from their 
 greatest to their least distances from the sun, will 
 increase as the square of the distances decrease. 
 Therefore, when the comets have reached their 
 nearest distances from the sun, the centripetal 
 force being so overwhelmingly increased, and the 
 centrifugal or projectile force being the same con- 
 stant quantity at either equinox or solstice of these 
 cometary orbits, what is there to prevent these 
 comets rushing to the body of the sun? But they 
 do not. Is it because they are such anomalous 
 bodies, or is there something more to be known be- 
 fore we have the grand secret of curvilinear motion ? 
 A Concession. 
 
 The difficulties of my situation are relieved not a 
 little by concessions of the very learned in this 
 science, that there have been observed phenomena 
 which can not be accounted for by the law of uni- 
 versal gravitation, nor can the accepted laws of 
 motion be relied on to explain the lawless appear- 
 ances. Pertinent are the examples of the tails of 
 the comets of 1680 and 1843, as they were known 
 to move round the sun, "in the manner of a 
 straight and rigid rod, in defiance of the law of 
 gravitation, nay, even of the received laws of 
 motion." (See Herschel's Outlines, p. 323.) 
 
 The lamented Mitchel, whose beautiful grace of 
 diction suffers no loss when contrasted with the 
 grand pomp of T. Dick's style, says of the tail and 
 nucleus of a comet: "4. That the force which 
 ejects the tail can not be gravitation. 5. That 
 the power lodged in the nucleus, and by whose 
 energy the particles composing the tail are again
 
 TAKE IT FOR GRANTED. 
 
 reabsorbed into the head, can not be gravitation." 
 (See O. M. Mitchel's Popular Astronomy, p. 298.) 
 
 Does it now look as if the day-spring of hope and 
 truth had burst in upon our expectations? As if 
 the morning star in its glow of promise preluded a 
 day of glory in which humanity, in communion with 
 nature, might learn how God worked, and by what 
 agency? Have we not reached a point where 
 the concessions of Herschel and Mitchel strip the 
 law of universal gravitation of some part of its 
 empire ? If some of the heavenly bodies disdain 
 to move round the sun, as an effect of gravitation 
 and the received laws of motions, why may not all 
 bodies be equally independent? It is a favorite 
 notion with those who have dealt in celestial 
 mechanics that the reciprocal gravity of the 
 matter of the celestial spheres among themselves 
 is greater at less distances, less at greater distances, 
 and that every particle of matter is subject to this 
 law. 
 
 Take it for Granted. 
 
 When the earth is at the aphelion point of its 
 orbit, its distance from the sun, is (3,000,000) three 
 millions of miles greater, than when at its peri- 
 helion or least distance ; consequently, every pound 
 of matter of and on the earth should weigh more 
 at the earth's least distance, and less at the greatest 
 distance. But a succession of the changes of 
 weight, incidental to the sun's attraction, is un- 
 known among men. 
 
 ILLUSTRATION. 
 
 Assume that somewhere on the equator there 
 is located a spiral spring balance, which in its very 
 nature could not be sensibly affected by the force
 
 DO YOU BELIEVE IT? 
 
 of universal gravitation, and capable of weighing 
 the steamship Great Eastern. With the ship 
 hanging or resting on the balance, its weight, being 
 determined at any point, would be in a continual 
 change, as the earth in the course of its yearly 
 journey moved round the sun ; and this mutation 
 would also be true of the matter of all other 
 heavenly bodies, if the sun's attraction held the 
 empire with which Newton endowed it. But the 
 constancy of weight of the matter of the earth, and 
 all that pertains to it, whether the earth is at its 
 least, greatest, or intermediate distances from the 
 sun, is proof conclusive that the square of the dis- 
 tance has nothing to do in respect to all earthly 
 things. 
 
 Do you Believe it? 
 
 The gravity of the earth being exclusively sphe- 
 roidal, having more than an inferential existence, 
 can be demonstrated to the perception of the in- 
 quirer, and its activity be determined. Again call to 
 mind the steamship on the equator, as before men- 
 tioned, with its weight determined at the present 
 rate of the motion of the earth on its axis. Now, 
 because spheroidal attraction exists, every change 
 in the time of the earth's rotation would be accom- 
 panied with a change, not only of the weight of the 
 Great Eastern, but also of the whole matter of the 
 earth. If the centrifugal force of the earth should 
 be diminished, the weight of the ship would be 
 correspondingly increased, and any change of the 
 time of the axial rotation would cause a change 
 of the weight of the matter of the earth and every- 
 thing in relation to it. The reason why we can 
 demonstrate the change of weights, from spheroidal 
 gravitation incident to a change in the time of
 
 THE MATTER OF THE UNIVERSE. 
 
 rotary motion, is placed beside the inoperative law 
 of universal gravitation, and the reader is request- 
 ed to closely examine into the nature of things. 
 
 The Matter of the Universe. 
 
 REASONINGS IN PHILOSOPHY. 
 I. 
 
 The matter of the universe when in a state of rest 
 was without any kind of attraction or tendency to 
 any centre, and its weight was absolute. 
 
 II. 
 
 When the matter of the universe was passed from 
 a state of rest to a state of motion round the axes of 
 the oblate spheroids which compose the family of 
 the heavenly bodies, the matter of each oblate 
 sphere tended to its axial centre, and, being opposed 
 by the centrifugal force of the body, pressed less 
 heavily than it otherwise would have done if the 
 centrifugal force had been less, and therefore the 
 weight of the matter of a moving oblate spheroid is 
 less than its absolute weight. 
 
 III. 
 
 . The gravity or tendency of the matter of a mov- 
 ing oblate spheroid is determined by the amount of 
 centrifugal force generated by the rotary motion of 
 the sphere, and the gravity is increased or diminish- 
 ed in proportion as you may find the rotary motion 
 diminished or increased from a given standard, so 
 that the measure of the force of the gravity of a 
 heavenly body is a creature of circumstances. 
 
 IV. 
 
 The tendency of the matter of a sphere to its axial 
 centre, which is the force of its attraction of gravi-
 
 THE MATTER OF THE UNIVERSE. 
 
 tation, was originated coeval with the force that gen- 
 erated the rotary motion of the sphere. Now if the 
 matter of the sun was solid gold, and his centrifugal 
 force was increased to equal the absolute weight of 
 the gold, the weight of the sun would be thrown into 
 a state of equilibrium, not tending to his centre, 
 and without gravity. Now reduce the force of the 
 rotary motion, which will reduce the centrifugal 
 force, and instantly the mass of the matter of the 
 sun will tend to his axial centre, and this attraction 
 of gravitation may be increased more and more, as 
 the rotary motion of the sun is reduced less and less, 
 rendering certain what I before said : That the 
 attraction of the gravity of a sphere is a creature 
 wholly of circumstances. 
 
 V. 
 
 To suppose that matter, in its very nature, is 
 necessarily endowed with the mysterious power of 
 universal gravitation, is to assume that matter is en- 
 dowed with power to move, and does move itself by 
 its own inhering power, which is contrary to nature ; 
 arid in doing so, Newton on the attraction of gravi- 
 tation is contradicted by Newton on the impossibili- 
 ty of matter to move itself. 
 
 VI. 
 
 A WONDEE. 
 
 Four resulting motions generated by a single 
 right-line force. 
 
 The phenomena of the four resulting motions 
 known to belong to a moving oblate sphere arose 
 from a single right-line sidewise projectile force 
 which changed the state of its matter from rest to 
 motion. They are : 
 
 1. The forward curvilinear motion of the sphere.
 
 IT IS SO IN NATURE. 
 
 2. The rotary motion of the sphere. 
 
 3. The centrifugal motion of the sphere. 
 
 4. The centripetal motion, or the tendency of the 
 matter of the sphere to its axial centre. 
 
 These four motions and their forces were the 
 offspring of one right-line force, and they were 
 simultaneously started into being. 
 
 The novelty of their begetting, the certainty of 
 their relation, their antiquity, and hitherto unknown 
 origin, constitute one of those beautiful revelations 
 of truth so well calculated to advance knowledge. 
 
 The Natural Law of Gravitation. 
 
 Right or wrong, it is a bold endeavor to attempt 
 to point out the way of light and truth, on a sub- 
 ject in which the colossus of intelligence was im- 
 mersed in densest darkness. Newton (in his Prin- 
 cipia, p. 506 of Book 111,) says: "But hitherto I 
 have not been able to discover the cause of those 
 properties of gravity from phenomena." The mere 
 thought that I am able to demonstrate what gravity 
 is, and how it was originated, is as refreshing as the 
 odors of Paradise, and all- animating as the attain- 
 ment of the utmost bound of earthly hope. 
 It is so in Nature. 
 
 The natural law of gravity is spheroidal and not 
 universal, and it is the tendency of the matter of a 
 moving oblate sphere to its axial centre, and was 
 generated by the force which gave rise to the ro- 
 tary motion of the sphere. Without the action 
 of the rotary motion of the sphere its gravity ceases 
 to be, and matter then could be contemplated only 
 in a state of absolute rest. This tendency of the 
 matter of a sphere to the centre of its axial motion 
 1 call the centripetal force of the sphere, and it is
 
 THE ORIGIN OP SPHEROIDAL GRAVITATION. 
 
 to be distinguished from what Newton calls the cen- 
 tripetal force to urge all the matter of the globe to 
 its centre ; and also that centripetal force of the 
 sun, which Newton thought compelled the celestial 
 bodies to move in the direction of curve lines. 
 
 Therefore, the gravity or centripetal force of the 
 sun is the tendency of the matter of the sun to his 
 axial centre. Opposed by the sun's centrifugal 
 force, his weight will be relatively less than his ab- 
 solute weight, and the force of this relative weight 
 will be the measure of the force of the gravity of 
 the sun. The same is true of every oblate moving 
 sphere in the universe, be it a planet, satellite, as- 
 teroid, comet, or star ; and any other kind of gravi- 
 tation is unknown in the creation, and not necessary 
 to account for any celestial phenomena. 
 
 Inferences. 
 
 1. If any celestial body is seen or known to have 
 an axial rotation, it must be an oblate spheroid. 
 
 2. If any celestial body is seen or known to move 
 in the direction of a curve line, it must have an axial 
 rotation also ; and from the phenomenon of the cur- 
 vilinear motion, the axial motion may be inferred, 
 and also the oblate form may be inferred without 
 further observations ; for in nature, a body moving 
 in free space, its before-mentioned motions and 
 form are inseparable from each other, being works 
 of nature, from the order and relation of which there 
 is never a departure. 
 
 The Origin of Spheroidal Gravitation. 
 
 It is a truth to be admitted, and certainly with- 
 out the fear or possibility of believing error, that 
 in the creation of matter it was not endowed with 
 power to move itself. 
 2
 
 THE ORIGIN OF SPHEROIDAL GRAVITATION. 
 
 The God of nature having gathered the matter of 
 the celestial orbs, and assigned to each one its quan- 
 tity and variety, each celestial body, by a single mo- 
 tive sidewise force, was urged into four distinct mo- 
 tions, one of which was the tendency of the matter 
 of the sphere to its axial centre. Now because 
 this tendency of the matter of a celestial orb to its 
 centre is the centripetal force, or gravity of the 
 matter of the orb, and there being no other demon- 
 strable kind of gravity of attraction, we find the ori- 
 gin of the gravitation of each one of the celestial 
 bodies in the right-line forces which caused the mo- 
 tions of every celestial body. Hence the motive 
 force which caused the motions of the earth gener- 
 ated the gravity of the earth. 
 
 EXPERIMENT. 
 
 Experiment in which it will be shown that a 
 given quantity of matter may be withdrawn from 
 the gravity of the earth and brought under another 
 force of gravity. 
 
 Suppose a truly spherical globe, twenty-four 
 inches in diameter, held by some adequate means in 
 a relative state of rest ; at a distance of five feet from 
 the surface of the earth, ready to have communicated 
 to it a motion on an axis parallel with the horizon. 
 
 A globe so suspended is an example of a certain 
 amount of matter withheld from the visible attrac- 
 tion of spheroidal gravitation. 
 
 If the globe should be disengaged it would fall 
 to the earth ; or if immediately under it there was 
 an ordinary well, or shaft, or deepest artesian well 
 of capacity to admit the globe, it would find its way 
 to the deepest unobstructed point. The globe, in its 
 descent, is a visible example of matter subjected to 
 the attraction of spheroidal gravitation.
 
 THE CHANGE. 19 
 
 Let us now pour on the globe, as before sup- 
 posed, above the surface of the earth and relatively 
 at rest, a quantity of liquid, which, being free to 
 flow, diffuses itself over the surface of the globe, 
 and from the underside is seen to trickle to tho 
 earth ; if the solid globe could be resolved gradually 
 into a iluid mass, drop by drop it also would fall to 
 the earth, being entirely subjected to the attraction 
 of spheroidal gravitation. 
 
 The Change. 
 
 But the case will be substantially changed, not- 
 withstanding the globe is within the atmosphere of 
 the earth, and subject to the force of its gravity ; 
 for if you communicate to the globe a rotary 
 motion, the matter of the globe will be' withdrawn 
 from the attraction of the earth, and tend to the 
 centre of the globe. This new force of gravity was 
 generated with the axial motion of the globe. 
 
 Now pour on the revolving globe a small quan- 
 tity of water, which being arrested by the force of 
 the axial rotation, the water and the entire matter 
 of the globe seek and tend to its axial centre. 
 This tendency of the matter of the revolving 
 globe and the water revolving on its surface is an 
 example of the existence of spheroidal gravita- 
 tion. Now mark! When the globe was supposed at 
 rest, its matter and the water poured on it tended 
 to gravitate to the earth ; but as soon as the globe 
 had communicated to it a rotary motion, its matter 
 tended to gravitate to its centre, and its proxim- 
 ity to the earth in no degree interfered with this 
 new direction of the gravity of the matter of the 
 globe. The same must be true of a larger quan- 
 tity of denser matter poured on the rotating globe, 
 such as molasses or tar, which, diffusing itself over
 
 DIFFICULTIES IN HUMAN THEORIES. 
 
 the surface of the globe, will gather thickest at its 
 equator, thus changing the form of the globe into 
 that of an oblate spheroid. 
 
 This, in a small but effective degree, shows how 
 matter may be arrested and gather round a centre 
 of centripetal force, and why the matter of a rotat- 
 ing globe is restricted to the form of an oblate 
 sphere. 
 
 Difficulties in Human Theories. 
 
 The dogma of universal gravitation involves the 
 idea that every heavenly body is continually falling 
 toward every other heavenly body. 
 
 To prevent the bodies colliding in a grand catas- 
 trophe, a right-line motive projectile force was 
 invented, and the attracting force of the sun, con- 
 joined with the planets' projectile force, simultane- 
 ously drawing and driving every heavenly body in 
 right lines perpendicular to each other, constitutes 
 a confusion of motions that could be thought to be 
 reasonable only by men who allowed their reason to 
 be prostrated in devotion to the false second law of 
 motion. In the words of a celebrated astronomer : 
 "In one sense, the moon is continually falling to the 
 earth-. 7 ' And so must the moon and earth be con- 
 tinually falling to the sun, and the sun be contin- 
 ually falling to both earth and moon. The moons 
 of Jupiter are continually falling to their primary, 
 and both Jupiter and his moons are continually 
 falling to the sun ; and the sun continually falling to 
 Jupiter and his moons. In fact, according to the 
 received theory, every satellite of the solar system 
 is falling to the sun, and the sun is falling toward 
 every other celestial body of the solar system. 
 This, if true, is truly a grand contortion of nature ; 
 a universal and perpetual tumbling. If you please,
 
 DIFFICULTIES IN HUMAN THEORIES. 
 
 you will now suppose with La Place and Pontecou- 
 lent, that originally the centripetal force of matter 
 gathered a nebulous mass out of which to form 
 the solar system, and that the axial rotation of this 
 mass generated a centrifugal force which was 
 competent to throw off into space, from time to 
 time, first a mass to constitute the planet Neptune 
 and his moons, and successively every other celes- 
 tial body of the system. As the mass of matter 
 subsequently to be known as the planet Neptune 
 and his moons was hurled forth into space, it 
 must, according to the received first law of motion, 
 have moved forward in the direction of a right 
 line. When it had reached its greatest distance in 
 that line, how, or by what means, was a projectile 
 force, at that instant, ready to impinge on the 
 mass and urge it in the direction of a line perpen- 
 dicular to the line in which it had moved in the 
 interval from the time of the separation to that of 
 its greatest distance from the centre of the original 
 mass ? The question involves a difficulty that true 
 astronomy never could or would involve, fatal 
 alike to the La Placean origin of the celestial 
 spheres, and the dogma of universal gravitation. 
 
 It is particularly worthy of notice, that, in the 
 La Placean origin of the universe, at the instant 
 when the mass of matter to be afterward known 
 as the planet Neptune and his moons was ready 
 to be separated from the great body of matter, 
 in consequence of the centrifugal force of the mass, 
 all attraction between the mass to be separated 
 and that that remained was not only overcome, 
 but more than that, by an amount of force equal 
 to the centrifugal force which launched the mass 
 into space.
 
 22 
 
 DIFFICULTIES IN HUMAN THEORIES. 
 
 If, then, at that time the attraction of the mat- 
 ter of the whole solar system was more than 
 overcome by centrifugal force, and the mass of 
 Neptune could be no longer held by it, and the at- 
 traction growing less and less every instant as the 
 square of the distance increased, how absurd even 
 to think of the mere possibility, much less to state 
 it as science, that when Neptune was within one 
 inch of the surface of all the matter of the solar 
 system, himself alone excepted, and under the 
 whole force of the attraction of the whole solar 
 system, he escaped from it, and fled away to a 
 distance of 2,850,115,900 miles, but was there 
 arrested by the attraction of the sun which now 
 controls Neptune's orbital motion; the sun, by its 
 attraction alone, now doing what the whole solar 
 system could not do by its whole attractive force 
 when Neptune's proximity to the surface of the 
 whole mass was less than one hundred barley- 
 corns ! Who can believe it?
 
 SECOND. 
 
 Treatise on Motions. 
 
 IN WHICH IT IS ESTABLISHED THAT THE RESULTING MOTIONS 
 WHICH INHERE IN EACH HEAVENLY BODY WERE GENERA- 
 TED BY A RIGHT-LINE SIDEWISE FORCE. 
 
 A LAUDABLE ambition to obtain a knowledge of 
 nature will ennoble men, and in every sense better 
 qualify a child of God to enjoy communion with 
 his Maker. The High and Holy One, who inhabits 
 eternity, has made the earth man's birth and burial 
 place. In it he blooms like a flower, and fades 
 away like a leaf. Now on God's footstool confess- 
 ing his sins and asking for pardon through the cru- 
 cified Redeemer, and then ready to pass through 
 the porch of death, on his way to immortality, to 
 the house of God, and the home of the holy. There 
 and then all the sanctified in Jesus will have learned 
 the science of nature, and say in glorious acclaim : 
 Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God 
 Almighty ! 
 
 How many godlike intelligences, endowed by 
 their Creator with capability, if put forth, to stand 
 in the first rank with heroes in mind, and lead the 
 way in developing facts of nature, content them- 
 selves in providing food for the stomach, nerves, 
 and blood, but leave the mind to wander in inde- 
 scribable darkness, having no better understanding 
 of the celestial motions than usually falls to the lot
 
 TREATISE ON MOTIONS. 
 
 of the colt of a wild ass. And what is the number 
 of ministers and Christians who might, if they 
 would try, be able to grasp the solar and sidereal 
 spheres, but choose to content themselves with ig- 
 noring the works of God in nature, as a kind of 
 second-hand affair, unworthy of a Christian's devo- 
 tional notice, and go to their graves indifferent to 
 the grandeur of their heavenly Father's empire. 
 Strangers to that vast field of vision, in which he 
 designs to show the triumph of his redeeming and 
 eternal love. 
 
 An advance in all attainable knowledge should 
 be determined by every one, and to know for 
 thyself is the acme of the feast of reason ; for that 
 which is known to be true, by the evidence of dem- 
 onstration to the reasoning powers of the human 
 mind, can never be other than true. 
 
 Had the followers of Aristotle required of their 
 teacher one reason, or had one of his disciples tried 
 an experiment to elucidate the law of falling 
 bodies, as Galileo did at the Leaning Tower of 
 Pisa, to find a reason for the science, it is reasona- 
 ble to conclude the true law of falling bodies had 
 been known earlier, and Galileo would not have 
 had the opportunity to discover and lay a stone 
 in the foundation of a philosophy on which Sir 
 Isaac Newton built his system of the world. 
 
 Instead of assuming and then laboring to convert 
 the assumptions into facts, had Ptolemy detected 
 the dual motion of the apparent diurnal and yearly 
 sun, which he saw but did not perceive, the vision 
 of so stupendous a glory of God in nature would 
 have compelled Ptolemy to give an everlasting 
 good-by to his and also to his illustrious predeces- 
 sors' fanciful notion of a fixed earth and really
 
 TREATISE ON MOTIONS. 
 
 moving sun. Could Ptolemy have traced the solar 
 motions to their causes, his system of the world, 
 which was but the echo of a false theory, would be 
 in the deep quiet of the unknown. 
 
 But look at Ptolemy, as he thinks he sees the sun 
 in real motion and stands on the firm earth. His 
 eyesight is not impaired, his sense of the immo- 
 bility of the earth undoubted ; but an appeal to 
 nature changes one of the most celebrated philoso- 
 phers of antiquity into an erring blind man, who 
 had never truly seen the beauties, and without an 
 understanding of the appearances of nature. Ptol- 
 emy is an illustrious example of the truth of my 
 apothegm, that in this world there is not anything 
 so much like a lie as the truth ; and this is the rea- 
 son why, not only Bible truth, but also the truth of 
 the science of astronomy has been so poorly under- 
 stood. 
 
 The fact of man's success in discoveries in the 
 science and causes of things depends on how much 
 God's inspiration is breathed on the toiling one ; 
 but those who, like Hugh Miller, lean too much to 
 their own understanding will, like him, stumble 
 into positive failures. 
 
