THE YAKI\ PEXDVLVM, Al^ MFTRl, 



4v5 



on the time of its nbration ; asif ll .. .^ooih part of a 

 day which we call a second of tir o not as definite 



and as invariable a quantity as the i ..cc:h v..:! \\'',ch, 

 in their rage for decimalization, th vrc to call 



one ; and as if they might not have vcd on a jxnuulum 

 vibrating loc.coo times in a day (>^' would have given 

 a very near approach to our }-aru>. ..i their stiunbling- 

 block was the introduction of an \:raneous element, 

 fi'/;ie, at all, into the subject : as the length of the 

 day were not as much an in\*ar: le, univers;\l, and 

 physical element as the dimension of the earth or its 

 gravitation. But in this they seen::, 'r.ave overlooked 

 the fact that their adoption of the qui rant of a meridian 

 for the base of their system do. y admit this ex- 



traneous element, time, into that SN-ini, though in a much 

 more insidious way. For the totaiulk or mean radius 

 and tlie total mass or gravitatinJnerg}' of the earth 

 remaining the same, the ellipticityT its meriilians, and 

 therefore their absolute length, dtends on the period 

 of its rotation or the length of the ay. The same oh 

 jection, to be sure, if it be one, wr/d e^ju.i"*' .if/" ' 

 the adoption of the polar aaiii^fii: tJco 

 of the earth ; and 

 time ^' 