 That great geologist, having neglected all idea 
 of deriving help from any other source than what 
 his abstract observations resulted in, found it easy 
 in this isolation to worm himself out of the way 
 marked out by infinite wisdom. 
 
 The man who could find in a fragment of stone, 
 or ledge of rocks, or fossil remains, evidence for 
 believing in their creation and being millions of 
 years before the Adamic epoch, had the ability to 
 convert multitudes to the wonders of his scheme ; 
 and when he brought forth the fossil dung that
 
 TREATISE ON MOTIONS. 
 
 was found among the treasuries of nature, having 
 been carefully preserved in her archives for mil- 
 lions of years, it proved to be the natural archi- 
 episcopal rite of confirmation to all his followers. 
 After this, there remained but little to do in the 
 way of demonstrating whatever might be required 
 to make firm and establish the geological scheme. 
 
 But one thing more was wanted to establish this 
 anti and ante Mosaic chronology of the creation, 
 and that was a deluge in a respectable-sized "ba- 
 sin." Mr. H. Miller clearly understood that a uni- 
 versal deluge, like that described by Moses, seen 
 and experienced by Noah, and testified of by a 
 bosom friend of the Savior, " The world that then 
 was, being overflowed with water, perished," must 
 not be admitted, or else Hugh Miller's geology, 
 which he thought had grown hoary in the lapse 
 of millions of millions of years, must fail for want of 
 testimony. This one thing was supplied, and the 
 awe-inspiring Bible narrative of the Deluge was 
 transmogrified into a partial deluge, about as neces- 
 sary for the purpose as a deluge in a wash-tub ! 
 
 Had the Deluge been in a "basin," there had 
 been no need for the ark and the congregating of 
 the creatures. They and Noah and his family 
 could easily have journeyed beyond its limits, and 
 it would have sufficed for God to have said to 
 Noah and his family, to the creatures of every 
 kind, as was said to Lot: "Arise, and get thee 
 out of this place, for I will destroy it." This idea 
 of a partial deluge, of so celebrated a geologist, is 
 the most sublime approach to a tempest in a tea- 
 pot of anything yet brought forth by the grand 
 masters of science, and still there remains room for 
 the wise to learn.
 
 FALSE SCIENCE. 
 
 False Science A Concatenation of Mistakes. 
 
 MISTAKE OF PTOLEMY. 
 
 Ptolemy assumed the earth to be fixed, and the 
 sun to really move around it. 
 
 Take a terrestrial globe to represent the fixed 
 earth of Ptolemaic conception, and mark upon it 
 circles to represent the circles of the ecliptic and 
 equinoctial ; procure also two lamps, to represent 
 the apparent motions of the sun. Pass one of the 
 lamps round the globe, following the circle which 
 represents the circle of the ecliptic, and let this 
 motion of the lamp represent the motion of the 
 apparent sun of nature describing the circle of the 
 ecliptic. Then pass the second lamp round the 
 circle of the globe which represents the circle of 
 the equinoctial, and let this motion of the lamp 
 represent the apparent diurnal sun of nature, as he 
 is seen nearly describing the great circle of the 
 equinoctial on the day of the vernal or autumnal 
 equinox. 
 
 Hence it is plainly to be seen, that if the earth 
 had been a fixed body one really moving sun 
 could not have produced the phenomena of the 
 solar motions of nature. The testimony of the 
 solar motions, understood, dissolves every shadow 
 of reason in support of a fixed earth ; but the won- 
 der remains : How could the wise of this world, 
 for so many generations, remain in darkness, and 
 permit their eyesight and common-sense to be so 
 long perverted by the blinders of the Ptolemaic 
 fixed earth ? 
 
 MITCHEL'S MISTAKE. 
 
 In the system of Ptolemy the sun was said to 
 have but one kind of motion ; but in the verities
 
 28 FALSE SCIENCE. 
 
 of nature the .sun has two kinds of apparent mo- 
 tion. In the presence of such a tangible distinc- 
 tion and palpable fact, it is one of the strange 
 things that have happened that philosophers, men 
 of glorious eminence, who had the bright beams of 
 the sun to guide them to the fountain of truth, 
 should have so signally failed to find the clear way. 
 
 It was no fault of nature that occasioned the 
 hiding of the truth, no obscurity that vailed the 
 subject, for God had written the lesson in sunlight 
 on the heavens; but a defect in the education of 
 those students of nature, that led them astray. 
 
 So the men who see in our Jesus no form of 
 winning loveliness should drop their unbelief, and 
 see the light of his glory. It shines ! No excuse 
 for you that you have not seen it. Look to the 
 Sun of our righteousness through the tears of sins 
 confessed ! Behold the solar motions of his love 
 and pity for you ! As you look you will rejoice, 
 and say : I behold the Lamb in his glory, as un- 
 converted eyes never yet beheld him. 
 
 In 0. M. Mitchel's Popular Astronomy, pp. 63 
 and 64 : "If, then, we confine our attention prin- 
 cipally to an examination of the solar and lunar 
 motions, in our efforts to determine the true posi- 
 tion and condition of the earth, we shall find our- 
 selves compelled, as were the celebrated Greek 
 astronomers, Hipparchus and Ptolemy, to admit 
 not only the earth's central position, but also its 
 absolute immobility. It is, undoubtedly, cen- 
 tral to the moon's motions, and it is equally cen- 
 tral to the sun's movements ; that is to say, all the 
 phenomena of the solar motions are as well ac- 
 counted for by supposing the earth to be the cen- 
 tre about which the sun revolves, as by supposing
 
 FALSE SCIENCE. 
 
 the converse hypothesis, that the sun is the centre 
 about which the earth revolves. So far, then, as 
 these two great luminaries are concerned, the 
 hypothesis of the earth's central position is well 
 sustained and almost indisputable." The celebrity 
 of Mitchel should have made him proof against the 
 attempt to pass this communication off for truth, 
 or anything like that found in his remarks which I 
 have laid before the reader. What is there in 
 nature that sustains indisputably, in any degree, 
 "the earth's central position?" To the barbarian, 
 the unlettered son of civilization, and erring as- 
 tronomers, the earth may seem to occupy a cen- 
 tral position ; but these seemings of ignorance of 
 those in error should not be put even in the like- 
 ness of the truth, compared with which there is no 
 resemblance ; and hence Mitchel, in deciding that 
 the two-fold or dual appearing diurnal and yearly 
 solar motions are the same, whether seen from a 
 fixed Ptolemaic earth and a real moving sun, or 
 from a really moving earth and fixed sun, erred so 
 widely as to justly excite astonishment. 
 
 WHEWELL'S MISTAKE. 
 
 William Whewell (in his History of the Inductive 
 Sciences, Vol. I., pp. 257 and 258,) says: "For is 
 it in reality clear, that before the time of Coperni- 
 cus the heliocentric theory (that which places the 
 centre of the celestial motions in the sun) had a 
 claim to assent so decidedly superior to the geo- 
 centric theory, which places the earth in the cen- 
 tre ? What is the basis of the heliocentric theory? 
 That the relative motions are the same on that 
 and on the other supposition. So far, therefore, 
 the two hypotheses are exactly on the same foot- 
 ing. But, it is urged, on the heliocentric side we 

 
 
 FALSE SCIENCE. 
 
 have the advantage of simplicity. True ; but we 
 have on the other side the testimony of our senses ; 
 that is, the geocentric doctrine (which asserts that 
 the earth rests and the heavenly bodies move) is 
 the obvious and spontaneous interpretation of the 
 appearances." 
 
 Review the language and logic of WhewelPs 
 statement. Masterly and beautiful in composition, 
 but false in principle. He decides that the dual 
 motions of the apparent sun of nature are identical 
 with the one motion of a real sun moving round a 
 fixed earth. 
 
 If in this case Mitchel and Whewell have given 
 us a fair specimen of the accuracy of the Coperni- 
 can system of astronomy, its reliableness may be 
 justly called in question, and its stability quivers 
 already in approaching impeachment. 
 
 When Whewell affirms, "we have the testimony 
 of our senses that the real sun moves round an 
 imaginary fixed earth," that this " is the obvious 
 and spontaneous interpretation of the appear- 
 ances," did he mean our senses perverted by igno- 
 rance and false science, or our correctly educated 
 senses ? Which ? 
 
 It is so, to our perverted senses the sun seems to 
 go round the earth ; but when our educated senses 
 are put in communion with the verities of nature, 
 the illusion vanishes. It is not supposable that 
 Whewell meant that to our perverted senses the 
 sun moves around a fixed earth in one motion, and 
 that this is the obvious and spontaneous interpret- 
 ation of the solar motions. His intelligence for- 
 bids this assumption, for every educated person 
 knows, senses, and distinguishes the apparent mo- 
 tions of the sun. What, then, was meant? We
 
 FALSE SCIENCE. 
 
 are driven to the conclusion that a great mistake 
 has been made, rendered not the less so by the 
 great names engaged in it, and that the understood 
 true solar motions are in no wise identical with the 
 phenomenon of the real motion of one sun. The 
 principal source of all error has been the perver- 
 sion of the senses of mankind by false teaching, 
 equally damaging in science and religion. A false 
 science perverted the senses of Hipparchus and 
 Ptolemy. Hence they wittingly thought they saw 
 what was not to be seen in the appearances of 
 nature. The same want of a true perception, and 
 the adoption of theory for truth, has kept mankind 
 so long in the darkness of scientific error, and from 
 the taint of this original corruption Win. Whewell 
 did not escape. 
 
 BKADLEY'S MISTAKE. 
 
 Bradley's discovery of the annual aberration of 
 the light of the stars was hailed as positive evi- 
 dence of the earth's annual motion ; but because 
 the stars which are seen in the plane of the celes- 
 tial equator at the time of the summer solstice are 
 also seen in the plane of the celestial equator at 
 the time of the winter solstice, nature afforded no 
 opportunity for Bradley's pseudo discovery. 
 
 The stars appear and are known to change their 
 place, with respect to an earthly observer, in every 
 instant of time during the earth's diurnal revolu- 
 tion ; and therefore nature does afford an opportu- 
 nity to make the discovery of the diurnal aberra- 
 tion of the light of the stars, which was made after 
 Bradley's death. 
 
 Bradley, no doubt, discovered the diurnal aber- 
 ration of the light of the stars, which he mistook 
 for their annual aberration ; and since his day the
 
 32 
 
 FALSE SCIENCE. 
 
 mistake has been lauded as a fact of nature, and 
 afforded to astronomers a wonderful field in which 
 to display their erudition in fanciful astronomy, in 
 assuming what would be if Bradley's discovery had 
 been verity, and not a myth as it is. 

 
 LAW OP NATURE. 
 
 FOR ASTRONOMERS. 
 
 MY DEMONSTEATION OP THE EABTH'S MOTIONS. 
 
 Law of Nature. 
 
 IN the fact of a planet simultaneously turning 
 on an axis and moving round a central sun, the 
 dual motion of the planet will be transferred to 
 the sun, causing the sun in appearance to have a 
 dual motion, resulting in apparent diurnal and 
 yearly revolutions of the central sun ; and from the 
 solar motions observed from any one of the heav- 
 enly bodies may be deduced the nature of the 
 motions of the heavenly globe. Now, because the 
 phenomena of the solar motions observed from the 
 earth are diurnal and yearly, from these apparent 
 motions I deduce the facts of the diurnal and 
 yearly motions of the earth, without any respect 
 to the changes of the seasons, or Bradley 's discov- 
 ery of the annual aberration of the light of the 
 stars. In so doing I am conscious that not a 
 known astronomer of the past has ever attempted 
 to demonstrate the earth's annual motion as I have 
 done. 
 
 The Copernican-Newtonian astronomers give, 
 in proof of the earth's annual motion, the changes 
 of the seasons; but if, as Mitchel and Whewell 
 say, "whether of the earth around the sun or of the 
 sun around the earth," the appearances of nature 
 are the same, the testimony of the changes of the 
 seasons is of but little force ; but if you regard as 
 forcible and true the deducing of the earth's axial 
 and orbital motions from the apparent motions of 
 the sun, then the testimony of the four seasons of 
 
 3
 
 A WONDER OP CREATION. 
 
 the year greatly add to the testimony of the solar 
 motions, and these proofs or testimonies of nature 
 to the wise are convincing. 
 
 What is to be Seen. 
 
 At the time of the vernal equinox, if an observer 
 in the position of a right sphere draws a line pass- 
 ing through the centres of the earth and sun, pro- 
 duced to the stars, and with this line draws a circle, 
 the circle will be the circle of the ecliptic among the 
 stars, and the space cut by the line will be the plane 
 of the ecliptic. With another line drawn from the 
 centre of the earth, passing through the line of the 
 equator, produced to the stars, describe a circle, 
 which will be the circle of the celestial equator ; 
 and the circles of the ecliptic and equator are in- 
 clined to each other about 23 28'. 
 
 At the instant of the beginning of the astronom- 
 ical year, the centre of the apparent sun being on 
 the point of intersection of the planes of the 
 ecliptic and equinoctial, an observer, under the 
 effects of the dual motions of the earth, will see the 
 centre of the sun in appearance move in the plane 
 of the ecliptic, and also in the plane of the equi- 
 noctial. As an effect of the diurnal motion of the 
 earth, the diurnal sun will finish a solar day revo- 
 lution ; and as an effect of the yearly motion of 
 the earth round the sun, the sun will appear to 
 complete a solar year revolution. 
 
 A Wonder of Creation. 
 
 One of God's great works in the creation was 
 his making a real sun answer the purposes of a 
 multitude of apparent suns. If we had the power 
 to multiply our personal being to equal the num- 
 ber of the bodies of the solar system, and could
 
 ORIGIN OP THE SUN's MOTION. 
 
 take a position on every one of them in the same 
 instant, the apparent sun would be seen describing 
 a multitude of diurnal revolutions in the several 
 times of the diurnal revolutions of all the celestial 
 bodies ; and observed from each one of the heav- 
 enly bodies, the apparent sun would be seen de- 
 scribing a multitude of yearly revolutions equal in 
 number to the number of the bodies of the solar 
 system, in the several times of their solar years. 
 Were all the heavenly bodies of the system of the 
 sun like Ptolemy's supposed fixed earth, every 
 one of them would require two suns to produce the 
 solar motions observed from their surfaces. What 
 an occasion presents itself in this view of the solar 
 motions, seen from every body of the solar system, 
 to inspire our admiration of the " Sun" of our sal- 
 vation. Behold Him, who is limitless in power, 
 using that power in the economy of providing but 
 one sun for the diurnal and yearly illumination of 
 every body of the solar system ; and in that very 
 economy there is an exuberance of fullness suf- 
 ficient for the illumination of a thousand, ten 
 thousand, or millions of revolving worlds. 
 
 Origin of the Sun's Motion. 
 
 The matter composing the body of the sun was 
 originally free to receive any one right-line 
 impulse to urge the sun forward in the direction of 
 a right line, or to receive one right-line sidewise 
 impulse to simultaneously turn the sun on an axis 
 and urge it forward in the direction of a curve 
 line. The reader will understand, that the right- 
 line sidewise impulse impinging on a globe will 
 always generate rotary and curvilinear motions. 
 
 If required to move the sun in the direction of a 
 right line, the force must impinge on the body of
 
 36 THE EARTH. 
 
 the sun in the direction of a line passing directly 
 through the centre of the sun. 
 
 From such a motive force, generating but one 
 resulting motion, the sun would be compelled to 
 move forward in a sliding motion in the direction 
 of a right line. But if required to generate the 
 attraction of the gravity of the sun, which is the 
 tendency of his matter to his axial centre, also 
 rotary and curvilinear motions, also the inclination 
 of the axis and his oblate form, a single right- 
 line impulse, directed sidewise and parallel to a 
 line passing through the centre of the sun, was 
 sufficient to produce this wonderful variety of 
 results. And from such a motive force was gener- 
 ated the spheroidal gravity of the sun, his axial 
 and orbital motions, the inclination of his axis, 
 and his oblate form. This miracle of motions, 
 belonging by right as it does to the truths of nature 
 and her law of forces, justly appeals to mankind 
 for the recognition of its divine right ; and though 
 it has so long been hidden from the gaze and un- 
 derstanding of the sons of earthly birth, its lustre 
 shines none the less brilliant. 
 
 The Earth. 
 
 The matter composing the earth was passed 
 from rest to motion by a single sidewise impulse ; 
 from which arose the gravity of the earth, also its 
 dual axial and orbital motions, also the inclination 
 of its axis and its oblate form. 
 
 Suppose a line to pass through the centre of the 
 sun, and extend in space, afterward to be known 
 as the transverse diameter or long axis of the 
 orbit of the earth and the centre of the matter of 
 the earth, and one end of the line to coincide with
 
 THE EAETH. 
 
 a point afterward to be known as the perihelion 
 point of the earth's orbit. 
 
 Let us, thus prepared, assume that a single side- 
 wise impulse impinges on the matter of the earth 
 (the matter of the earth being between the motive 
 force and the sun) in the direction of a right line, 
 aside from and parallel to the line joining the 
 centres of the matter of the earth and sun, and 
 parallel to and above a plane subsequently to be 
 known as the plane of the earth's orbit, by an 
 amount of angular measurement of 23 28', and 
 learn what follows. 
 
 1. The one-motive sidewise force started the 
 matter of the earth from an absolute state of rest 
 to a condition of relative motion round an axis, 
 which became the axis of the earth. In this tran- 
 sition, the absolute weight of the matter of the 
 earth passed to its now relative weight, and in this 
 relative weight it tends to the axial centre of the 
 earth, and this tendency is the gravity of the matter 
 of the earth, which was unknown and without ex- 
 istence until the motive force caused the matter of 
 the earth to rotate on its axis ; and from the motive 
 force causing the axial rotation originated the grav- 
 ity of the matter of the earth ; which, in the very na- 
 ture of the case, must be spheroidal gravitation. 
 
 2. Also, from the one-motive sidewise force was 
 generated the axial rotation of the earth, and the 
 inclination of the axis is perpetually invariable in 
 each and every revolution. 
 
 3. Also, the one-motive sidewise force deflected 
 the earth from a right-line motion, causing it to 
 move forward in the direction of a curve line ; 
 which curvilinear motion being continued, result- 
 ed in the orbital motion of the earth.
 
 JUPITER. 
 
 4. Also, because the one-motive force impinged 
 on the earth, at the point before mentioned, the 
 result was the inclination of the axis of the earth, 
 the amount being 23 28'. 
 
 5. Also, from the one-motive sidewise force the 
 matter of the earth, conforming to the centrifugal 
 force of the earth, which was caused by the rotary 
 motion, did take upon itself the oblate form of a 
 sphere. 
 
 6. The reasonableness and possibility of the five- 
 fold results mentioned in the previous five observ- 
 ations emboldens me to declare, that the Creator 
 did, by the agency of a motive sidewise impulse, 
 generate the phenomena of motions and resulting 
 forces which belong to any one of the heavenly 
 bodies. 
 
 Jupiter. 
 
 Again : suppose a line to pass through the centre 
 of the sun, subsequently to be known as the long 
 axis of the elliptical orbit of the planet Jupiter and 
 the centre of the matter of the planet, and one 
 end of that line to coincide with a point afterward 
 to be known as the perihelion point of Jupiter's 
 orbit. 
 
 Let us now assume that, in' the opening of the 
 epoch of resulting motions, a right-line motive 
 force impinged on the mass of the matter of the 
 planet Jupiter in a line parallel to the line joining 
 the centres of Jupiter and the sun, and aside from 
 it, at a distance of about 45, but in the plane to 
 become the plane of Jupiter's ecliptic and equinoc- 
 tial, and then from the force there should arise all 
 the phenomena of resulting motions and forces 
 which belong to Jupiter. 
 
 1. The one-motive sidewise force forced the
 
 JUPITEK. 39 
 
 mass of the matter of Jupiter from its absolute 
 state of rest to a condition of relative motion 
 round the axis of Jupiter, and in the transition the 
 absolute weight of the matter was changed to its 
 relative weight, and in this relative weight it tends 
 to the axial centre of Jupiter, and this tendency 
 is the attraction of the matter of Jupiter, which 
 arcse in the matter being precipitated on the axis 
 of Jupiter by the motive sidewise force. Hence 
 the origin of the attraction of gravitation of the 
 matter of Jupiter. 
 
 2. Also, the one-motive sidewise force generated 
 the rotary motion of the matter of Jupiter, and 
 this continued rotary motion resulted in Jupiter's 
 axial revolutions. 
 
 3. Also, the one-motive sidewise force generated 
 the forward curvilinear motion of v Jupiter, which 
 in continuance returned into itself, resulting in the 
 orbital revolutions of Jupiter. 
 
 4. Also, the one-motive force generated the po- 
 sition of the axis of Jupiter, which is perpendic- 
 ular to the plane of his orbit 5 the parallelism of 
 the axis will be invariably preserved throughout 
 all his yearly revolutions. 
 
 5. Also, the one-motive force generating the 
 axial rotation of Jupiter, his matter, conforming 
 to the centrifugal force, assumed the form of an 
 oblate sphere. 
 
 6. Because the one-motive force impinged on 
 the eastern hemisphere of the mass of the matter 
 of the planet Jupiter, the planet Jupiter moves 
 eastward in his journey round the sun, and the 
 question, why Jupiter moves eastward round the 
 sun, and not westward, is answered. 
 
 How I wish you would for a moment say I am
 
 c 
 
 JUPITER. 
 
 right ! What a magnificent display of the wonders 
 of nature would then start into being before you ! 
 You would feel that,' at last, the secret of how God 
 originated the phenomena and resulting forces of 
 nature is discovered. These wonders of nature 
 would loom up before you as they never loomed 
 before. 
 
 Not a Copernican-N-ewtonian astronomer ever 
 claimed to know why the planets move eastward 
 round the sun ; why the moons of the planets 
 move eastward round their primaries, except in 
 one supposed instance ; why the comets are con- 
 fined to no particular direction, but move any way, 
 eastward or westward, or in any other direction 
 perpendicular and oblique to the planes of the 
 planetary orbits. The why is now answered. It 
 depends on which hemisphere of the heavenly 
 body the force impinges. If on the eastern hemi- 
 spheres of the planets, it determines that the yearly 
 courses of the planets shall be in a course which 
 the astronomers have named eastward. If on the 
 eastern hemisphere of the moons, it is determined 
 that they shall move eastward round their prima- 
 ries: If on the western hemisphere of a comet, it 
 is determined that the comet shall move westward 
 round the sun. Now because the axis of Jupiter 
 is perpendicular to the plane of his orbit he may 
 be selected for illustration, to indicate the point of 
 force from which arises the direction of the heaven- 
 ly orb. Now, with Jupiter supposed to be before 
 you, if the one motive force impinge on the eastern 
 hemisphere of Jupiter, a plane of his axis dividing 
 the eastern hemisphere from the western, the 
 course of Jupiter will be eastward round the sun ; 
 but if on the western hemisphere, Jupiter would
 
 THE DIFFERENCE. 41 
 
 be compelled to go forward westward round the 
 sun. Or if the force impinged on the upper hemi- 
 sphere of Jupiter, which is above the plane of his 
 orbit, Jupiter would be compelled to describe an 
 orbit the plane of which would be perpendicular 
 to the present plane of Jupiter's orbital motion. 
 The direction of a heavenly body, so far as east- 
 ward or westward is concerned, or any other di- 
 rection of a heavenly body, depends on the point 
 at which the sidewise force impinges. 
 
 The Moon. 
 
 The moon, in motion round the earth and with 
 the earth round the sun, describes epicycles. This 
 kind of orbital motion Newton concluded was 
 due to the mutual attraction of the earth and 
 moon, and the attraction of the sun and moon on 
 each other, conjoined with the moon's projectile 
 forces. Now add the oblique impulse, from which 
 Newton concluded arose the moon's axial motion, 
 and you have a quintuple parallelogram of forces, 
 which were supposed to lie at the foundation of 
 nature's resources to move the moon round the 
 earth, and round the sun, and on her axis. 
 
 The Difference. 
 
 One right-line motive sidewise impulse sufficed 
 to generate all the known resulting motions and 
 forces of the moon. Of what use, then, for nature to 
 employ five distinct forces? Suppose the matter 
 of the moon to have been gathered at a point 
 which might become a distance of the moon from 
 the earth and a line joining the centres of the two 
 bodies. 
 
 If a motive force impinges on the moon in a line 
 parallel to the line joining the centres of the moon
 
 SATURN, HIS RINGS AND MOONS. 
 
 and the earth, and aside from it at a distance of 
 between 45 and 90 P , the moon would immediate- 
 ly acquire a rotary motion and move forward in a 
 curve line, which, continued, will result in the 
 epic} r cles which the moon describes in her journey 
 round the earth and sun ; and because all the 
 motions and forces of the moon may be produced 
 in a body moving in free space by the agency of 
 a right-line motive sidewise force, it is reasonable 
 to conclude that nature preferred this one force, 
 rather than the received five forces, to cause the 
 phenomena of the moon's motions. The like kind 
 of sidewise forces, used as the Architect of the uni- 
 verse employed them, suffice to account for the 
 motions, even every kind of resulting motions and 
 forces, which belong to the moons of Jupiter, 
 Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. 
 
 Saturn, His Rings and Moons. 
 
 The matter of the several parts of the system 
 of Saturn, his rings and moons were arranged, 
 weighed, and their distances from the sun determ- 
 ined, and the interrelations of every part of this 
 system established to be subjected to the dominion 
 of the majestic motive force. In the same instant, 
 Saturn and his rings and moons were projected, by 
 the agency of sidewise forces, from rest to motion, in 
 the companionship of a ceaseless solar journey ; and 
 the resulting motions and forces will be maintained 
 perpetually in the system of Saturn, and the rings 
 of Saturn will rotate and go forward in curvilinear 
 motions the same as if they were a part of the 
 body of the planet Saturn and united to him. 
 
 ILLUSTEATION. 
 
 You may whirl a globe in the same manner that
 
 9 
 
 COMETS. 
 
 you whirl a top. There are two kinds of tops 
 toys, which boys play with. One kind may be set in 
 motion by applying the force through the agency 
 of a string, the other may be set in motion by 
 the agency of a whip ; and if the force is sufficiently 
 strong and correctly applied, the tops and the 
 globe will each acquire rotary and curvilinear 
 motions, and may be seen describing epicycles, 
 like the moon does, and sometimes the motion 
 will be in the path of a spiral. Were these 
 motions produced in free space they would pro- 
 gress continually. 
 
 Comets. 
 
 The comets, like other bodies of the solar sys- 
 tem, were set in motion by the agency of motive 
 sidewise forces, which generated their curvilinear 
 motions, resulting in the great varieties of their 
 elliptical orbits. The most sidewise force that can 
 impinge on a globe will cause it to move in a 
 curve line, which, continued, will result in the direc- 
 tion of a spiral. The least sidewise force imping- 
 ing on a globe will cause it to move in the direc- 
 tion of a curve line, which is the least removed 
 from a right line. Between these extremes, a side- 
 wise force impinging on a globe is competent to 
 generate a curvilinear motion of a globe, resulting 
 in any kind of orbital motion ; and therefore, as 
 far as the requirements of nature are concerned, 
 the sidewise force is capable of doing more than 
 nature demands to cause the curvilinear motions 
 of the celestial spheres. And this exuberance of 
 motive force is another instance of the opulence of 
 the resources of nature. 
 
 This majestic sidewise motive force binds the 
 heavenly bodies to pursue their orbital paths, and
 
 MOTIONS OF GLOBES. 
 
 leaves no room to fear that bodies, on account of 
 the possible derangement of the Newtonian forces, 
 may be thrown out of their present order in cre- 
 ation, and a collapse of the universe ensue. In 
 the universe of worlds started into motion, the 
 side wise force determined the rates of motion, 
 and the curvature of the paths resulting in orbits 
 which should be pursued by the moving bodies ; 
 and the whole order and arrangement of the 
 motions of the bodies among themselves can never 
 permit the colliding of the moving worlds. The 
 effect of the sidewise force gives an independence 
 of motion to every body in the creation. If the 
 sun could be removed beyond Sirius, his absence 
 of light would be felt ; still every planet would 
 pursue the same path as now. And if Saturn and 
 his rings and moons should survive the wreck of 
 all other worlds, Saturn and his rings and moons 
 would still pursue the same paths into which they 
 were originally driven by sidewise forces. God 
 put the imprint of his own stability on every mov- 
 ing orb, and the material creation must keep on in 
 the perfection of motions generated by the majes- 
 tic motive force until the Creator shall command a 
 halt in the final desolation of all perishable things. 
 
 Motions of Globes. 
 
 As I was ruminating, and earnestly desiring to 
 understand the cause of the being of things, I felt 
 inclined to the study of the received laws of 
 motions. Not a thought of their defectibility had 
 then entered my mind. Of what use to doubt 
 when those glorious mental kings, Benedetti, 
 Galileo, and Newton, had put their royal signa- 
 tures to the laws. Their laws of motions appeared 
 to be as firm as the throne of Allah, the wonderful
 
 MOTIONS OF GLOBES. 45 
 
 I AM, and the results of his volitions ; and the com- 
 placent satisfaction which ages of learned men 
 have exhibited in respect to the truth of these 
 laws, seemed to be a guarantee of their immuta- 
 bility. But my assurance of the fidelity of these 
 laws of motion was doomed to be tumbled into 
 confusion. 
 
 On a certain day I impressed a globe with a 
 single right-line sidewise force. Judge of my 
 surprise, when at the instant of the impact of the 
 force the globe moved forward, describing a curve 
 line ; and but for the resistance of the air and the 
 spheroidal gravity of the earth it would have con- 
 tinued in motion and finished a whole circle of rev- 
 olution, as the result of a single force ! Did my 
 eyes deceive me? Was the globe in an antic of 
 rebellion against natural law ? What ! a curve- 
 line motion of a body the effect of a single force ? 
 Such a thing must be impossible, being contrary 
 to the first law of motion. Newton taught that it 
 could not be ; and the united testimony of the 
 learned and intelligent of mankind must not be 
 doomed to reversion, nor the first law of motion 
 lose the dignity of its rank by a single blow or 
 force. What then ? Are we to conclude that the 
 globe did move in violation of the first law of 
 motion? Admit this, and then tell why. Can 
 matter move in opposition to natural law? Never! 
 No matter for all the reasons that can be urged 
 against it, the globe did move in the direction of a 
 curve line, and the celebrated first law of motion 
 was powerless to prevent it ; and the opinions of 
 mankind should be corrected by it. All hail this 
 born child of curvilinear motion ! A single impulse 
 was thine accoucheur ; and in the beginning thy
 
 LAW OF NATURAL MOTIONS. 
 
 kingly power impressed all the glowing orbs of the 
 heavens with the graces of their motions, and to 
 thine imperial rule all matter was subjected. Thy 
 potent force will yet command the scientific world 
 anew to mental toil, its sons and daughters to 
 behold the new and beautiful in celestial motions, 
 and the rapture of pleasure will be such as the 
 natural revelations of nature can only inspire. 
 
 The Issue. 
 
 Astronomers, mathematicians, and all adherents 
 to the received first law of motion, teach and 
 believe that if a single force impinge on a globe in 
 the direction of a right line, if not otherwise inter- 
 fered with the globe will move forward in the direc- 
 tion of a right line with the line of the force, 
 and the globe can not move in any other than a 
 right-line motion. 
 
 Contrary to this, a right-line force will generate 
 a curvilinear motion of a globe. This reduces the 
 received first law of motion from the rank of an 
 assumed fact to the poverty of a failure in science, 
 leaving the way clear for a better understanding of 
 the doctrine of natural motions. 
 
 Law of Natural Motions. 
 
 The matter of a globe at rest in free space, 
 would be ready to receive and become obedient to 
 any kind of impulse, to set out in any and every 
 possible direction of right and curve line motions, 
 and the particular direction of the motion of the 
 globe could be determined by the manner of 
 applying the force, and the selection of the point 
 of impact on the surface of the globe. 
 
 1. If the force is central, impinging on the globe 
 in the direction of a line passing through its centre,
 
 ROTARY AND CURVILINEAR MOTIONS. 
 
 the globe must move forward in the direction of a 
 right line with the line of the motive force, and 
 encountering no resistance in free and boundless 
 space, the globe would progress in right-line 
 motion continually. From the effect of the central 
 force the globe will move forward in a sliding 
 motion, but without a rotary motion ; because this 
 force is powerless to generate any but a resulting 
 single sliding motion. 
 
 2. This hypothetical example of right-line mo- 
 tion was possible, but was not employed in the 
 works of nature, because she required, in the exe- 
 cution of her wonderful plan, that all resulting 
 motions should be naturally rotary and curvilinear, 
 and therefore the right-line sidewise force was elect- 
 ed to the rank of ability to do all that the God of 
 nature required to be done in the generation of 
 the phenomena of all resulting motions and forces 
 which belong to all the celestial bodies in the 
 universe. 
 
 3. The nearest approach to the motion of a body 
 in a right line is when it is let fall from a hight 
 to the surface of the earth ; but then, on account of 
 the very swift motions of the earth, of more than a 
 thousand miles an hour on its axis, and about nine- 
 teen miles in every second of time in its orbit, 
 combined with spheroidal gravitation, the path de- 
 scribed by the body must be slightly curved. 
 
 Rotary and Curvilinear Motions. 
 
 Originally the motions of the heavenly bodies 
 were rotary and curvilinear, having been generated 
 by right-line motive sidewise forces, which caused, 
 not only the diurnal and yearly revolutions of the 
 heavenly bodies, but also the inclinations of their
 
 TOPS. 
 
 axes, their spheroidal gravitation, and the oblate 
 forms of all the celestial bodies. 
 
 Let it be noticed that one of the results of the 
 motive sidewise force was the generation of the 
 attractions of the matter of the spheres, and be- 
 cause the curve-line motion of a globe does not 
 depend on some centrally lodged power of gravita- 
 tion, nature is without occasion to need the inter- 
 vention of a cause or force like that assigned to the 
 theory of universal gravitation. 
 
 And because the attraction of gravitation of 
 matter is spheroidal, if the earth could be placed 
 at the distance of a thousand miles from the sur- 
 face of the sun, there being no mutual attractions 
 between the two bodies, they would perform their 
 respective functions without the least possibility of 
 being influenced by each other. 
 
 Tops. 
 
 Sir Isaac Newton says: " A top, whose parts, 
 by their cohesion, are perpetually drawn aside 
 from rectilinear motiqns, does not cease its rotation 
 otherwise than it is retarded by the air." 
 
 Hence the matter of two or one hundred tops 
 rotating among themselves on the earth would not 
 be retarded by gravity, but only by the air. Re- 
 move the tops to the free space, where they would 
 encounter no resistance from the air, and they 
 would rotate continually among themselves, having 
 no mutual attractions of their matter. 
 
 Suppose the heavenly bodies to be a system of 
 tops (they rotate on their axes like tops), all whirl- 
 ing on their axes, and if tops whirling on the earth 
 escape the effects of the gravity of the earth, the 
 rotating of the heavenly bodies must exempt them 
 also from any kind of mutual attraction. Accord-
 
 THE RECEIVED FIRST LAW OF MOTION. 
 
 ing to Newton, a top, which is an inverted conoid 
 when whirling, is free from all effects of gravita- 
 tion ; and Newton also taught that the rotary mo- 
 tions of the heavenly bodies are entirely free from 
 any of the effects of centripetal force ; and these 
 things being admitted, when you learn what is left 
 of the theory of gravitation, as it is taught in the 
 schools, please inform me. The gravitarians never 
 allowed the force of gravitation to exceed the 
 weight of the heavenly body ; but the force to 
 cause the rotary motion of a sphere is greater than 
 the weight of the matter of the sphere. 
 
 Therefore, if the earth was a homogeneous and 
 perfect sphere, or an oblate sphere, or a prolate 
 spheroid, or a conoid, it would be altogether free 
 from the interference of the assumed force of the 
 gravity of the sun, or of any other body of the 
 system, in any and every part of the orbital 
 journey. 
 
 Natural Law. 
 
 The laws of nature are absolute, and are so far 
 removed from contingency that the possibility of 
 change in their order or effects is never to be 
 entertained. 
 
 On this account, and because the philosophers' 
 first and second laws of motion involve the idea of 
 contingency, and the motions of the heavenly 
 bodies were in no degree originated by them ; said 
 laws were found to be misnomers and mere hy- 
 potheses. Misnomers being names having origin 
 in misconception, and hypotheses being purely 
 human inventions. 
 
 The Received First Law of Motion. 
 
 "Everybody perseveres in a state of rest, or of 
 uniform motion in a right line, unless it is com-
 
 JAMES FERGUSON. 
 
 pelled to change that state by forces impressed 
 thereon," Sir Isaac Newton. 
 
 James Ferguson. 
 
 James Ferguson, in his Astronomy, explained 
 upon Sir Isaac Newton's principles, says : "All 
 motion is naturally rectilineal." 
 
 In Parker's Philosophy, p. 55, he asks : " In what 
 direction is the motion of a body impelled by a 
 single force?" Answer: "Simple motion is the 
 motion of a body impelled by a single force, and is 
 always in a straight line in the same direction with 
 the force that acts." 
 
 At first I thought of what use for me to say any- 
 thing contrary to what had been taught by geo- 
 metricians, mathematicians, and astronomers of the 
 Newtonian system of philosophy. With such a 
 host of grand masters to oppose me, I felt the 
 loneliness of my estate and dreaded the encounter; 
 but being urged by an inward impulse which over- 
 came all hesitancy, I advanced tremblingly to the 
 contest, in hope that truth would conquer. 
 
 In respect to the names which I have introduced 
 to the reader on the side of right-line motion, it 
 had been good for the men if they had ever seen a 
 body moving in a right line. One such fact, oh, 
 'how it would help their laws of motions! And par- 
 ticularly if it had ever happened in nature that a 
 heavenly body was known to have moved in the 
 direction of a right-line perpendicular to the line 
 of the sun's attraction on the body ! "What man or 
 congress of men, however much they might wish 
 to do so, could ever establish a theory of rectilinear 
 motions, with all nature, in all of her departments, 
 opposed to them ? In the annals of time nature, 
 in her boundless congress of things, has given in-
 
 
 THE RECEIVED SECOND LAW OP MOTION. 51 
 
 numerable examples of bodies moving in curve 
 lines, but not one example of resulting rectilinear 
 motion. In the circumambient expanse there are 
 bodies without number ; but among the wonderful 
 multitude of orbs which beautify the limitless wil- 
 derness of immensity, or atoms flitting in the sun's 
 beams, where was one of them ever seen or known 
 to have moved in a right line ? 
 
 A right-line resultant motion of a body is for- 
 ever excluded from the family of worlds, which 
 move within the limits of the outskirts of the mate- 
 rial creation, on the frontier line of which many a 
 human thought has often longed to rest, and cast a 
 look of hope toward the home of the holy. 
 
 The Received Second Law of Motion. 
 
 "The alteration of motion is ever proportional 
 to the motive force impressed, and is made in the 
 direction of the right line in which that force is 
 impressed/ 7 Sir Isaac Newton. 
 
 "A body by two forces conjoined will describe 
 the diagonal of a parallelogram in the same time 
 that it would describe the sides of those forces 
 apart." Sir Isaac Newton. 
 
 This second law of motion is one of those things 
 which have obtained currency among men of sci- 
 ence on account of its assumed truth. This law 
 having been raised to the dignity of immutability 
 and numbered with the laws of nature, it appears 
 unwarrantable for any one to question its rank or 
 attempt to ignore its truth. 
 
 It will be readily perceived by the reader that 
 the second law, like the first, speaks of right-line 
 motion ; and, in addition to this, of a composition of 
 right-line forces, generating a resultant right-line 
 motion in the diagonal of a parallelogram, which 

 
 52 GRAVITY OF THE SUN. 
 
 composition is called a parallelogram of right- 
 line forces. 
 
 But the second law of motion can not be true ; 
 for we have seen that in the realm of nature 
 there is no resultant rectilinear motion, and what 
 the forces of nature do not produce may be looked 
 for in vain among the works of art. Therefore, 
 because in the regions where spheroidal gravity 
 obtains a resultant motion is of necessity in a 
 curve line, the body can not describe, by the effect 
 of the single impulse either side, or by the two 
 conjoined, the diagonal of a parallelogram. But 
 you may say, except the force of gravity, and then, 
 from the composition of the forces, the body will 
 describe the diagonal of a parallelogram. Is this 
 the way the very true system, in the person of a 
 follower of Newton, begs the question? If you 
 except gravity, you have nothing left that looks 
 like science. It can not be excepted, for it is 
 the chief corner-stone of the received system of 
 astronomy ; and if excepted, it shows the poverty 
 of the forces and how they hobble, resting on 
 exceptions. Such an appeal is unworthy of a 
 cause which is supposed to be only and altogether 
 true. 
 
 Gravity of the Sun. 
 
 The first law of motion teaches, that a force 
 impinging on a body will urge it forward in the 
 direction of a right line. The second law of 
 motion teaches, that if a force impinge on a mov- 
 ing body it will alter its motion, and the alteration 
 of its motion will be in the direction of the right 
 line in which the force is impressed. All right- 
 line forces, single or compound, will generate only 
 right-line forces or motions of bodies. Now, if the
 
 A DIFFICULTY FOR ASTRONOMERS. 
 
 second law of motion is in consonance with nature, 
 when the force of the gravity of the sun deflects 
 the earth from the direction of the projectile 
 impulse, supposed to be perpendicular to the line 
 of the sun's attraction, why does the earth move in 
 a curve line, and not in a right line, according to 
 the second law of motion ? 
 
 Nor does the fact that the force of the sun is 
 attractive, and not projectile, alter the case so as to 
 vitiate the principle involved ; for whether the 
 force of the sun attracts the earth, or the earth is 
 driven in the line of the sun's attraction, in either 
 case it is in the direction of a right line, and the 
 result, according to the second law of motion, 
 would be the same. 
 
 And because the result of a drawing or attract- 
 ing force, like that of the sun is supposed to be, is 
 not in any material degree different from a pro- 
 jectile or driving force, those forces, simultaneously 
 acting on a body according to the second law of 
 motion, should compel the earth to describe the 
 diagonal of a parallelogram, two of the sides of 
 which are made up of the lines in which the two 
 forces act at right angles with each other ; and in 
 the direction of this diagonal the earth should 
 move, as an effect of the composition of the forces. 
 But the motion of the earth is curvilinear, and not 
 rectilinear ; and it must be that the motion of the 
 earth is straight, or else the second law of motion 
 is not a law of nature. 
 
 A Difficulty for Astronomers. 
 
 It is well known that the parallelogram of forces 
 by which the earth is supposed to be carried 
 around the sun has nothing to do toward causing
 
 A DIFFICULTY FOR ASTRONOMERS. 
 
 the rotary motion of the earth. A third force, 
 called an oblique impulse, was called into requisi- 
 tion to account for the revolution of the earth on 
 its axis. In Newton's Principia (Book 1, p. 214, 
 cor. 22), he teaches how a globe, by an oblique 
 impulse, may acquire a rotation on an axis which 
 will remain perpetually invariable, and not be 
 subject to centripetal force. It appears, then, that 
 three forces, one attracting and two driving forces, 
 compose the powers that generated the New- 
 tonian manner of moving the earth axially and 
 orbitally around the sun. The two driving forces 
 were supposed to complete their work from the 
 instant of their impact having generated the axial 
 and projectile motions of the earth ; but the force 
 of the sun's attraction was assumed to be constant 
 and perpetual. 
 
 The introduction of the third oblique impulse, 
 to originate the rotary motion of the earth, could 
 not have been without the alteration of the curvi- 
 linear motion of the earth. For the sake of the 
 subject, let the geometricians, mathematicians, and 
 astronomers, and all others competent to judge, 
 carry out their convictions as to the truth of what 
 they believe to be the attractive force of the sun 
 and the earth's centrifugal force, a la Newton, to 
 generate the motion of the earth in its orbit. 
 These forces suffice, you think, to originate the 
 orbital motion; but an axial motion is also 
 required, and to cause it you must use Newton's 
 third oblique force. 
 
 But this third oblique force can not be used 
 against the earth without deranging the curvilinear 
 motion of the earth, and once deranged is to be 
 forever destroyed.
 
 THE ZIGZAGS. 
 
 The Zigzags. 
 
 In every second of time the earth describes a 
 part of her orbit equal to nineteen miles, and this 
 astonishingly swift curvilinear motion precludes the 
 possibility of its having been originated by the 
 attraction of the sun and the earth's projectile 
 force conjoined. For to suppose that the earth 
 falls in a right line toward the sun at the rate of 
 nineteen miles every second of time, and simulta- 
 neously is driven in the right line of the projectile 
 force at the rate of nineteen miles every second of 
 time, the whole course would be a series of zigzag 
 motions, this way and that way, from which the 
 earth could not recover so as to pursue the even 
 and smooth tenor of her way which she is known 
 to do. 
 
 There is no escape from these zigzag motions 
 which inhere to the Newtonian forces. If you 
 choose a space of time as small as the one-thou- 
 sandth part of a second of time, the zigzag motions 
 will still be prominent ; and in this time, according 
 to the theory, the earth will describe two sides of a 
 square of one hundred feet, and a motion this way 
 and that way on the square, then the curvilinear 
 motion, and then the oblique force, compose an 
 inexplicable zigzag curve line of confusion. The 
 reader may not be prepared to receive this conclu- 
 sion, because the resultant confusion looks hardly 
 like anything that could result from the science 
 established by Newton ; nevertheless, escape from 
 the sad effects if you can, but let it be an escape 
 in the way of true wisdom.
 
 INCIDENT AND REFLECTED MOTIONS. 
 
 Incident and Reflected Motions. 
 
 The universities and other institutions of learn- 
 ing teach that the angles of incident and reflected 
 motions of a globe are always equal to each other, 
 and from this equality there is no escape. But 
 it will be made to appear that the angle of the 
 reflected motion depends altogether on the mode 
 of the motive force, and that : 
 
 1. The reflected motion of a globe may be in 
 the line of its incident motion. 
 
 2. The angles of the incident and reflected mo- 
 tions of a globe may be equal to each other. 
 
 3. The incident motion of a globe may be in a 
 line perpendicular to a wall, and the reflected mo- 
 tion in a line at an angle of many degrees. 
 
 4. The incident motion of a globe may be in an 
 oblique line to a wall, and the reflected motion in 
 the same line. 
 
 Thus demonstrating how much the philosophy 
 of the schools needs reforming. I am in some 
 good degree repeating the epoch of Galileo. On 
 one side the learned ability of the intellectual 
 lights of the nineteenth century, and the consent 
 of centuries of men of mind, that the angle of the 
 reflected motion of a globe is always equal to the 
 angle of its incident motion. On the other side, a 
 man, unknown to fame, presumes to teach his 
 peers of a heaven-begotten, but erring race, that 
 the angles of incidence and reflection of a moving 
 globe are equal only when the motive force im- 
 pinges centrally on the globe ; in all other cases, 
 when the motive force is sidewise, the angle of 
 reflection is never equal to the angle of incidence, 
 which will be clearly illustrated in the following 
 examples.
 
 INCIDENT AND KEFLECTED MOTIONS. 
 
 DEMONSTEATIONS. 
 Figure 1. 
 
 o 
 
 B 
 
 FIRST EXAMPLE. 
 
 In Fig. 1, let the line A B represent a wall 
 against which any body may be driven, and the 
 line C D a base line from which bodies may be 
 projected. 
 
 1. "With a globe at the point 0, I applied a 
 central force in the direction of the line 0, pass- 
 ing through the centre of the globe, and the globe 
 from this impulse acquired an incident motion 
 from the point to 0, in the line 0, and in the 
 rebound the globe in its reflected motion moved 
 from to 0, in the line 0. In this example, 
 the incident and reflected motions of the globe 
 were in the same right line 0, perpendicular to 
 the wall A B. 
 
 SECOND EXAMPLE. 
 
 Again: with the globe at the point 0, I urged
 
 INCIDENT AND REFLECTED MOTIONS. 
 
 against it a motive sidewise force, to the right of, 
 and in a line parallel to, the line 0, and the in- 
 cident motion of the globe was in the line 0, but 
 in the rebound the reflected motion of the globe 
 was in the line R. 
 
 With the motive force a little more sidewise, 
 the reflected motion of the globe was in the direc- 
 tion of a line from to D ; and the sidewise force 
 could be so applied to the globe at the point 0, 
 that, in its several reflected motions, it would de- 
 scribe every line that could be produced in the 
 angle D. 
 
 TRIED EXAMPLE. 
 
 I placed the globe again at the point 0, and 
 urged against it a motive sidewise force, to the 
 left of and in a line parallel to the line 0, and 
 the incident motion of the globe was in the line 
 0, but in the rebound the reflected motion of 
 the globe was in the line S. 
 
 FOURTH EXAMPLE. 
 
 I then placed the globe at the point R, and with 
 a sidewise motive force to the right of and paral- 
 lel to the line R 0, projected the globe in the line 
 R against the point 0, and in the rebound the 
 reflected motion of the globe was in the line R. 
 And with the force a little more sidewise the 
 incident motion was in the line R 0, but the 
 reflected motion was in a line from to D. 
 
 Now when we consider that the reflected motions 
 of this example, which were respectively in the 
 lines R and from to D, when, according to the 
 theory, they should in both of the reflections have 
 been in the line S, it is plain how fur from the 
 truth is the received theory that the angles of 
 incidence and reflections are always equal.
 
 INCIDENT AND REFLECTED MOTIONS. 
 
 FIFTH EXAMPLE. 
 
 Again : with the globe at the point R, and the 
 motive force less sidewise than in the fourth 
 example, the globe was projected against the wall 
 at the point 0, and in the rebound the reflected 
 motion of the globe was in the line 0. 
 
 SIXTH EXAMPLE. 
 
 Again : with the globe at the point R, with a 
 motive central force, the globe was projected 
 against the point 0, and in the rebound the re- 
 flected motion of the globe was in the line O S. 
 In this example, the angle of the incident and 
 reflected motions of the globe are equal. 
 
 SEVENTH EXAMPLE. 
 
 Once more : with the globe at the point R, with 
 a motive sidewise force to the left of and parallel 
 to the line R 0, the globe was projected against 
 the point 0, and in the rebound, the reflected 
 motion of the globe was in the line P. 
 
 KEMARKS. 
 
 In the examples, the sidewise motive forces 
 tended to drive the globe slightly in curve lines, 
 but they were compensated for in the rebound, 
 and were treated in my text as if they were 
 straight-line incident and reflected motions. 
 
 1. In the first example, the motive force to move 
 the globe was a central force. From its nature, 
 and the line of its direction being perpendicular to 
 the line A B, the incident motion of the globe 
 progressed in the line 0, and the reflected mo- 
 tion regressed in the line O 0. 
 
 2. In the sixth example, the motive force to 
 move the globe in the line R was of the same 

 
 INCIDENT AND KEFLECTED MOTIONS. 
 
 kind of central force as that employed in the first 
 example, but the line of its direction, as seen in the 
 figure, is oblique, or inclined to the line A B a 
 measure of several degrees ; and because the force 
 was central, the incident motion of the globe was 
 in the line R and the reflected motion in the 
 line S. 
 
 3. In the remaining five examples the angles of 
 reflections and incidence are not equal. A most 
 convincing demonstration that when our philosoph- 
 ical fathers gave to the world their notions of 
 forces and the reflected motions of globes they 
 were themselves still in need of more knowledge, 
 and did succeed in making mankind believe that 
 error is truth. 
 
 4. In the seven examples I have demonstrated 
 a globe is subject to any variety of angular direc- 
 tion differing from the angle of incidence, or 
 agreeing with it, as the motive force is central or 
 sidewise. Also a motive sidewise force, to drive 
 the globe from the point R against the point 0, 
 can be so impressed that in the rebound from the 
 globe will describe an arc of a circle of which the 
 right line P may represent the chord. 
 
 It is certain that the incident and reflected 
 motions of globes may be in right or curve lines as 
 the motive force is central or sidewise, and there- 
 fore they are not the offspring of chance, but arise 
 from and are generated in the natural law of 
 motions, and therefore the reflected motion of the 
 globe may be in the line of projection, as is seen in 
 the fourth example ; or the angle of reflection may 
 be one-half less than the angle of incidence, as is 
 seen in the fifth example ; or the angle of reflection 
 may equal the angle of incidence, as is seen in the
 
 PARALLELOGRAM. 
 
 sixth example ; or the angle of reflection may be 
 more than the angle of incidence, as is seen in the 
 seventh example. Furthermore, a motive force 
 of the central and sidewise kinds will cause globes 
 to rebound just as you have the powers afforded 
 by nature, and the ability to use them; and the 
 power of a certain kind of force to control a globe 
 from the point of its rebound is here brought to 
 light, and the reason for it is found in the law of 
 nature, and it is this : That the matter composing 
 a globe may be subjected to any force that may be 
 impressed on it, not only at the instant of the 
 impact of the motive t force, but also at the time of 
 the rebound of the globe, as will be more fully seen 
 further on. 
 
 Figure 2. 
 
 Parallelogram. 
 
 You may find the likeness of Fig. 2 in Newton's 
 Principia, p. 84, Corollary 1. There Newton 
 teaches : That if a force will cause a body to move 
 in the line from A to B, and another force will 
 move the body in the line from A to C, the con- 
 joining of these forces, impressed on the body at 
 A, will cause it to describe the line A D of the 
 diagonal of the parallelogram A C D B. 
 
 This seemingly solid reasoning will baffle every 
 objection which may be brought against it, but
 
 PARALLELOGRAM. 
 
 one, and that is too much for the paper geometry 
 which has been so long, and often, and every- 
 where, satisfactorily employed to demonstrate the 
 resultant motion which was supposed to arise from 
 the conjoining of two projectile forces. 
 
 Newton's universal law of gravity is a third 
 force, according to the theory, which, he said, al- 
 ways acted, and from the interference of its force 
 not even the smallest particle of matter could 
 possibly escape ; therefore, whether the body move 
 from A to B, or from A to C, or from A to D, it must 
 encounter the force of gravity, and be deflected 
 from its right-line motions for the very reason that 
 Newton said deflected the motion of the earth 
 from the right line of its projectile force. Why 
 Newton and other geometricians, in their exposi- 
 tions of resultant right-line motions, paid no 
 respect to and made no allowance for universal 
 gravitation, but reasoned as if it had no existence, 
 is singular enough ! 
 
 The knowledge of the spheroidal gravitation of 
 the earth compels the conviction that a right-line 
 resultant motion of a body in the diagonal of a 
 parallelogram, as the result of two right-line motive 
 forces, never took place ; and never can in any 
 region where spheroidal gravitation holds its sway. 
 The fact of the possibility only, to say nothing of 
 its having been done, of causing resultant motion 
 in a straight line is forbidden, and the reason of 
 this is still more fully made out by the considera- 
 tion of the impossibility of composing two right- 
 line forces independent of the force of gravity. 
 Now if to Newton's two motive right-line forces 
 you add his third force of gravity, or, instead of 
 that, you add the force of spheroidal gravity,
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 henceforth none will be found stupid enough to 
 say : That a composition of three forces, two of 
 them being in the lines A B and A C of the figure, 
 will cause a body to move in the diagonal A D of 
 the parallelogram A C D B. 
 
 To be Well Understood. 
 I. 
 
 Bodies moving in the air encounter atmospher- 
 ical resistance, and are also drawn aside by the 
 spheroidal gravity of the earth ; but exterior to the 
 atmospheres of all the celestial bodies the space is 
 free, being void of all resistance, and bodies started 
 into motion in this free space, by the effect of the 
 primitive impulse, will move continually; so that 
 when we speak of globes or bodies moving in free 
 space, the reader will do well to have in mind 
 what is the meaning of bodies moving in free 
 space. 
 
 II. 
 
 If, after all I have said against the Newtonian 
 causes of the celestial motions, my subsequent 
 demonstrations fail to be convincing and satisfac- 
 tory, the mental training and gain in this pathway 
 of sublime grandeur will more than compensate for 
 the lapsed years of earnest love-sought toil. If de-' 
 feated and disappointed by the rebut of the truly 
 wise, and the rose-bud of my hope is forbidden to 
 bloom in joyful success, I will retire from the glo- 
 rious conflict in the possession of the luxury of hav- 
 ing wrestled for the mastery with the giant THE 
 MAN who, in the judgment of the most intelligent 
 of his admirers, is the first in the profundities of 
 science, the greatest geometrician and mathematical 
 naturalist in the line of human beings.
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 But if I fail, my countrymen, please say I was 
 vanquished with none to share with me the glory 
 of the disappointment. 
 
 III. 
 
 In my thesis of things I teach that the doctrine 
 of nature, in her motions, is distinguished from 
 right-line motions ; and I commend to men, for their 
 adoption, the following formula, which embraces a 
 manner of setting forth a law of nature. 
 
 NATURAL LAW OF THE CELESTIAL MOTIONS. 
 
 The motions of the heavenly bodies were orig- 
 inally and naturally rotary and curvilinear, which 
 motions were originated by the agency of side wise 
 forces which were impressed on the bodies in lines 
 parallel to, and more or less aside from, lines pass- 
 ing through the centres of the bodies. 
 
 f IV - 
 
 All the philosophers admit that it is a property 
 of matter to be indifferent to rest or motion. Hence 
 bodies in a state of rest can not move themselves ; 
 nor can they, if in motion, arrest their course. 
 
 Y. 
 
 ALTERATION OF MOTION. 
 
 . The addition of the Newtonian oblique impulse to 
 cause the rotary motion of a globe will cause an 
 alteration of the orbital motion. It makes no 
 difference at what time the oblique force impinges ; 
 it will derange the orbital motion and destroy it, 
 compelling the globe to pursue a direction of motion 
 contrary to that orbital motion which is said to 
 have been originated by the Newtonian parallelo- 
 gram of forces ; and on this account, if we had no 
 other occasion, there exists a cause to look for an-
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 65 
 
 other way of accounting for the celestial motions 
 besides that which is received. 
 
 VI. 
 
 All bodies possess weight, but their weights are 
 not the causes of their motions, nor any supposed 
 attractions of their weights, else they would have 
 the power to move themselves, which is contrary to 
 nature and educated experience. 
 
 But because matter, if moved, must be subjected 
 to a force not resident in itself, but exterior to it, 
 and all the motions, tendencies, and forces pertain- 
 ing to a moving globe were originated, and may be 
 again, by exterior motive force, I shall be able to 
 demonstrate that all kinds of motions of globes are 
 independent of the Newtonian law of universal 
 gravitation and the received laws of motions. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Because globes from single motive forces may be 
 urged in any kind of single and compound resulting 
 motions known to exist among the celestial motions, 
 I will attempt to show what kind and direction of 
 motive force will generate the various elliptical, cir- 
 cular, and epicycloidal orbits in which move the sun, 
 planets, satellites or moons, asteroids, and comets. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 EIGHT-LINE MOTION OF A GLOBE. 
 
 So far from it being true, as taught by Newton 
 and Ferguson, the universities and colleges of our 
 country, and throughout the world, that any body, 
 from the effect of a single force, is always compelled 
 to move forward in a right line in the direction of 
 the line in which the force is impressed it is never 
 so, except the impinging force is central, in a line 
 
 m
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 passing through the centre of the globe, and then 
 the globe, if in free space, or if supported on a 
 smooth level plane, would move forward in a right- 
 line motion. 
 
 DEMONSTRATION. 
 Figure 3. 
 
 In Fig. 3, suppose the circle to represent a 
 quiescent globe, its centre and the point B on its 
 surface to lie in a line with the line A, and the line 
 A to represent the line of the motive force. 
 
 Now, if the motive force is directed in the line A, 
 and impinges on the globe at the point B on its 
 surface, the globe will move forward in a sliding 
 motion in the direction of the right line C. 
 
 1. The force to move the globe in a forward 
 rectilinear motion was a central force, and on this 
 account the globe acquired a single sliding motion, 
 but without axial rotation, because it is in the 
 nature of a central motive force to impart none. 
 
 2. This is rigidly true of a globe that might be 
 so projected in free space, and is true of a globe 
 supported by a smooth level plane, due allowance 
 being made for friction incidental to the contact of 
 the globe with the plane over which it moved. But 
 if the central motive force is sufficiently strong to 
 overcome the friction, which it may be, then the 
 sliding motion will be preserved intact, and so un- 
 derstood, whether in free space or on a level smooth 
 plane, the globe will move forward in the direction 
 of a right line in a single sliding motion.
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 67 
 
 3. Any attempt to move a globe in the direction 
 of a right line, the motive force being not central, 
 is contrary to nature's law of forces, and will meet 
 with a signal failure. 
 
 4. Aided by the light of former observations it 
 may now be admissible to infer, that if a globe 
 should be discovered hereafter moving in the direc- 
 tion of a right line it may be taken for granted 
 that it is without an axial rotation, and that the 
 force which generated its motion was a central 
 motive force. 
 
 Furthermore, you may infer that all bodies having 
 curve-line motion must have also a rotary motion, 
 for in the laws of nature these resulting motions 
 are inseparable from each other. 
 
 IX. 
 
 MOTIONS OF GLOBES. 
 
 How a globe, subject to a motive central force in 
 a line passing through its centre, may be driven 
 against another globe in a line passing through its 
 centre, and at the instant of colliding the resulting 
 force of the first globe will be transferred to the 
 second globe, compelling it to move forward ; but 
 the first globe, having transferred its force of mo- 
 tion, will remain fixed at or very near the point at 
 which the globes collided, as the force was more 
 or less accurately impressed. 
 
 But if the force is truly a central force, and prop- 
 erly graduated, the first globe, at the instant of 
 congress with its fellow globe, will remain fixed, 
 and no rebound or turning to the right or left can 
 possibly take place. 

 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 DEMONSTRATION. 
 Figure 4. 
 
 In Fig. 4, suppose the circles B and C to rep- 
 resent globes and their centres, and the points B 
 and C on their surfaces to fall in a right line with 
 the lines F X. 
 
 Now, if a motive central force, directed in the 
 line F, impinges on the point B of the globe B, it 
 will be driven against point C of globe C, and at 
 the instant of colliding globe C will move forward 
 in the direction of the line X ; but globe B, arrested 
 in its course by the nature of the projectile force 
 at the instant of the colliding, remains motionless. 
 
 1. This example shows how the mover of the 
 force may command the motion of the globe after 
 it passed from the motive force at the time of the 
 colliding of the globes. 
 
 2. The example shows that a body may have 
 action without reaction. Sir Isaac Newton, on the 
 third law of motion, says : "To every action there 
 is always opposed an equal reaction." This uni- 
 versal portion of the third law of motion I have 
 shown to be without foundation. Under other 
 combinations of conditions and circumstances, action 
 and reaction obtain ; but so far as the equality of 
 action and reaction is concerned, it may be equal, 
 or one-half, or nothing, altogether depending on 
 the will of the mover and his choice of the kind of 
 projectile force.
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 3. What I wished to do was to bring to the light 
 one example of exception to the third received law 
 of motion. . Having accomplished this, I submit the 
 case to whoever, loving truth, may wish to enlarge 
 the domain of his mental perception. 
 
 X. 
 
 MOTIONS OP GLOBES. 
 
 How a globe, from a superior motive force, may 
 acquire a rotary and forward motion, and in its 
 course encounter a second globe, and at the instant 
 of colliding both globes will move forward. 
 
 DEMONSTRATION. 
 Figure 5. 
 
 In Fig. 5, suppose the circles B and to rep- 
 resent globes ready to obey any kind of impulse 
 that may be impressed on them, and the point C 
 on the surface of the globe C to fall in the line X. 
 The line F is the line of the motive force, in which 
 direction the force may be urged against globe B 
 at the point B, which line is above and parallel to 
 a line joining the centres of the globes. 
 
 With a motive force in the line F impinging on 
 globe B at the point B, the globe will move forward 
 in the direction of the line X, collide with globe C, 
 drive it forward, and, without being sensibly re- 
 tarded, follow on after globe C in a compound 
 rotary forward motion. In this example the globe 
 B was impressed by the motive force with a com-
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 pound rotary and forward motion, which continued 
 after the colliding of the globes, and this difference 
 of result, when compared with the former example, 
 is due also to the will of the mover and his choice 
 of the location of the force. When the force is ap- 
 plied, as in Fig. 5, on the upper hemisphere of the 
 globe, I call it a superior motive force, and when 
 applied, as in Fig. 6, on the lower hemisphere of 
 the globe, I call it an inferior motive force. 
 
 XL 
 
 MOTIONS OP GLOBES. 
 
 How a globe, by a single inferior motive force, 
 may acquire forward and backward rotary, mo- 
 tions, and in its advance encounter another globe, 
 and from the instant of colliding regress with 
 rotary and backward motions. 
 
 DEMONSTRATION. 
 Figure 6. 
 
 In Fig. 6, the circles B and C represent globes 
 ready to obey any kind of impulse, and the centres 
 of the globes and the point C fall in a line with 
 the line X. The line F is the line for the direction 
 of the motive force, which line is below and paral- 
 lel to a line joining the centres of the globes. 
 
 With a motive force in the direction of the line 
 F impinging on the point B of globe B, it will 
 move forward, collide with globe C, drive it in the 
 direction of the line X, and from the instant of
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 colliding with globe C will return over the line in 
 which it was projected, in a compound rotary 
 backward motion. 
 
 1. In this case we have an example of the ac- 
 tion and reaction of globe B ; but the reaction did 
 not originate in the nature of the elasticity of the 
 globe in a rebound, for the rebound, or return of 
 the globe, was wholly at the option of the mover 
 and choice of the force, without any respect to the 
 law of action and reaction, and so far I have de- 
 monstrated that the masses of the matter of globes 
 are wholly liable to the action of motive forces. 
 
 2. In the first example of motions of globes, 
 under Fig. 4, a central force caused the globe B 
 at the instant of colliding to assume a state of rest. 
 
 3. In the second example of motions of globes, 
 under Fig. 5, a superior motive force caused globe 
 B to follow globe C after the colliding of the globes. 
 
 Such a direction of force always generates in a 
 globe a compound rotary forward motion, not 
 liable to destruction by colliding with another 
 globe. 
 
 4. In the third example of motions of globes 
 under Fig. 6, the inferior motive force was below 
 the centre, and parallel to the plane on which the 
 globe was supposed to move. Such a direction of 
 force will always generate forward and rotary 
 backward motions, not liable to destruction by 
 colliding with another globe, and the three-fold 
 motion may invite and interest the curious to 
 know the capability of the inferior motive force. 
 
 XII. 
 
 How a globe, by an inferior motive force, may 
 acquire forward and backward rotary motions.
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 DEMONSTRATION. 
 Figure 7. 
 
 In Fig. 7, the circle B represents a globe in a 
 relative state of quiescence, ready to yield obedi- 
 ence to any mode of force which may be employed 
 by the mover, and move forward in the direction 
 of X, and then retreat over the line of the forward 
 motion, pass the point from which it was projected, 
 and fall back to F. 
 
 According to the philosopher's received first law 
 of motion, any body, meeting no obstacle or con- 
 trary motive force, will, from the effect of a single 
 projectile impulse, move forward with a uniform 
 motion in the direction of a right line. Contrary 
 to this, it is demonstrable that a kind of oscillatory 
 resulting motion may be generated by a single 
 motive force ; and not only so, but that one motive 
 force may be made that will produce the same 
 result that may arise from two motive forces act- 
 ing against each other in opposite directions in the 
 same right line. 
 
 The first law of motion forbids even the rational 
 thinking of such a case as I have proposed; but, 
 somehow, globes, if they were ever subject to the 
 philosopher's laws, have rebelled, and now, in all 
 kinds of directions and in seemingly fantastic 
 curves, in one grand romp of all kinds of resulting 
 motions, declare their freedom from the restraints
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 of the first, second, and third man-devised and 
 erring laws of motion. 
 
 With a motive force in the line F of the figure 
 impinging on the surface of the globe at the point 
 B, the globe will acquire a rotary motion in the 
 direction of the letters from C to D and B, and also 
 a forward motion in the direction of X. 
 
 The motive force in this example, being an infe- 
 rior force, will always impart, when impinging on 
 a globe, three resulting motions rotary, forward, 
 and backward ; but the rotary motion will retard 
 and overcome the forward motion, and then the 
 globe will regress with rotary and backward mo- 
 tions. 
 
 These resulting motions constitute a demonstra- 
 tion of the fact, that one inferior right-line motive 
 force will compel a globe to advance and regress 
 in the same right line of direction, doing in this 
 instance what heretofore was supposed to require 
 the operation of two forces. 
 
 These advancing and regressing motions may 
 also be caused if the motive force impinge on the 
 globe in Fig. 7 at the point D, in the direction of 
 a line perpendicular to the supposed plane on 
 which the globe may move. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 RESULTS OF FOECE DEMONSTRATION. 
 Figure 8. 
 
 Fig. 8 is supposed to be the segment of a circle 
 drawn on a horizontal plane, and the circle A a 
 globe. The right line, or chord, of the arc is 
 supposed to include a length of twelve feet.
 
 TO BE WELL UNDERSTOOD. 
 
 PKOPOSITION. 
 
 A globe by a single motive force may be made 
 to move in the direction of a chord of an arc, or in 
 the direction of the arc, for the perfect passivity of 
 matter permits all kinds of resulting directions, 
 motions, and forces to be generated by the agency 
 of a single right-line motive force. 
 
 First. Suppose A in the figure to represent a 
 central motive force impinging on globe A in a line 
 passing through its centre. From the effect of such 
 a force the globe will move forward in the direction 
 of the right line, which is the chord of an arc. 
 
 Second. Suppose A in the figure to represent a 
 sidewise motive force impinging on globe A, aside 
 from and parallel to the line of the central force. 
 From the effect of such a force the globe will move 
 forward describing the curve line, which is an arc 
 of a circle. 
 
 Third. This demonstration of the curvilinear 
 motion of a globe opens the way to the true cause 
 of the celestial motions, for if a curve-line motion 
 of a globe can be generated by the agency of one 
 force, of what iise to employ two forces, as Newton 
 did, when one force would even answer a more 
 extensive purpose than the mere generation of a 
 curve-line motion? 
 
 ^ Fourth. Furthermore, a single motive force can 
 generate a curve-line motion of a globe. Let us 
 suppose the globe in the figure to have been the 
 planet Jupiter, or any other of the planetary orbs, 
 which at the time of passing from rest to motion 
 had impressed on it such a sidewise force os I 
 have described. From the nature of the force the 
 planet Jupiter would have moved forward in the 
 curve line of Fig. 8, which is now assumed to be 
 
 9*. 
 
 /^<
 
 THE ANNOUNCEMENT. 
 
 an arc of Jupiter's orbit ; this curve-line motion 
 being continued, the planet would return to its 
 starting point, and because in free space the 
 planet could not stop, and there being no obstacles 
 in the way, it would continue to describe revolu- 
 tions, which are the yearly revolutions of the 
 planet. Hence the origin of Jupiter's orbital rev- 
 olutions is found in a single force ; and because 
 the sidewise force generated also a rotary motion 
 in the planet at the same time of the forward 
 motion, the rotary motion being continued, re- 
 sulted in the axial rotations of Jupiter. Hence the 
 origin of Jupiter's axial revolutions is found in 
 the motive sidewise force ; and if such a force 
 might be entertained as the cause of the motions 
 of one of the heavenly bodies, why not of all the 
 celestial spheres ? 
 
 The Announcement. 
 
 It having been demonstrated^that a right-line 
 motive force impinging sidewise on a globe will 
 generate rotary and curve-line motions, and that 
 the form of the curve may be of the kind which 
 belongs to a circle, ellipse, or epicycle, I announce 
 to mankind that in the beginning the Creator, by 
 the agency of sidewise motive forces, generated 
 the diurnal and yearly revolutions of the celestial 
 bodies, and that in the nature of things the forces 
 were competent to cause all the known phenomena 
 and resulting forces which inhere in all the heav- 
 enly bodies. 
 
 1. The sidewise motive force generated a ro- 
 tary motion, which, being continued, results in the 
 diurnal revolution of the sphere. 
 
 2. The sidewise motive force generated a curve-
 
 THE ANNOUNCEMENT. 
 
 line motion, the continuance of which results in the 
 orbital revolution of the sphere. 
 
 3. The sidewise motive force subjects the matter 
 of a celestial body to its sway, causing its matter 
 to tend to its axial centre, modified by the cen- 
 trifugal force of the rotating sphere ; and if the 
 measure of the centrifugal force is subtracted from 
 the weight of the matter of the sphere when it- 
 was at rest, the remainder will be the measure of 
 the force of the gravity of the sphere. 
 
 4. The matter of the heavenly body, conform- 
 ing itself to the effect of the sidewise motive force, 
 assumed the form of an oblate sphere. 
 
 5. The sidewise motive force, in the manner of 
 its application, determined the measure of the in- 
 clination of the axis to the plane of the orbit of 
 the heavenly body. 
 
 BEMAEKS. 
 
 If you carefully study the laws of motions which 
 were employed by Newton to construct his system 
 of the world, it will clearly appear that for every 
 resultant motion a plurality of forces were requir- 
 ed by him to account for the celestial phenomena. 
 Contrast the poverty of the single effect of a New- 
 tonian motive force, with the fruitfulness, even 
 exuberance, of a motive force of nature, and the 
 majesty of the power of a sidewise motive force 
 will justly claim a place in your admiration, and the 
 acknowledgment due to this all-commanding force 
 of nature. When, in the wisdom of God, a power 
 to originate axial and orbital motions, centrifugal 
 and centripetal motions, and the inclination of the 
 axis of a heavenly body to the plane of its orbit 
 was required, his wisdom saw in a single sidewise 
 impulse the power to cause these quintuple results,
 
 THE ANNOUNCEMENT. 
 
 and matter obeyed the majesty of force, and, up- 
 starting from its rest in countless moving spheres, 
 the resulting motions and forces began a cycle of 
 activities ever interesting to God, men, and angels. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 Varieties of curve-line motions to which the 
 matter of the heavenly bodies are subjected by 
 single forces. 
 
 DEMONSTRATIONS. 
 Figure 9. 
 
 Fig. 9 represents a globe ; the line E B, its equa- 
 torial circle ; the line A B, a quadrantal arc or 90, 
 the first to begin at the point A, and the ninetieth 
 to end at the point B. 
 
 1. Between the end of the first degree from A, 
 on to 22 30 ' toward B, a sidewise motive force 
 impinging on the globe will cause it, whether in 
 free space or supported on a smooth level surface, 
 to describe a curve line. The curvature of the line 
 will be least at the end of the first degree, and in- 
 creasingly greater as the force is directed at the 
 end of the second and third degrees, and so on to 
 the point 22 30' distant from the point A. Be-
 
 BILLIARDS. 
 
 tween these limits, a sidewise motive force will 
 generate any kind of curve-line motion, which, re- 
 turning into itself, will have originated any form of 
 elongated ellipse which may be required for those 
 comets, parts of whose yearly journeys are beyond 
 the orbit of Neptune. 
 
 2. A sidewise impulse, impressed successively on 
 every degree from 22 30' on to 45 toward B, 
 will cause the globe to describe a series of curve 
 lines, which, returning into themselves, will form 
 any possible variety of orbits, passing from the el- 
 liptical to the circular form, as the motive force is 
 impressed respectively at the end of every degree. 
 
 The orbits generated by the motive force as de- 
 scribed, originally impinging on heavenly bodies, 
 were such as are described by comets whose yearly 
 journeys are within the orbit of Neptune, and also 
 the planets and asteroids, arid also that that is de- 
 scribed by the sun in his orbital journey. 
 
 3. A sidewise impulse impressed successively on 
 each degree from 45 to 90 will cause the globe 
 to describe a series of curve lines which will par- 
 take of the nature of a curve, which is an arc of a 
 circle ; also a variety of curve lines, which form 
 parts of epicycles and spirals. Hence whatever 
 curvilinear direction of a globe is required, the ma- 
 jestic sidewise motive force is competent to the 
 requirement, and so it was found to be when the 
 exigencies of the divine purpose required its use in 
 giving motions to all the worlds. 
 
 Billiards. 
 
 PBOPOSmON. 
 
 Because it is a law of nature that the perfect 
 passivity of matter permits its perfect control by
 
 Cffl 
 
 BILLIARDS. 
 
 the will and force of the mover, the motions and 
 directions of motions of billiard balls, nine-pin balls, 
 and base balls are all determined by the mode of 
 the application of the force. 
 
 Corollary 1. Hence the shots and directions of 
 the motions of the balls which are caused by billiard 
 players ; and those fancy shots and astonishing di- 
 rections of motions of balls determined beforehand 
 and unerringly executed by those accomplished 
 masters of the art, Messrs. Dudley Kavanagh, 
 Michael Phelan, and Claudius Berger, are made in 
 the most strict accordance with the law of nature. 
 
 Corollary 2. If the motive force impinges on the 
 billiard ball by the agency of a mace, the ball must 
 move forward in the direction of a right line, be- 
 cause the mace force is the same in nature as the 
 cue central force. But in every cue game of bil- 
 liards nature asserts her law of the curvilinear mo- 
 tions of globes ; but the players, knowing nothing 
 about the law, they concluded they had violated 
 the received laws of motions. The conclusion was 
 just, but only so because the received laws of mo- 
 tions were a rape on nature. Emerge, then, from 
 the wilderness of false philosophy, and in the sun- 
 light of truth henceforth know that the employ- 
 ment of the superior and inferior, sidewise, and 
 oblique forces on which billiard players rely, which 
 never fail them if properly applied, are so i'ar a 
 faithful exposition of natural law ! 
 
 Corollary 3. Billiard players have been mis- 
 guided by the man-made received laws of motions, 
 which, like the idol gods of paganism, have been 
 put in the place of the true law of nature. 
 
 Gentlemen of the game, correct your opinions ; 
 and may it be your felicity to obey the laws of our
 
 FINALLY. 
 
 God and Savior as perfectly as the balls you play 
 with will obey the natural law of force with which 
 you impress them, for they will always in their 
 resulting motions move in perfect, obedience to 
 the law of nature, the violation of which, so far as 
 the motions of globes and balls are concerned, is 
 absolutely and eternally impossible. 
 
 Finally. 
 
 Because it is a grand fact and law of nature that 
 any conceivable kind of direction may be generated 
 from superior and inferior, central, and sidewise 
 forces, a globe may be made to move in the direc- 
 tion of a right line or curve line, in the curvilinear 
 direction of the line of an ellipse, circle, epicycle, or 
 spiral, in a single or compound motion. But the 
 motions, if caused in free space, would continue 
 always, and be more perfect than when executed in 
 the air or on a smooth plane. 
 
 Because the motive sidewise force is sufficient to 
 account for every known motion of the celestial 
 bodies, of what use or particular need is there to 
 employ a plurality of motive forces, as Newton did, 
 to account for the diurnal and yearly revolutions 
 of the celestial spheres? Only think of my one 
 sidewise force to take the place of Newton's three 
 forces to cause the axial and orbital motions of a 
 heavenly body ! 
 
 If, after this, my countrymen doom me to die 
 unnoticed Amen ! I can afford to wait until MY 
 TIME COMES ! In my long toil to open the way to 
 reveal the secrets of nature, the nature of the con- 
 flict sometimes lashed me with the fury of disap- 
 pointment, and then, bursting in upon that gloom, 
 would come the gushing sunlight of hope. At one
 
 FINALLY. 
 
 time I seemed to see the sons of science, in sullen 
 mood, treating my labors with the go-by, as their 
 fathers had treated my elder brothers in innovation 
 in ages past ; and anon, there passed by the souls of 
 the martyrs of science, whose immortal sight had 
 been entranced by the vision of science in her purity, 
 and they pointed to the crown awaiting the man 
 who dared to run, as they had, the gauntlet of 
 strife ; and coveting to be numbered with them, 
 I tremblingly advanced toward the goal. Once, 
 wearied almost to death, the whole subject appear- 
 ed to me to be a lonely wild-goose chase and the 
 flying birds nowhere in view ; and then there came 
 a voice from the excellent glory, saying, Child, go 
 forward! and onward I moved once more. This 
 mixed state of alternations was more than en- 
 livened by the assurance of hope that the wonder- 
 ful and glorious success of leading my nation in 
 paths of knowledge never before walked in by 
 mortals should become a fact made out. In antici- 
 pation, the truth-smile of sixty centuries preluded 
 the voice of Nature as she uttered : Now is come 
 the time when mankind learn how God originated 
 the motions of the celestial spheres ! The father of 
 the theory of the precession of the equinoxes lead- 
 ing the grand procession of the wise men of the 
 past, the children of science born since his day pre- 
 ceding, came to the grand banquet of triumph in 
 science, and shouted : Glory to the God of nature, 
 for the revelation of the knowledge of his works. 
 
 I heard a commotion ; it was the stirring of my 
 countrymen to annex, by right of discovery, the 
 cause of the motions of every celestial orb to their 
 mental domain, and Americanize the universe. The 
 stars from every part of the sky looked on the
 
 
 FINALLY. 
 
 movement in glowing delight, and those star gems 
 on the outskirts of creation waited to welcome the 
 joy ; and as my American brethren in acclamation 
 cried, It is accomplished! the nationalities of the 
 whole earth responded, AMEN !
 
 
 A NEW RESOLUTION 
 
 BY COMMON ARITHMETIC. 
 
 ACCOMPANIED WITH AN 
 
 if % ^rations of % 
 
 DISPROOF OF THE NEWTONIAN THEORY 
 
 BY WM. ISAACS LOOMIS, 
 
 Piermont, Jtockland Co., N. T. 
 
 T. HOLMAN, PRINTER, CORNER CENTRE AND WHITE STREETS. 
 1868.
 
 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1868, 
 BY WM. ISAACS LOOMIS, 
 
 In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the 
 Southern District of New York. 
 
 THOMAS 
 Printer and Stereotyper.
 
 T K U T H S. 
 
 Proverbs, Chapter III., Verses 5, 6. 
 
 1. " TRUST in the Lord with all thy heart ; and 
 lean not unto thine own understanding. In all 
 thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct 
 thy paths." 
 
 2. Open to men the right path, aided by God- 
 given and God-directed reason, and then the 
 humblest of our race may become familiar with 
 the works of God. 
 
 A comparison of my manner of determining the 
 diameters and distances of the heavenly bodies 
 with others. 
 
 T. Dick's rule and example to find the real 
 diameter of the moon is given by him in the third 
 volume of his works, on p. 144 of Celestial Scenery : 
 
 " As radius : is to C G, the distance of the moon, 
 238,800 miles, : : so is the sine of A C G, 15' 43" : 
 to the number of miles contained in the moon's 
 semi-diameter, AG=109l2, which, being doubled, 
 gives 2,183 miles as the diameter of the moon. 
 
 2d term C G=238,800 Log 5.378028 
 
 3d term sine of A C G, 15' 43" . . 7.660059 
 
 1st term radius. 
 
 Semi-diameter of the moon 1.0913= 
 
 2 
 
 2,183" 
 
 13.038087 
 10.000000 
 
 3.038087
 
 PLANETARY DISTANCE. RULE. 
 
 My rule and example to find in the fourth term 
 of a simple proportion the real diameter of the 
 moon : 
 
 As the angle of the equatorial horizontal par- 
 allax of the moon 57' 5" : is to her apparent 
 diameter of 31' 26'' : : so is the base line of the 
 parallax 3,963 miles : to a fourth term in simple 
 proportion in common arithmetic = the moon's 
 real diameter. 
 
 Demonstration. As 57' 5" : 31' 26" : : 3,963 
 miles : 2,182 miles, which is the moon's real di- 
 ameter. 
 
 Planetary Distance. 
 
 After the manner of Kepler, to find the distance 
 of any planet from the sun. 
 
 Rule. 
 
 Divide the square of the planet's sidereal 
 revolution round the sun by the square of the 
 earth's sidereal revolution, and multiply the cube 
 root of the quotient by the earth's mean distance 
 from the sun. In the use of this rule to find the 
 distance of the planet Mercury from the sun by 
 common arithmetic, or by logarithms, Burritt, 
 on p. 160 of his Geography of the Heavens, says : 
 "He need not think himself a dull scholar, if by 
 the former method he comes to the true result in 
 FIVE HOURS ; nor remarkably quick, if by the lat- 
 ter he comes to it mfive minutes." 
 
 N. B. My distance of Mercury was obtained in 
 less than five minutes by common arithmetic. 
 (See the example on p. 93.)
 
 MOON'S DISTANCE BY THE AUTHOR'S SYSTEM. 
 
 T. Dick's Moon's Distance by Logarithms. 
 
 2d term 3,965 the earth's semi- 
 diameter 3.598243 
 
 3d term radius . . 10.000000 
 
 13.598243 
 1st term sine of 57' 5" .. 8.220215 
 
 M C, distance of moon, 238,800 miles = 5.378028 
 
 Moon's Distance by the Author's Method. 
 
 As the angle of the moon's parallax of 57' 5" : 
 is to the circle in degrees 360 : : so is the base 
 line of the parallax 3,963 miles : to the circle in 
 miles 1,499,576, the semi-diameter of which is 
 238,665 miles, which is the moon's mean dis- 
 tance from the earth. (See my rules on diameters 
 and distances.) 
 
 The advantages of my method are : First, brev- 
 ity in operation, astonishingly so, in finding the 
 diameters of the heavenly bodies. Second, inde- 
 pendent of a knowledge of trigonometry and log- 
 arithms, with a very limited knowledge of common 
 arithmetic, these problems to find the diameters and 
 distances of the heavenly bodies may be solved. 
 
 Lest any should stumble because my results 
 vary somewhat from those of the astronomers, it 
 may not be amiss to notice the difference between 
 some of the least and greatest diameters of the 
 planets which astronomers have assumed to be 
 very near approximations to the truth. 
 
 Sir John W. Herschel makes the diameter of 
 Mercury 156 miles more than Burritt states it to 
 be, and 540 miles more than Ferguson's diameter. 
 Between Ferguson's and Bartlett's estimates of the
 
 <gr 
 
 88 
 
 APPARENT DIAMETERS. 
 
 diameter of Venus there is a difference of 530 
 miles. 0. M. Mitchel's value of Jupiter's real 
 diameter is 11,164 miles more than that given by 
 Ferguson, and 5,164 miles more than Herschel's 
 diameter. E. H. Burritt's computation of the di- 
 ameter of Saturn exceeds Ferguson's by the enor- 
 mous sum of 14,952 miles. Sir J. TV. Herschel 
 estimated the diameter of Neptune to be 7,890 
 miles greater than 0. M. Mitchel's estimate. 
 
 Diameters of Heavenly Bodies. 
 I will give the angles or arcs, which are the 
 measures of the angles of certain parallaxes of 
 heavenly bodies, their apparent diameters, base 
 line of the parallaxes, and the rule to determine 
 their real diameters by simple proportion. 
 
 , Moon's angle or arc of parallax .... 
 Sun's " 
 Mercury's " " .... 
 Venus' ' " " .... 
 Mars' " .... 
 Jupiter's ' " " .... 
 Saturn's ' " 
 Uranus' " .... 
 Neptune's " " " 
 Apparent Diameters. 
 Moon's apparent diameter 
 
 57' 5" , 
 8".6 
 14" 
 31" 
 16" 
 2" 
 1" 
 
 0".'2967 
 31' 26" 
 
 Sun's " 
 
 32' 12".6 
 
 Mercury's " 
 
 11" 
 
 Venus' " 
 
 61".2 
 
 Mars' " 
 
 
 Jupiter's " 
 
 47" 
 
 Saturn's " 
 
 18" 
 
 Uranus' " 
 
 4" 
 
 Neptune's " 
 
 2".5 
 
 
 tk. ,_^ ,. 
 
 . ^
 
 DEMONSTRATIONS. 
 
 The equatorial semi-diameter of the earth is the 
 base line of all equatorial horizontal parallaxes, 
 the linear measure being 3,963 miles. 
 
 Rule. 
 
 As the angle of the equatorial horizontal paral- 
 lax of a heavenly body : is to its apparent diame- 
 ter : : so is the base line of the parallax : to the 
 real diameter of the heavenly body. 
 
 Demonstrations. 
 
 DIAMETER OP THE MOON. 
 
 1. As the angle of the Moon's paral- 
 
 lax 57' 5" 
 
 Is to her apparent diameter 31' 26" : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles 
 To the real diameter of the moon, 2,182 miles 
 
 DIAMETER OF THE SUN. 
 
 2. As the angle of the Sun's parallax, 8". 6 
 
 Is to his apparent diameter 31' 12".6 : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles 
 To the real diameter of the sun. 890, 569 miles 
 
 DIAMETER OF MERCURY. 
 
 3. As the angle of Mercury's parallax, 14" 
 
 Is to his apparent diameter 11" : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,9G3 miles 
 
 To the real diameter of Mercury, 3,113 miles 
 
 DIAMETER OF VENUS. 
 
 4. As the angle of Venus' parallax, 31 '' 
 
 Is to her apparent diameter 61".2 : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3.963 miles 
 
 To the real diameter of Venus.. . 7,823 miles
 
 DEMONSTRATIONS. 
 
 DIAMETER OF MARS. 
 
 5. As the angle of Mars' parallax.. 16" 
 
 Is to his apparent diameter 16".61 : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles 
 
 To the real diameter of Mars .... 4,114 miles 
 
 DIAMETER OF JUPITER. 
 
 6. As the angle of Jupiter's parallax, 2" 
 
 Is to his apparent diameter 47" : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles 
 
 To the real diameter of Jupiter.. 93,130 miles 
 
 DIAMETER OF SATURN. 
 
 7. As the angle of Saturn's parallax, 1" 
 
 Is to his apparent diameter 18" : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles 
 
 To the real diameter of Saturn. . 71,334 miles 
 
 T 
 
 DIAMETER OF URANUS. 
 
 8. As the angle of Uranus' parallax, 0".4722 
 
 Is to his apparent diameter 4" : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles 
 
 To the real diameter of Uranus. . 33,571 miles 
 
 DIAMETER OF NEPTUNE. 
 
 9. As the angle of Neptune's parallax, 0".2967 
 
 Is to his apparent diameter 2".5 : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles 
 
 To the real diameter of Neptune, 33,392 miles 
 
 BY MY METHOD. 
 
 The Moon's real diameter is 2,182 miles 
 
 " Sun's " " 890,569 " 
 
 Mercury's 3,113 " 
 
 Venus' 7,823 " 
 
 Mars' " " 4,114
 
 DISTANCES OF THE PLANETS. 
 
 Jupiter's real diameter is 93,130 miles. 
 
 Saturn's " " 71,334 " 
 
 Uranus' " " 33,571 " 
 
 Neptune's " 33,392 " 
 
 Distances of the Planets. 
 
 1. The sines and tangents of the angles of the 
 equatorial horizontal parallaxes of the sun and 
 planets differ so insensibly from each other, that, 
 without liability to error, the linear measure of the 
 arc of any one of these angles may, without further 
 labor, be assumed to be the same as the linear 
 measure of the tangent of the angle. 
 
 2. In the projection of an equatorial horizontal 
 parallax there is exhibited a right-angled triangle, 
 the base line of which is the equatorial semi-diame- 
 ter of the earth, and its perpendicular leg represents 
 the distance. 
 
 3. Because the perpendicular leg of any right- 
 angled triangle is the semi-diameter of a circle, an 
 arc of which is the measure of the angle at the ver- 
 tex, it is evident that, given the degree and linear 
 measure of the arc of the angle, the perpendicular 
 leg of any right-angled triangle may be determined 
 in the same way that we determine the semi-diame- 
 ter of a circle, given the degrees and linear measure 
 of an arc of a circle to find its semi-diameter. 
 
 Example. 
 
 To find the perpendicular leg of a right-angled 
 triangle : Given the angle at the vertex 12, and 
 the linear measure of the arc of the angle 12 inches. 
 
 Demonstration As 12 : 360 : : 12 inches : 360 
 lnches-*-3.U159==114.69-*-2=5ir.29 inches, which 
 is the linear measure of the required leg.
 
 DEMONSTRATIONS. 
 
 Tins method may be employed to find the dis- 
 tances of the heavenly bodies, substituting the 
 linear measure of the base line of the parallax for 
 that of the arc. 
 
 Rule. 
 
 As the angle of any equatorial horizontal paral- 
 lax : is to the circle in degrees : : so is the linear 
 measure of the base line of the parallax : to the 
 linear measure of the circle, the semi- diameter of 
 which is the perpendicular leg of the right-angled 
 triangle of the parallax. 
 
 Demonstrations. 
 
 DISTANCE OF THE MOON. 
 
 1. As the angle of the Moon's parallax, 57' 5" : 
 
 Is to the circle in degrees 360 : : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles : 
 To the circle in miles 1,499,576-^-3.14159= 
 
 477,330-^2=238,665 miles, which is the moon's 
 mean distance. 
 
 DISTANCE OF THE SUN. 
 
 2. As the angle of the Sun's parallax, 8". 6 : 
 
 Is to the circle in degrees 3GO : : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles : 
 To the circle in miles, 597,214 : 853.7209313^- 
 
 3.1415926=190,099,404, which is the diameter of 
 the earth's orbit, -^2=95,049, 702 miles, the linear 
 measure of the perpendicular leg of the right-angled 
 triangle projected in the sun's equatorial horizontal 
 parallax, and is the mean distance of the sun from 
 the earth.
 
 DEMONSTRATIONS. 
 
 DISTANCE OF MERCURY. 
 
 3. As the angle of Mercury's parallax, 14" : 
 
 Is to the circle in degrees 360 : : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles : 
 To the circle in miles 366,860,571.4285714, the 
 
 semi-diameter of which is 58,387,674 miles, and is 
 the distance of Mercury from the earth at the time 
 of his inferior conjunction. Subtract this distance 
 of the planet from the earth from the earth's mean 
 distance from the sun, and the remainder, 36,662,028 
 miles, is Mercury's distance from the sun. 
 
 DISTANCE OF VENUS. 
 
 4. As the angle of Venus' parallax, 31" ' 
 
 Is to the circle in degrees 360 :: 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles : 
 To the circle in miles 165,678,967.7419354, the 
 
 semi-diameter of which is 26,368,627, and is the 
 distance of Yenus from the earth at the time of her 
 inferior conjunction. Subtract this distance of the 
 planet from the earth from the earth's mean dis- 
 tance from the sun, and the remainder, 68,681,075 
 miles, is the distance of Venus from the sun. 
 
 DISTANCE OF MARS. 
 
 5. As the angle of Mars' parallax . . 16" : 
 
 Is to the circle in degrees 360 : : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles : 
 To the circle in miles 321,003,000.0000000, the 
 
 semi-diameter of which is 51,089,215 miles, and is 
 the distance of Mars from the earth at the time of 
 his opposition. Add this distance of the planet 
 from the earth to the earth's mean distance from 
 the sun, and the sum 146,138,917 miles is the dis- 
 tance of Mars from the sun.
 
 94 DEMONSTRATIONS. 
 
 I 
 
 DISTANCE OF JUPITER. 
 
 6. As the angle of Jupiter's parallax, 2" : 
 
 Is to the circle in degrees 360 : : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles : 
 To the circle in miles 2,568,024,000.0000000, 
 
 the semi-diameter of which is 408,713,720 miles, 
 and is the distance of Jupiter from the earth at the 
 time of his opposition. Add this distance of the 
 planet from the earth to the earth's mean distance 
 from the sun, and the sum, 503,763,422 miles, is the 
 distance of Jupiter from the sun. 
 
 DISTANCE OF SATURN. 
 
 7. As the angle of Saturn's parallax, 1" : 
 
 Is to the circle in degrees 360 : : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles : 
 To the circle in miles 51,360,480,000.0000000, 
 
 the semi-diameter of which is 817,427,425 miles, 
 and is the distance of Saturn from the earth at the 
 time of his opposition. Add this distance of the 
 planet to the earth's mean distance from the sun, 
 and the sum 912,477,123 miles is the distance of 
 Saturn from the sun. 
 
 DISTANCE OF URANUS. 
 
 8. As the angle of the parallax of 
 
 Uranus 0".4722 : 
 
 Is to the circle in degrees 360 :: 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles : 
 To the circle in miles 10,876,848,793.0000000, 
 the semi-diameter of which is 1,731,105,871 miles, 
 and is the distance of Uranus from the earth at the 
 time of his opposition. Add this distance of the
 
 $i^ 
 
 SOLAR DISTANCES OP THE PLANETS. 
 
 planet from the earth to the earth's mean distance 
 from the sun, and the sum, 1,826,155,573 miles, is 
 the distance of Uranus from the sun. 
 
 DISTANCE OP NEPTUNE. 
 
 9. As the angle of the parallax of 
 
 Neptune 0".2967 : 
 
 Is to the circle in degrees 360 : : 
 
 So is the base line of the parallax, 3,963 miles : 
 To the circle in miles 17,310,576,339.7371028, 
 the semi-diameter of which is 2,755,063,855 miles, 
 and is the distance of Neptune from the earth at 
 the time of his opposition. Add this distance of 
 the planet from the earth to the earth's mean dis- 
 tance from the sun, and the sum, 2,850,113,557 
 miles, is the distance of Neptune from the sun. 
 
 Solar Distances of the Planets. 
 
 Mercury's solar distance 
 
 Venus' 
 
 Earth's 
 
 Mars' 
 
 Jupiter's 
 
 Saturn's 
 
 Uranus' 
 
 Neptune's 
 
 36,662,028 miles. 
 
 63,681,075 
 
 95,049,702 
 
 146,138,917 
 
 503,763,422 
 
 912,477,123 
 
 1,826,155,573 
 
 2,850,113,557 
 
 The distances of the heavenly bodies may be 
 found by Division. I will exhibit two examples. 
 
 Rule. 
 
 Divide the linear measure of the tangent of the 
 angle of the parallax by the circular measure of 
 the arc of the parallax, and the quotient will be 
 the term required.
 
 DISTANCE OF THE SUN BY DIVISION. 
 
 Distance of the Moon by Division. 
 
 1. The circular measure to seven places of deci- 
 mals of the arc of the angle of the moon's parallax 
 of 57' 5" is 0166048. 
 
 2. The linear measure of the tangent of the angle 
 of the parallax, with seven ciphers annexed, is 
 3,963.0000000. 
 
 Demonstration by Division. 3,963.0000000+- 
 0166048=238,665 miles, which is the moon's mean 
 distance. 
 
 Distance of the Sun by Division. 
 
 1. The circular measure to twelve places of 
 decimals of the arc of the angle of the sun's paral- 
 lax of 8".6, is 000041693976. 
 
 2. The linear measure of the tangent of the 
 angle of the parallax, with twelve ciphers annexed, 
 is 3,963.000000000000. 
 
 Demonstration by Division. 3,963.000000000000 
 -4-000041693976=95,049,702 miles, which is the 
 sun's mean distance. Compare these results with 
 the mean distances of the sun and moon, found by 
 a different process on p. 92. 
 
 1. I have demonstrated how to find the diameter 
 of any one of the heavenly bodies in the fourth 
 term of a single proportion. 
 
 2. I have shown how to determine the linear 
 measure of the perpendicular leg of a right-angled 
 triangle in the same way employed to find the 
 semi-diameter of a circle, thus bringing within the 
 reach of all a way to find the distances of the 
 heavenly bodies by common arithmetic. 
 
 3. By a very simple process in Division, I have 
 resolved the distances indicated by the parallaxes of 
 the moon and sun.
 
 THE STABS ARE WITHOUT PARALLAX. 
 
 Circular Measure. 
 
 A circle, whose radius is unity, the circular 
 measure of its circumference retaining twelve 
 places of decimals, is 6.283185307179360. 
 
 The circular measure of an arc of one degree is 
 0.017453292519. 
 
 The circular measure of an arc of one minute of 
 a degree is 0.000290888208. The circular meas- 
 ure of the arc of the parallax of any one of the 
 heavenly bodies may be found, and the distance 
 indicated by the parallax be determined by divi- 
 sion, as in the given examples. 
 
 My ambition in this department of science is 
 satisfied. I had most earnestly desired, longed 
 for, and labored to bring the solutions of these 
 astronomical problems within the reach of all who 
 understand common arithmetic. Having accom- 
 plished this, I leave it to others to extend, by a 
 little modification of my rule, the principle of find- 
 ing the unknown perpendicular leg of any right- 
 angled triangle, the linear measures of whose sine, 
 arc, and tangent disagree in consequence of the 
 largeness of the angle. 
 
 The Stars are without Parallax. 
 
 A near and fixed object will suffer no apparent 
 displacement when viewed from a mere point (like 
 it would if viewed from the extremities of a line) ; 
 and ten or ten thousand observations from the 
 same point would all be in the line of the visual 
 ray of the first observation. So it is in all observa- 
 tions made to determine stellar parallaxes. They 
 are all in the line of the same visual ray that was 
 first directed to a star to find its distance, and,
 
 THE STARS AEE WITHOUT PARALLAX. 
 
 therefore, for the want of a line whose longitude 
 would subtend an appreciable angle, the stars are 
 of necessity without appreciable parallax. 
 
 1. On p. 6, I have given the resulting distance 
 of a star's annual parallax of 1" of a degree. The 
 assumption shows that the distance to the nearest 
 star can not be less than nearly forty trillions of 
 miles, and how much further who can tell, for the 
 stars, as it respects the annual motion of the earth, 
 are without variableness, having no shadow of 
 turning. 
 
 2. The whole diameter of the earth's orbit, if 
 compared with the line of a star's distance, is a 
 mere point ; but the astronomers make the base 
 line of their annual parallaxes but one-half of the 
 diameter of the orbit of the earth, and consequent- 
 ly but half a point. Now a mere point is without 
 length, breadth, or thickness, being without assign- 
 able quantity ; and strange that but half of an 
 unassignable quantity is the chosen base line of 
 the astronomers. This being so relatively true, 
 the marvels of the astronomers' parallaxes of the 
 stars, if true, involve a greater marvel, that, from 
 a series of observations made from the extremities 
 of but half a point, certain stars have been found 
 to have a very appreciable quantity of parallax 
 in angular measurements, varying from 0".046 to 
 0".915. 
 
 3. That the assertion, "the whole diameter of the 
 earth's orbit, when compared with the distance of 
 a star, dwindles to a mere point, "may be implicitly 
 received as true, Burritt says: "The whole di- 
 ameter of the orbit of Saturn (1,824,915, 246 miles) 
 is no thicker than a spider's web when compared 
 with the distance of the stars."
 
 THE EXAMINATION. 
 
 The Examination. 
 
 From what I have written, before I presented 
 this portion of my work to be thought of by men, 
 there can be : First, no mutual gravitation of the 
 heavenly bodies among themselves. Second, for 
 the want of this mutual gravitation of the celestial 
 spheres, the theory of the precession of the equi- 
 noxes is without the ratification of nature. Third, 
 the time and revolution of the sidereal year of the 
 sun is baseless. Fourth, by the testimony of na- 
 ture I will be able to establish the fact, that our 
 earth, which is an oblate spheroid, revolves around 
 the sun after the manner of a homogeneous and 
 perfect sphere revolving around the sun, the den- 
 sity of its matter not affected by the force of its 
 axial rotation, fifth, the variations of the astron- 
 omers are wonderful ; and that the disciples of 
 Newton, who are among the most highly gifted of 
 the sons of earth, should have been so much out of 
 the way, affords cause for a deliberate inquiry : 
 What is truth ? 
 
 But before we engage further in the grand con- 
 flict, it will, without doubt, be pleasant to my 
 readers to know that the system of astronomy 
 which originated with Copernicus was enlarged 
 and improved by Sir Isaac Newton, and expound- 
 ed, to the wondering delight of intelligent men and 
 women, from age to age, is, by its friends and 
 admirers, thought to be unimpeachable, and its 
 collections of dogmas synonymous with a collection 
 of the facts of nature. The words of Ferguson, 
 Herschel, and Dick will best set forth their views. 
 
 1. In Ferguson's Astronomy, p. 41, he says : 
 "Sir Isaac Newton has established this system on 
 such an everlasting foundation of mathematical
 
 PRECESSION OF THE EQUINOCTIAL POINTS. 
 
 and physical demonstration as never can be shaken, 
 and none who understand him will hesitate about 
 it." 
 
 2. Herschel, in his Outlines of Astronomy, p. 19, 
 says : " There is now no danger of any revolution 
 in astronomy like those which are daily changing 
 the features of the less advanced sciences." 
 
 3. In Dick's works, Yol. III., p. 25, he says : 
 "The system broached by Copernicus, notwith- 
 standing much opposition, soon made its way 
 among the learned in Europe. It was afterward 
 powerfully supported by the observations and rea- 
 sonings of Galileo, Kepler, Halley, Newton, La 
 Place, and other celebrated philosophers, and now 
 rests on a foundation firm and immutable as the 
 laws of the universe." 
 
 Now, not believing that the shaking of the 
 Copernican system of astronomy is the same as 
 shaking the true facts of nature, I advance in my 
 work, and hope, as I have often prayed on this 
 subject, to aim for the right way and the gain of 
 the truth, and God defend and prosper me. 
 
 " Precession of the Equinoctial Points." 
 
 PROPOSITION. 
 
 Through the earth's annual motion round the 
 sun, the stars seen from our earth do not change 
 their points of rising, and the theory of the preces- 
 sion of the equinoxes teaching they do, the tes- 
 timony of nature is to be accepted ; and as such a 
 phenomenon could only arise from the fact of the 
 iarth preserving the invariability of its equinoctial 
 points, I infer from this testimony of nature that 
 there is nothing in nature to warrant the conclu-
 
 THE PSEUDO SIDEREAL YEAR OF THE SUN. 
 
 sion that the equinoctial points fall back, there is 
 no "regress of the earth's nodes." 
 
 The amount of the precession of the equinoxes is 
 said to be 50".l of a degree every year ; and were 
 the theory as much a fact of nature as it is supposed 
 to be by learned astronomers, the stars would 
 change their points of rising 50".l of a degree every 
 year ; and a star, which in A. D. 1858 rose in the 
 plane of the celestial equator, would in A. D. 1868 
 rise 8' 21" east of the celestial equator. But a star, 
 and all stars which this year describe the circle of 
 the celestial equator, and circles parallel to and 
 declining to either side of it, describe the same di- 
 urnal circles which they appeared to do last year, 
 or ten years ago. This unanimous verdict of the 
 invariability of the whole starry host, is nature's 
 decisive refutation of the theory of the precession 
 of the equinoxes. 
 
 The Pseudo Sidereal Year of the Sun. 
 
 Webster, under the word year : " Sidereal year; 
 the time in which the sun, departing from any fixed 
 star, returns to the same. This is 365 days, 6 
 hours, 9 minutes, 9.6 seconds." 
 
 The astronomers and lexicographers are unani- 
 mous in their opinions as to the time and existence 
 of their sidereal year of the sun, but the times of the 
 real and apparent revolutions of the heavenly 
 bodies fully demonstrate the fallacy of the so-called 
 " sun's sidereal year." At a time when the centres 
 of the earth, sun, and a star are in a straight line, 
 let the time and revolution of the apparent yearly 
 sun begin by the star, and because of the apparent 
 diurnal motion of the stars in the time of 2,S hours, 
 56 minutes, 4.09 seconds, at the close of the time 
 of the yearly revolution, when the centres of the
 
 THE CAUSE OP KEPLER'S FAILURE. 
 
 earth, sun, and star should be in the same straight 
 line, the star will be advanced 92 + beyond the line. 
 Hence, because the time of the astronomers' sidereal 
 year of the sun is not a multiple of the time of the 
 apparent diurnal revolutions of the stars, their 
 sidereal year of the sun exists not in nature. 
 
 The Pseudo Sidereal Revolution of the Earth. 
 
 Because the stars have apparent diurnal motion, 
 and the time of the yearly revolution of the earth 
 is not a multiple of the time of the diurnal revolu- 
 tions of the stars ; all revolutions of heavenly bodies 
 based on a fixed star are false. 
 
 In Herschel's Outlines of Astronomy, p. 202, he 
 says : " The annual retreat of the equinox is 50".l, 
 and this arc is described by the sun in the ecliptic 
 in 20 minutes, 19.9 seconds. By so much shorter 
 is the periodical return of our seasons, than the 
 true sidereal revolution of the earth round the sun." 
 
 But the earth does not set out from a star in its 
 journey round the sun ; the effect on the stars be- 
 ing the same as if the orbital motion had no exist- 
 ence, and therefore Herschel's "true sidereal revo- 
 lution of the earth round the sun" is nothing more 
 than his aberration from the facts of nature. 
 
 The Cause of Kepler's Failure. 
 
 It is known to all informed, that the sun and 
 stars have perpetual apparent motions. When 
 Kepler set about to found his sidereal revolutions 
 of the planets, he excluded from his calculations 
 the perpetual apparent diurnal motion of the stars, 
 assumed their fixedness, and then from a fixed star 
 laid the foundation for his sidereal revolutions of 
 the planets. This exclusion of the apparent motion 
 of the stars led to a false system ; and being con-
 
 r 
 
 VARIATIONS OP THE ASTRONOMERS. 
 
 trary to nature, the revolutions must be also con- 
 trary to nature, having no place but in the assump- 
 tion. Therefore, when Sir Isaac Newton, in his 
 Principia, p. 388, says, "The periodic times with 
 respect to the fixed stars," he is perpetually contra- 
 dicted by the perpetual apparent motion of every 
 star in the celestial sphere. 
 
 Variations of the Astronomers. 
 
 1. T. Dick says: "The effect of the regress of 
 the equinoctial points, is to cause an apparent 
 revolution of the stars around the poles of the 
 ecliptic." 
 
 2. Mattison, in his High School Astronomy, p. 70, 
 says: "The distant stars have no motion, real or 
 apparent, around the poles of the ecliptic." 
 
 3. The reader will observe, that what Dick 
 affirms, Mattison denies. 
 
 4. Burritt's Geography of the Heavens, p. 29, 
 says: "In consequence of the motion of the earth 
 eastward in its orbit, the stars appear to have a 
 motion westward." 
 
 5. Mitchel's Popular Astronomy, p. 77, on the 
 orbital motion of the earth, says : ' ' Now the 
 earth's centre in the space of one day and night, 
 or during one rotation, actually passes over 
 2,000,000 of miles ; and it would seem as though 
 this change of position would sensibly affect the 
 return of our star to the meridian ; but such is the 
 vast distance of the stars, that visual rays sent to 
 the same star from the extremities of a base line of 
 2,000,000 of miles in length, are absolutely paral- 
 lel under the most searching instrumental scrutiny 
 that man has been able to make." 
 
 6. What Burritt affirms, Mitchel denies.
 
 104 VAPJATIONS OF THE ASTRONOMERS. 
 
 7. "Webster, in his Spelling Book, p. 144, says : 
 "The earth turns every part of its surface to the 
 sun once in twenty-four hours." Suppose Webster 
 to have opened a school among the Indians of the 
 far north, who had not seen the sun for more than 
 a month. He informs his pupils that the learning 
 of centuries has culminated in demonstrating the 
 fact of the earth turning every part of its surface 
 to the sun once in twenty-four hours. After such 
 an announcement, who of the company would ap- 
 pear to be the most stupid the great American 
 lexicographer, or his pupils ? They might inquire 
 what earth is meant ; for surely this part, occupied 
 by us, has not seen a ray of the sun for more than 
 thirty times twenty-four hours. Contrary to this, 
 the earth turns every part of its surface to the sun 
 once in the time of 365 solar days, 5 hours, 48 
 minutes, 48 seconds, and as is the difference be- 
 tween the time of a solar day and solar year ; so 
 great is the mistake of Webster. 
 
 8. Burritt teaches : "The earth moves eastward 
 in its journey round the sun." 
 
 9. Dr. T. P. Jones, in his Conversations on Natu- 
 ral Philosophy, p. 105, says: "The earth moves 
 westward in its journey round the sun." 
 
 10. In the mental romp led on by Humboldt, in 
 his Cosmos, Yol. I., p. 88, he says : " Light travels 
 one distance of Sirius in three years." 
 
 11. Peters says : "The distance of Sirius from 
 the earth is so great, that the time required for its 
 light to reach us is fifteen years." 
 
 12. MitcheFs Planetary and Stellar Worlds, p. 
 211, says: "Stars of the first magnitude send us 
 their light in about seventeen years." Among the 
 stars of the first magnitude Sirius is numbered.
 
 VARIATIONS OP THE ASTRONOMERS, 
 
 13. "Henderson reached the conclusion, in his 
 observations on Sirius, that it required twenty-one 
 years and nine months for the light of that star to 
 reach the earth." 
 
 14. From among the big thoughts I select : 
 "Huyghens assumed the intrinsic brightness of 
 Sirius to equal the sun." 
 
 15. 0. M. Mitchel says : " Sirius is the brightest 
 and probably the largest of the fixed stars, with a 
 diameter of more than a million of miles." 
 
 16. Wollaston says : " Sirius is equal to sixty- 
 three suns." 
 
 17. Humboldt says : "Arcturus is equal to 1,331 
 suns." 
 
 18. Herschel says: "The star Vega in Lyra is 
 thirty-eight times the diameter of the sun, and its 
 solid contents 57,872 times greater." 
 
 19. Mattison outdoes these liliputian calcula- 
 tions by saying : " The star 61 in the Swan is esti- 
 mated to be 200,000,000 of miles in diameter." 
 Not far from being 10,000,000 times larger than 
 the sun. 
 
 20. In Humboldt's Cosmos, Vol. IV., p. 120, on 
 the sidereal revolutions of the planets, he says : 
 " During such a revolution a planet passes through 
 exactly 360 in its course round the sun ;" and in 
 this conclusion all astronomers rest. 
 
 21. In Webster's Dictionary, under " Tropical 
 Year, The period occupied by the sun in passing 
 from one tropic, or one equinox, to the other. On 
 account of the precession of the equinoxes, it is 
 20 minutes, 20 seconds, shorter than the sidereal 
 year ;" and in arc, according to Herschel, 50". 1 
 of a degree less than 360 Q . In this difference all 
 the astronomers are agreed.
 
 VAEIATIONS OF THE ASTRONOMERS. 
 
 22. The difference among the advocates of the 
 sidereal and tropical revolutions of the sun is not 
 calculated to produce a conviction of the infallible 
 nature of their science, as will be made to appear, 
 in that Ferguson and Burritt give to the apparent 
 sun the same number of degrees in his tropical 
 revolution that is given by Kepler, Newton, and 
 Humboldt to a planet or the sun in their sidereal 
 revolutions. 
 
 23. In Ferguson's Astronomy, p. 152, he says : 
 "The sun describes the whole ecliptic, or 360 9 in 
 a tropical year." It should be 50".l of a degree 
 less than 360. 
 
 24. In Burritt's Geography of the Heavens, Part 
 II., p. 114, he says : "The sun describes the whole 
 ecliptic, or 360, in a tropical year." It should be 
 50".l less than 360. Thus confounding .the side- 
 real and tropical revolutions in degree. If the 
 science had been true, the advocates were in these 
 things mistaken, for the tropical revolution in de- 
 gree should be 50".l of a degree less than the 
 sidereal revolution ; but they were engaged in 
 expounding a mere theory, as is abundantly evi- 
 denced by the variations adduced. 
 
 25. As there is no two returns of the centre of 
 the sun or that of the earth to the same fixed star 
 in the time in which the earth passes through ex- 
 actly 300 of orbital revolution, the sidereal, trop- 
 ical, and equinoctial revolutions of the astronomers 
 in time and degrees are confusion ; and their con- 
 founding the tropical and sidereal revolutions with 
 each other in degree gives no illumination to their 
 infallible scheme, which they supposed consisted of 
 a transcript of the facts of nature. 
 
 J3)
 
 PARALLELISM OF THE EARTH'S AXIS. 
 
 Parallelism of the Earth's Axis. 
 
 1. The earth is an oblate spheroid, and being 
 carried around the sun by the effect of an original 
 sidewise impulse, and not by the sun's assumed 
 attraction, revolves as if it were a homogeneous 
 and perfect sphere, maintaining the invariability of 
 its equinoctial points and the constancy of the 
 poles of the heavens. 
 
 2. The line of the earth's axis prolonged to the 
 sphere of the stars is the axis of the heavens, 
 around which the stars appear to revolve ; and in 
 whatever part of its orbit the earth may be in, at 
 either solstice or equinoctial point, the axis of the 
 earth will coincide with the axis of the heavens. 
 
 3. To this definition Herschel rigidly adheres in 
 his Outlines of Astronomy, p. 192, for he says: "In 
 this annual motion of the earth its axis preserves 
 at all times the same direction, as if the orbital 
 motion had no existence, and is carried around 
 parallel to itself, and pointing always to the same 
 vanishing point in the sphere of the fixed stars." 
 
 4. From this absolute parallelism Herschel, not 
 nature, departs in his Outlines of Astronomy, p. 
 172. He says : " It is found, then, that, in virtue 
 of the uniform part of the motion of the pole, it 
 describes a circle in the heavens around the pole of 
 the ecliptic as a centre, keeping constantly at the 
 same distance of 23 28' from it, in a direction 
 from east to west, and with such a velocity that 
 the angle described by it in this, its imaginary 
 orbit, is 50".10." 
 
 5. In Herschel's Treatise on Astronomy, third 
 edition, p. 169, he says: "The bright star of the 
 Lesser Bear, which we call the Pole Star, has not 
 always been, nor will always continue to be, our 

 
 108 PARALLELISM OF THE EARTH'S AXIS. 
 
 cynosure ; at the time of the earliest catalogues it 
 was 12 from the pole ; it is now (1835, date of the 
 edition) only 1 24', and will approach yet nearer." 
 
 6. For the next twenty-four years the distance 
 remained constant ; for in Herschel's Outlines of 
 Astronomy, fourth edition, p. 173, he says: "The 
 bright star of the Lesser Bear, which we call the 
 Pole Star, has not always been, nor will always con- 
 tinue to be, our cynosure ; at the time of the con- 
 struction of the earliest catalogues it was 12 from 
 the pole ; it is now (1859, date of the edition) only 
 1 24', and will approach yet nearer." So that, ac- 
 cording to the statements of Herschel, from the 
 time of the earliest catalogues to 1835 the dis- 
 tance between the pole of the heavens and the 
 bright star of the Lesser Bear was diminished 10 
 3b' by a constant departure of the earth's axis from 
 its parellelism. But from 1835 to 1859 the clis- 
 tance was the same, preserving the parellelism of 
 the earth's axis for a period of twenty-four years. 
 
 7. In Rollin's Ancient History, Book I., p. 141, 
 he says : "The poles of the heavens have remained 
 the same for a period of three thousand years." 
 
 8. Ilerschel teaches that the poles of the heavens 
 go forward, as an effect of the precession of the 
 equinoxes. 
 
 9. Ferguson, in his Astronomy Explained on the 
 Principles of Sir Isaac Newton, says : ' ' The poles 
 of the heavens, as an effect of the precession of the 
 equinoxes, fall backward." Place these extremely 
 opposite motions of the same pole of the heavens 
 along side of Burritt and Jones's opposite motions 
 of the earth, and the faith and reason which will 
 comprehend how the earth can move backward 
 and forward in its orbit at the same time will have
 
 PROPOSITION. HYPOTHESIS. 109 
 
 no trouble in explaining how the motion of the 
 poles of the heavens can, at the same time, be in- 
 variable, and in motion, in opposite directions. 
 
 Proposition. 
 
 The earth revolves around the sun the same as if 
 it were a homogeneous and perfect sphere. If the 
 Newtonian law of universal gravitation, admitted, 
 as we will see subsequently, to be the weakest of 
 all forces of attraction, the superior forces of the 
 motion of the heavenly spheres would absolve them 
 from all allegiance to the sun's attraction. For the 
 better understanding of the argument, I am willing 
 to admit the existence of all Newton claimed for 
 his discovery, and then show that the mutual at- 
 tractions of every atom of matter, and of the mass 
 of every sphere, tends to a perfet equilibrium. 
 
 Hypothesis. 
 
 Suppose a homogeneous and perfect sphere, of a 
 consistence not to be molded into the form of an 
 oblate spheroid as an effect of axial rotation, of the 
 size of the earth as nearly as may be, revolving 
 around the sun as an effect of the assumed attrac- 
 tion of gravitation of the sun. 
 
 According to Newton, there being no redundant 
 matter gathered at the equator of such a globe, its 
 nodes will not regress, and its axial rotation will not 
 be acted on by centripetal force, as is the case with 
 an oblate spheroid. 
 
 1 . Seen from the surface of such a globe follow- 
 ing the earth round the sun, during the time of 
 one or one hundred orbital revolutions, the stars 
 will preserve the invariability of their points of 
 rising, culminating, and setting. 
 
 2. It is identically so with the stars seen from
 
 110 HYPOTHESIS. 
 
 our earth. The star watchers have kept their in- 
 tense gaze on the rays of the twinkling stars, and 
 eagerly sought to know : Do the stars change their 
 points of rising from day to day, from year to 
 year? And to every inquiry, they have given an 
 invariable shining, No ; never. 
 
 3. The same conclusion was reached by 0. M. 
 Mitchel, in his Popular Astronomy, p. 18 : "An ex- 
 amination of the points of rising, culminating, and 
 setting of the fixed stars, showed them to be abso- 
 lutely invariable." Therefore, because the stars 
 seen from the earth never change their points of 
 rising, culminating, and setting, which phenomenon 
 is authenticated by 0. M. Mitchel, this fact of na- 
 ture is a demonstration that the earth moves round 
 the sun, the same as if it were a homogeneous and 
 perfect sphere. 
 
 4. The position of the earth when at one or the 
 other of the equinoctial points, if the sun's attrac- 
 tion of gravitation affects the earth, the attraction 
 must be the same on the northern hemisphere that 
 it is on the southern hemisphere, resulting in a per- 
 fect equilibrium, the same as if the whole matter 
 of the earth was absolutely balanced on its centre, 
 preserving the parallelism of the axis and the con- 
 stancy of the poles of the heavens. So when the 
 earth is at either equinoctial point, the action of 
 the gravity of the sun is the same as if the earth 
 were a homogeneous and perfect sphere. 
 
 5. The equatorial diameter of the earth equals 
 7,926 miles, and its polar diameter 7,900 miles. 
 Within the earth you may describe a perfect sphere, 
 every diameter of which equals the earth's polar 
 diameter. The excess of matter above the contents 
 of this perfect sphere is thirteen miles, thick at the
 
 HYPOTHESIS. 
 
 circumference of the equator, declining gradually 
 from either side of it to both the poles, at which 
 points it is 0. This excess of matter constitutes 
 the difference between a perfect sphere and an ob- 
 late spheroid, and on it (sometimes called the re- 
 dundant or superabundant matter gathered at the 
 equatorial regions) Newton supposed the attrac- 
 tion of the sun acted to cause the equinoctial points 
 to regress. This involves the novelty of the sun's 
 attraction being greatest on small quantities of mat- 
 ter, and least on greatest quantities of matter. 
 Thus prepared with the quantities requisite to un- 
 derstand the subject, suppose a ring of matter, of 
 the consistence and mass of that portion of the 
 earth included in the difference between its polar 
 and equatorial diameters, revolving around the sun, 
 having the inclination of its axis the same as that 
 of the earth. 
 
 The equinoctial points of such a ring will, ac- 
 cording to Newton, be continually regressive. 
 
 Then at some distance from the ring, with a 
 swifter motion, suppose a homogeneous and per- 
 fect sphere to be revolving around the sun, of a 
 size to fit within the ring, having the same inclina- 
 tion of axis with the ring. , 
 
 Of such a sphere Newton says, in Principia, p. 
 214, Book I. : "And the inclination of the axis, or 
 the velocity of the rotation, will not be changed by 
 centripetal force." The sphere overtakes the ring, 
 passes into it, and when the equator of the sphere 
 touches the equator of the ring, they adhere, and 
 instantly the force of the attraction of gravitation 
 on the sphere to preserve the parallelism of its 
 axis, assisted by the additional force of its axial jjj 
 rotation, overcomes the very small force of the
 
 tj 
 
 112 HYPOTHESIS. 
 
 attraction of gravitation on the ring to cause the 
 regress of its equinoctial points, and henceforth, in 
 the union of the ring and sphere, the now spheroid 
 will move round the sun the same as if it was a 
 homogeneous and perfect sphere. 
 
 Corollary 1. The precession of the equinoxes 
 assumes that the attraction of gravitation is 
 stronger on that part of the earth thirteen miles 
 deep at the equatorial regions, diminishing to at 
 the poles, than it is on the contents of the sphere 
 within it, whose diameter is 7,900 miles. This is 
 unreasonable. 
 
 Corollary 2. The precession of the equinoxes 
 supposes that the force of the attraction of universal 
 gravitation is more on one pound of matter of that 
 (Of' P ar ^ f * ne earth which constitutes its oblate form 
 of matter, than it is on ten pounds of matter of its 
 spherical contents under the same law ; and this 
 proportion being much greater in relation to the 
 matter of the earth, which gives it its oblate form, 
 compared with the enormous amount included 
 within the sphere whose diameter is 7,900 miles. 
 By so much is the absurdity greater. 
 
 Corollary 3. If the force of this attraction of uni- 
 versal gravitation on the shell of an egg is more 
 than it is on the contents of the egg within the 
 shell, we may accept the Newtonian hypothesis 
 that the shell of the earth (called so by Herschel) 
 composing the oblate form of the earth, is more 
 strongly attracted than the rest of the earth. But 
 the hypothesis is so contrary to reason, lacking the 
 verifications of nature, as to demand its exclusion 
 from the pale of science.
 
 AN ANTIC OF UNIVERSAL GRAVITATION. 
 
 The Tides. 
 
 When the matter of our earth was started into 
 motion round its axis, the forces to cause the tides 
 were generated. The centrifugal force to cause 
 the rise, and the centripetal force to cause the fall, 
 of the waters. Hence the origin of the tides, and 
 all observed true phenomena may be traced to the 
 centrifugal and centripetal forces of the earth, 
 every atom of its matter being perpetually sub- 
 jected to these forces in the given case. 
 
 On this affirmation I rest, in the consciousness of 
 its entire truth ; for as I have demonstrated that 
 all the known forces of nature pertaining to a 
 heavenly body may be generated by a single im- 
 pulse, it results that nature, in her works, is 
 independent of the dogma of universal gravitation. 
 
 An Antic of Universal Gravitation. 
 
 It is assumed that from a given point the waters 
 of a distant sphere may be urged in opposite 
 directions. 
 
 According to Sir Isaac Newton, the attraction of 
 every particle of the matter of a sphere may be 
 assumed to be lodged in the centre of the globe, 
 and on this hypothesis let the centres of the earth, 
 moon, and sun be in a straight line, the moon 
 being between the earth and sun, and the mutual 
 attractions of the three bodies exerted in the line 
 of the conjunction of the earth, moon, and sun. 
 
 From the centre of the earth in this line the 
 attractions of the sun and moon are said to draw 
 the waters of the earth toward them, causing a 
 high tide on the side of the earth nearest to the 
 sun and moon ; and the same attractions of the sun 
 and moon are supposed to project in an opposite
 
 APPARENT STELLAR MOTIONS. 
 
 direction from the centre of the earth the waters, 
 causing a high tide on this opposite side of the 
 earth. But the assumptions involving, as they do, 
 the theory that the whole of the attractions of the 
 sun and moon in a given line may both pull and 
 push a part of the matter from the centre of a 
 third distant sphere in opposite directions, is an 
 antic indeed, and too contrary to true wisdom to 
 find a place in true philosophy. On one side of 
 the earth there may be a high tide, in the time of 
 the entire absence of the sun and moon, they for 
 the time being on the other side of the earth ; and 
 if on one side, why not on the other, for like 
 causes produce like effects, and our conclusion is 
 adverse to the received theory. 
 
 Apparent Stellar Motions. 
 
 The disciples of Newton and Copernicus are at 
 fault in ascribing as an effect the apparent daily 
 acceleration of the stars to the annual motion of 
 the earth. 
 
 In T. Dick's works, Vol. III., p. 19, under the 
 caption, "Annual Motion of the Stars," speaking 
 of the changes which the clusters of stars undergo 
 from time to time, he says : "Those variations in 
 the appearance of the stars lead to the conclusion 
 that there is an apparent annual revolution of 
 these luminaries." 
 
 In Burritt's Geography of the Heavens, p. 29, he 
 says : "In consequence of the earth's motion east- 
 ward in its orbit, the stars seem to have a motion 
 westward beside their apparent diurnal motion." 
 This apparent annual revolution of the stars, like 
 the apparent yearly revolution of the sun, T. Dick 
 says, is due to the " annual revolution of the earth
 
 CAUSE OF THE STARS 7 DAILY ACCELERATION. 115 
 
 around the sun." This conclusion is also main- 
 tained by Burritt. That the astronomers were 
 mistaken is made out in a most conclusive way by 
 an appeal to the facts of nature. 
 
 The amount of the mean daily acceleration of 
 the stars westward is 59' 10".6S+, but the amount 
 of arc which the earth describes in its mean daily 
 motion in its orbit is 59' 8".33. Hence the arc or 
 angle described by the stars in their mean daily 
 acceleration is 2". 35+ more than the arc described 
 by the earth in its mean daily motion in its orbit. 
 On this account, when the astronomers attribute 
 the cause of the apparent yearly motion of the 
 stars to the motion of the earth in its orbit, they 
 stand impeached for want of the true knowledge 
 of the facts of nature. 
 
 Cause of the Stars' Daily Acceleration. 
 
 An arc of the celestial equator appears to pass 
 the meridian in the time of a mean solar day, equal 
 to 360 59' 10".6S+, and but 300 in the time of a 
 sidereal day. 
 
 By using the time (24 hours) of a mean solar 
 day as a standard of measurement, take the time 
 of some mean midnight, with a star on your me- 
 ridian, and at the time of the next mean midnight 
 the star will be advanced beyond your meridian 
 westward an amount of angular measurement equal 
 to 59' 10".68-K So from one mean midnight to 
 another in the time of 365 mean solar days, by 
 these arcs of 59' 10".68+, the stars will move east- 
 ward presenting all the phenomena described by 
 Dick in the time of 365 mean solar days, or which 
 is the same, the time of 366 sidereal days, which is 
 in time 6 hours, 9 minutes, 9.6 seconds less than
 
 CAUSE OF THE STARS 7 DAILY ACCELERATION. 
 
 the time of the astronomers' year of the earth by 
 the stars. 
 
 If you were to determine the revolutions of the 
 earth on its axis by a star, every time the earth 
 made one exact revolution on its axis, the stars 
 would finish a complete apparent sidereal day revo- 
 lution around the axis of the heavens ; but when 
 you extend the standard of time to that of a mean 
 solar day, in consequence of it the stars will have 
 a mean daily acceleration of 59' 10". 68+ westward 
 around the axis of the heavens, in addition to 360 P 
 of apparent revolution arising from the motion of 
 the earth on its axis, the same as in their diurnal 
 motion. 
 
 Therefore, the observed apparent annual motion 
 of the stars, in the time of 365 solar days, is com- 
 posed of the arcs of the mean daily acceleration of 
 the stars, belonging to effects of the earth's axial 
 motions transferred to the stars and mixed up with 
 the diurnal motions, and may be made plain by the 
 following : 
 
 1 . The continual motion of the earth on its axis 
 will cause the stars in appearance, to an observer, 
 to have continual motion. 
 
 2. If you take the time in which the earth makes 
 one rotation on its axis, and make this, as the as- 
 tronomers have done, a standard of time ; then, 
 counting the revolutions in consecutive order, the 
 stars will appear to have consecutive diurnal revo- 
 lution around the axis of the heavens, each consecu- 
 tive revolution in the exact time in which the earth 
 completes a revolution of 360 on its axis. 
 
 3. But if you, as before stated, take the time oi 
 a mean solar day, and periods of from midnight to 
 midnight, to watch the stars and conform their mo-
 
 LAW OF PLANETARY MOTION. 
 
 tions to the standard of time, the mean daily accel- 
 erations of the stars will give them a westward mo- 
 tion every day, increasing by the addition of an 
 arc of 59' 10".68-f, resulting in this : That if on 
 the mean midnight of your own selection you find 
 a star on your meridian at the next midnight, it 
 will be advanced westward 59' 10".6S+, and in the 
 lapse of 365 solar days the star will be on the me- 
 ridian again. 
 
 The astronomers have made a mistake in not 
 noticing that the time of a mean solar day, if ap- 
 plied to the stars, would generate their apparent 
 mean daily acceleration ; but attributing it to the 
 mean daily motion of the earth in its orbit, and not 
 perceiving it to arise from the motion of the earth 
 on its axis for the time of a mean solar day, they 
 left the way open for me to show the true way to 
 the children of men. 
 
 Law of Planetary Motion. 
 
 The planets do not go round the stars like they 
 do round the sun. On this account, when the area 
 of the orbit of the planet is known to be a mere 
 point when compared with the stellar distances, the 
 effect of the orbital motion of the planet on the 
 stars is the same as if the orbital motion had no 
 existence. This agrees with the appearances of 
 nature, and, therefore, the number of the apparent 
 revolutions of the stars (366i) seen from the earth 
 will be one less (equaling the number of axial ro- 
 tations) than the number of the revolutions of the 
 earth for the time of its solar year, which are 3671, 
 exactly the number of times the earth turns on its 
 axis by a star, and revolves round the sun.
 
 118 THE ASTRONOMERS' ANNUAL PARALLAXES. 
 
 The Astronomers' Annual Parallaxes. 
 In the Smithsonian Report for 1858 p. 135, is 
 given certain parallaxes, varying from 0".915 of a 
 degree, to 0".046 of a degree. The Smithsonian 
 Report is not inferior in authority and correctness, 
 so far as it moves in concert with all institutions of 
 learning ; but I prefer to quote and refer to it, 
 rather than any other, because the Institution was 
 originated as a specialty for the diffusion of knowl- 
 edge among men. I especially invite the very 
 particular attention of the President, Officers, Board 
 of Regents, and the learned Secretary of the Smith- 
 sonian Institution to a careful examination of my 
 claims, lest others of their countrymen, less honor- 
 able in fame and position, step in before them in 
 acknowledging the facts of God in nature. 
 
 Bessel's Annual Parallax of 61 Cygni, is .348. 
 
 (From Smithsonian Report for 1858, p. 135.) 
 
 Those who accept this parallax as probably true, 
 should take enough interest in the subject to learn 
 that the given distance indicated by it in the Re- 
 port, instead of being equal to the distance over 
 which a ray of light would move in 9.4 years, 
 should be nearly 19 years. All the astronomers' 
 parallaxes are vitiated by a like quantity, in con- 
 sequence of their bisecting the isosceles triangle 
 projected in the parallax, taking but one-half of 
 the base line, without correspondingly reducing the 
 measured parallax a like quantity. 
 
 If a star seen from the extremities of the diame- 
 ter of the earth's orbit suffers an apparent displace- 
 ment of 2" of a degree, the distance indicated by it 
 would be about twenty trillions of miles. But if 
 you bisect the isosceles triangle, and take the semi
 
 THE ASTRONOMERS' ANNUAL PARALLAXES. 119 
 
 diameter of the earth's orbit for the base line, and 
 also for the angular subtense of the parallax, as is 
 done in the Smithsonian Report for 1858, p. 132, 
 the resulting distance will be about twenty trillions 
 of miles, the same as when the conditions involved 
 the whole of the diameter of the earth's orbit for 
 the base line of 2" of parallax. But I propose the 
 true and whole diameter of the earth's orbit to be 
 used as a base line of an annual parallax, as defined 
 by Webster, and from its extremities it is assumed 
 that a star seen had an annual parallax of 1" of a 
 degree, and trigonometrically, or by my new 
 methods by simple proportion and division, the re- 
 sult will be the same, about forty trillions of miles, 
 or twice as much as is given by the astronomers. 
 This is what I mean when I say that the manner 
 of the astronomers in bisecting their annual paral- 
 laxes lead to but half the true result. 
 
 Now, I have given an annual parallax of 1", and 
 if you will, you may bisect the isosceles triangle of 
 the parallax after the manner of that to which I 
 have referred you in the Smithsonian Report ; and 
 also bisect the angle of the parallax which was 
 subtended by the diameter of the earth's orbit, 
 and the result will be, as before, about forty tril- 
 lions of miles, twice as far as the men of science 
 have heretofore thought the distance of the stars 
 was from an annual parallax of one second of a 
 degree. I will now particularly notice Bessel's 
 annual parallax of 61 Cygni, it being 0".348 of a 
 degree. Wishing to place the argument on the 
 most solid foundation, becoming the dignity of the 
 subject and the fame of the discoverer, I will place 
 before the reader what is said about the base line 
 of annual parallaxes in the Smithsonian Report for
 
 rv 
 
 c 
 
 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEORY AND FACTS. 
 
 1858, p. 132 : "Oar change of position, involving 
 a distance of more than 200,000,000 of miles, 
 dwindles down to nothing in comparison with the 
 line which extends from the earth to the stars/' 
 Admit this, and then the base line of Bessel's 
 parallax was nothing, and the parallax must have 
 been 0".000 also. 
 
 Axiom. 
 
 The star 61 in the Swan was observed from a 
 mere point, and such observations culminated in 
 a point ; and hence any amount of an appreciable 
 parallax, when the extent of field of observation 
 admitted of no other extension than could be 
 afforded from a mere point, was impossible. 
 
 When, in addition to this, you take into consid- 
 eration that BessePs observations of 61 Cygni were 
 at all times complicated by the diurnal and sup- 
 posed animal aberration of the light of the stars, 
 by the assumed precession of the equinoxes, the 
 nutation of the earth's axis, the refraction of light, 
 and the deflection of the light of the stars as it 
 enters our atmosphere, the probabilities of the 
 truth of his parallax have vanished away. 
 
 Peters' Annual Parallax of Capella is .046. 
 
 The annual parallax of the star Capella, by 
 Peters, printed in the Smithsonian Report for 
 1858, p. 135, is 0".046 of a degree, and the time 
 required for its light to reach us is said to be 71.7 
 years. 
 
 The Difference Between Theory and Facts. 
 
 A parallax of 0".046 of a degree, seen from the 
 extremities of the diameter of the earth's orbit, in-
 
 THE DIFPEEENCE BETWEEN THEORY AND FACTS. 121 
 
 dicates a distance forty-two times greater than that 
 of Herschel's annual parallax of 1" of a degree, 
 as set forth in the fourth edition of his Outlines of 
 Astronomy, p. 45 G, and light would require a 
 period of over 140 years to pass over the distance. 
 Reduce the line of the diameter of the earth's orbit 
 to a yard, and Herschel's resulting distance from a 
 parallax of 1" of a degree in the same proportion, 
 and their relation to each other is as one yard to 
 sixty miles nearly. 
 
 Again : with the diameter of the earth's orbit 
 reduced to a yard, and the distance indicated by 
 Peters' annual parallax of the star Capella in the 
 same proportion, and the relation they bear to 
 each other is as one yard to 2,520 miles. This 
 analysis clearly aids ordinary minds to readily 
 perceive that these things being so, the proportions 
 at once lead to the conclusion that all such annual 
 parallaxes are merely theoretical. 
 
 Does not this comparison place the annual paral- 
 laxes in so forlorn an estate as to render their 
 acceptance as facts of nature impossible, they 
 appearing more like impositions in science than 
 beautiful developments of natural truth ? 
 
 1. The parallax of the star Capella indicates a 
 distance of over 850,000,000,000,000 of miles, 
 which is about twice the distance allowed for in 
 the Smithsonian Report. 
 
 2. The distance indicated by the parallax of the 
 star Capella is forty-two times greater than Her- 
 schel's annual parallax of 1", and is twice the 
 quantity allowed for in the Smithsonian Report. 
 
 3. Light is known to travel at the rate of 
 192,000 miles each second of time, and at this 
 rate it would require over 140 years for the light
 
 122 UNIVERSAL GRAVITATION. 
 
 of the star to reach the earth twice as long as is 
 allowed for in the Smithsonian Report. 
 
 4. Because visual rays directed from the ex- 
 tremities of the diameter of the earth's orbit to a 
 star, supposed to be 19,788,239,040,000 of miles 
 from the earth, will coincide and be the same with 
 respect to the star, it becomes a monstrosity in 
 science to suppose that at forty-two times the dis- 
 tance the visual rays of the observer will cross each 
 other, and subtend a parallax of 0".046 of a degree. 
 Or you may discount the half of the calculation, 
 and get down to that of the Smithsonian Report, 
 and the same fact concerning the law of distance 
 cuts off all hope of obtaining an annual parallax. 
 You may make another discount of one -half, and 
 get far below the calculation of the Smithsonian 
 Report, and still there comes, from the profound, 
 unfathomable distance, no hope for annual paral- 
 laxes. 
 
 Universal Gravitation. 
 
 In the Smithsonian Report for 1856, p. 200, it 
 says : "Newton's theory of universal gravitation : 
 the most extended generalization ever established 
 by man. It may be expressed as follows : 
 
 " 1. The attraction exists between the atoms of 
 all matter at finite distances, and is the same for 
 all kinds of matter ; hence, 
 
 " 2. The force of attraction is proportional to the 
 mass of the attracting body, the distance being the 
 same. 
 
 "3. If the same body attracts several bodies at 
 different distances, the forces are inversely as the 
 square of the distances. 
 
 "All deductions from this theory are in strict
 
 EXTENT OP THE SUN^S ATTRACTION. 
 
 accordance with the phenomena of nature. The 
 only proof of the truth of any physical law." 
 
 At this point I join issue with the scheme, and 
 say : Because the truly understood phenomena of 
 nature is in strict disaccordance with the deduc- 
 tions from the theory of universal gravitation, it 
 can not be true. And because the assumed attrac- 
 tion of the sun is capable of carrying around the 
 sun in orbits as many bodies as can be placed side 
 by side, in as many orbits as can be described in 
 the bounds of the system of the sun, this repletion 
 is too much for the theory as heretofore expounded 
 to endure ; and this being too much, exposes its own 
 fallacy. 
 
 The Assumed Quantity of the Sun's Attraction. 
 
 The force of the attraction of the sun has been 
 estimated to be between live and seven hundred 
 times more than all the forces of all the other 
 bodies of the solar system ; but I am prepared to 
 prove that the sun is as capable of carrying a num- 
 ber more than a thousand times greater than all 
 the bodies which are now assumed to be carried 
 round the sun by his own attraction, as he is capa- 
 ble of carrying Mercury alone by the theory. 
 
 Extent of the Sun's Attraction. 
 
 From every point of the surface of the sun radi- 
 ating into space the light of the sun goes forth, ex- 
 tending beyond the orbit of Neptune, the light 
 decreasing in intensity as the square of the distance 
 increases. 
 
 So the attraction of gravitation from every point 
 of the surface of the sun, it is said, goes forth, and 
 extends beyond the orbit of Neptune, decreasing 
 in intensity as the square of the distance increases,
 
 ILLUSTRATION. 
 
 and thus it appears that the disciples of Newton 
 hold that a like law which obtains in nature in re- 
 spect to the light of the sun, holds good in respect 
 to their assumed dogma of the attraction of the 
 gravity of the sun. 
 
 Furthermore, you are not to suppose that the 
 mutual gravitation of a planet and the sun are 
 gathered up and follow the planet round the sun ; 
 but like as a body or planet moves in the vast field 
 or ocean of the sun's light, or like a fish moves 
 through the water, or a bird moves through the 
 air, so a heavenly body moves through the vast 
 field of the sun's attraction of gravitation, which 
 has been assumed to be coequal with the extent of 
 the light of the sun, and governed by the same law 
 of the square of the distance. 
 
 You are also to conclude that the sun's attrac- 
 tion of gravitation is not arrested by the density of 
 a heavenly body, as the light of the sun is ; but, ac- 
 cording to the theory, it passes through a body, 
 however dense it may be, with as much freedom 
 as if the space occupied by the planet was free from 
 every obstruction, and to suppose otherwise, would 
 in the event of a conjunction of all the planets, 
 tumble the theory of universal gravitation into in- 
 extricable confusion. 
 
 Illustration. 
 
 Divide the area of the orbit of the earth into as 
 many angles or parts as may be subtended by the 
 equatorial diameter of the earth, seen from the 
 centre of the sun. In every one of these angles or 
 parts the attraction of gravity of the sun is supposed 
 to be always present, the same as is the sun's light, 
 the former to move the earth, the latter for its illu-
 
 ILLUSTRATION. 125 
 
 initiation, without any respect to the presence or 
 absence of the earth. All of the Newtonian phi- 
 losophy are free to admit the sufficiency of the 
 force of the sun's attraction to carry the earth over 
 anyone of these angles or parts, in the earth's jour- 
 ney through the vast ocean of the attraction of 
 gravitation ; and if so, why not sufficient to carry a 
 globe of the size and mass of the earth, placed in 
 every one of these angles in a revolution round the 
 sun ? In this attraction of the sun on the planets, 
 the astronomers have perpetrated a darling error 
 in assuming to weigh the sun against the planets 
 on an imaginary steelyard or balance, and on such 
 a basis they have computed the weight of the bodies 
 of the solar system, and made it the measure of the 
 mutual attractions of all the bodies revolving around 
 the sun. Admit the astronomers' law in this case, 
 and at a time when the planets are in conjunction, 
 if then they can be weighed against the sun, by the 
 same reasons a like experiment may be tried on the 
 opposite side of the sun with another imaginary 
 steelyard or balance, and another set of planets 
 like those first weighed, and the result must be the 
 same. So you may project as many radii from the 
 sun's centre to the outmost bounds of the solar sys- 
 tem as the circular space will admit of, to accom- 
 modate the diameters of the planets. Use these 
 radii as imaginary steelyards or balances, place on 
 every one of them bodies exactly like the planets, 
 of the same number, and simultaneously they may 
 all be weighed against the sun without any more 
 disturbing his force or position than would the 
 weighing of the planets alone against the sun, and 
 with the same imaginary result. 
 
 Now select one of the angles into which the area
 
 ILLUSTRATION. 
 
 of the earth's orbit was divided, and let it be the one 
 beginning with the vernal equinoctial point ; and as 
 the earth moves out of this angle, the force does not 
 move along with it, but remains in the angle, and 
 is as potent to move a second and third earth fol- 
 lowing the first as it was the first one. So on add 
 globe to globe in consecutive order, until the sun is 
 surrounded with a ring of globes of the size and 
 density of our earth, and the force of the sun's at- 
 traction to cause the orbital motion of the earth is 
 also sufficient, because of its abiding force over the 
 whole orbit, to carry this ring of globes round the 
 sun in continual orbital motion. Deny this, and 
 you deny the doctrine of universal gravitation. 
 Call to mind the spherical space illuminated by the 
 sun, the outskirts of which are far beyond the orbit 
 of Neptune, and at every point within it there is 
 assumed to be continually present some force of 
 the sun's attraction, as intense as when at first the 
 primordial laws of the universe were called into 
 requisition by the Creator. Some have thought 
 that Mercury is as dense as lead, and the planets 
 outward are decreased in density, so that the den- 
 sity of the matter of the planet Neptune equals the 
 density of cork. With some such scale of decreas- 
 ing density over the square of the distance from the 
 sun, suppose at every point within the solar sys- 
 tem an atom of matter to be present, and the atoms 
 free to move among themselves. Now let every 
 one of these atoms of the density of lead at Mercu- 
 ry's distance, decreasing to the density of cork at 
 Neptune's distance, from the sun, be subjected to 
 the Newtonian projectile and centripetal forces, and 
 for the reason, if it be the sun's attraction that car- 
 ries the planets around the sun, the same force is
 
 UNIVERSAL GRAVITATION. 
 
 sufficient to carry every one of these atoms round 
 the sun, because the force of gravitation in unwasted 
 energy is assumed to be ever present at every point 
 of the spherical space of the solar system. This is 
 so much more than the system of weighing the 
 sun against the planets can endure, that it, and all 
 that is related to it, should be abandoned for a 
 better way of knowledge. 
 
 Universal Gravitation. 
 
 The Smithsonian Report for 1856 defines the 
 attraction of gravitation to be, " (46) The recip- 
 rocal tendency of all parts of the solar system to 
 approach each other j" and, "(50) Gravitation the 
 most feeble of all attractions." 
 
 1. Of the bodies of the solar system this can not 
 be true, because the forces of the axial and orbital 
 revolutions of the spheres are greater than the cal- 
 culated gravitation of the spheres among themselves. 
 
 2. On p. 18 there is an experiment to show how 
 a certain quantity of matter may or may not be 
 under the action of the gravitation of the sphere. 
 Such is the nature or effect of axial rotation, that 
 any forces exterior to the rotating heavenly body 
 are abundantly overcome by it, securing the stabil- 
 ity of the motion of the bod)'-. 
 
 3. All error carries with it the seeds of its own 
 dissolution, the means of its own refutation. The 
 admission that the force of gravitation is the most 
 feeble of all attractions, is weakness indeed. Weak- 
 ness to such an amount as is worthy to be lost 
 sight of in calculating and accounting for the forces 
 of nature to move the heavenly bodies, unless you 
 assume that a weak force overcomes a stronger 
 one, which is absurd. 

 
 THE CROWN IN VIEW. 
 
 The Crown in View. 
 
 (Smithsonian Rfporlfor 1856, p. 201.) 
 
 " (52) The earth is nearly a sphere, and all 
 bodies fall in straight lines, directed nearly to its 
 centre." 
 
 What a fruit of cultivated ignorance, and the 
 evidence of how the noble in intellect servilely 
 follow tradition ! There was a time when, on the 
 descent of bodies, the students of nature were 
 divided in opinion : some claiming that all motion 
 was originally and naturally curvilinear ; and others, 
 that all motion was naturally and originally recti- 
 linear. This latter opinion, though contrary to 
 nature, prevailed ; and now, without a true why 
 or wherefore, even the learned Secretary of the 
 Smithsonian Institution avows this error for truth, 
 when all the phenomena of nature, THE ONLY PROOF 
 
 OF THE TRUTH OF ANY PHYSICAL LAW, are Opposed to 
 
 his teaching. 
 
 That bodies do not fall in straight lines, directed 
 nearly to the centre of the earth, or as others 
 teach, directed exactly to the centre of the earth 
 (for the scholars are not agreed), is demonstrated 
 by the fall of meteors, and also by the descent to 
 the earth of all kinds of projectiles, they universally 
 and invariably describe curve lines in their descent, 
 being subject to the forces of the earth's motions, 
 from the force of which they can not escape. And 
 because in the phenomena of nature there is no 
 true record of the observed right-line motion of 
 any body, the law of straight-line motion, taught 
 in the Smithsonian Report, is not consonant with 
 the facts of nature, and therefore not true. 
 
 The hypothesis of universal gravitation endows
 
 THE CROWN IN VIEW. 
 
 every atom of matter with power to move itself. 
 This is contrary to nature, matter being alike indif- 
 ferent to rest or motion, its perfect passivity being 
 originally necessary to permit of its being moved ; 
 and when started into motion around the axis of. 
 each one of the heavenly bodies, then, and not 
 before, arose the attraction of the matter of the 
 sphere to its axial centre. Hence the origin of 
 the gravitation of the matter of each one of the 
 heavenly bodies ; and being confined to the sphere 
 and its atmosphere, the natural, proper, and signifi- 
 cant name of it is Spheroidal Gravitation. 
 
 This spheroidal gravitation, in its effects, was 
 seen by Sir Isaac Newton, but not understood by 
 him ; and hence, instead of attributing the descent 
 of bodies to the earth, and the tendency of every 
 particle of the matter of the earth, to the attracting 
 tendency of the earth's axial rotation, the earth's 
 true centripetal force, he supposed an unseen 
 power, to himself, as he confesses, perfectly incom- 
 prehensible, to draw all the particles of the matter 
 of the earth to its centre. He then stamped every 
 particle of all the matter in the universe with this 
 mistake, and originated his now universally re- 
 ceived doctrine of universal gravitation. Had he 
 known that from a single impulse a globe could be 
 urged in the direction of a curve line, some of the 
 labor of the Principia would have been expended 
 in another theory of the celestial motions. 
 
 I have shown, on p. 73, that from a projectile 
 impulse a globe may be urged in the direction of 
 a curve line ; and such a demonstration led me to 
 the conclusion, that the same kind of force would 
 turn a planet on its axis, and urge it forward over 
 an arc of its orbit ; and because the curve-line
 
 130 
 
 THE CROWN IN VIEW. 
 
 motion of a globe arising from a single impulse 
 may be more or less curved, so as to agree with 
 the curve of any circle, ellipse, or epicycle, it be- 
 came evident to me that all the directions of 
 motions and varieties of orbits in which the 
 heavenly bodies are known to move were origin- 
 ated by single impulses, and these discoveries 
 originated the right, the authority, and duty to 
 say to mankind : Behold the way of the Lord in 
 nature !

 
 17