Lesson VT.] 



NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 



17 



LESSON VI 



VPITI -LATION, &c. WHEN Hallam commenced the study of Natural Philosophy, 

 he learned that there were certain laws relating to bodies, called Natural Laws, which 

 have been in force since the creation ; and having stored his mind with the information 



iL-d in the gift-book of the pedlar-astrologer, having reflected upon the various 

 applications of the principles he ha.l learned, and experimentally proved the practical 

 use of his knowledge, he was enabled to overcome the many difficulties with which he 

 was surrounded. He discovered that the stones in the vicinity of his hut were fit for 

 building, and by means of the application of the wedge, he was enabled to separate 

 large masses from the parent rock. Thus, he applied the knowledge of the impenetra- 

 bility of bodies to a useful purpose. He read, that all bodies near the earth's surface, if 

 left to themselves, descend in straight lines towards that surface, and that the direc- 

 tions in which they fall in different places of the earth, tend nearly to the centre of it. 

 This is a general natural law, and is seen daily. He also learned that philosophers had 



red by observation, that matter is incapable of spontaneous change, a fact of 

 great importance. 



QUESTIONS. 



CG. T. Do bodies possess the power of 

 spontaneous action ? 



/'. No; all bodies, when at rest, must 

 rfmain passive or inactive, unless influ- 

 ; >y some external force. 



67. T. What does this prove? 



P. That mere matter is void of life ; 

 for spontaneous action is the only test of 

 the pretence of the living principle. 



/'.Then it is impossible for any 

 body of itielf to commence to move from 

 a slate of rest. 



P. It is. A body cannot be in a state 

 of motion and rest at the same instant ; and, 

 as I have explained before, all bod;. 

 remain pasMve unless put in motion I 



/'. Can you tell me the name of 

 this quality of mv 



/'. It is called INKRTIA, or i'< 



'/'. Can you give me an example of 

 1.1 ? 



P. A stone, if left to itself, cannot pos- 

 sibly move; but if I kick the s 

 will continue to mote with unc! 

 velocit .til its 



course is arrested by son force. 



71. '/'. \ ' rstand, that when 



a body is put in has not the 



power to arrest its progress, and become 

 quiescent ? 



I 1 . Certainly. It cannot be reduced 

 from a state of motion without the agency 

 of some force. Tims, the wheel of an en- 

 gine continues to move after the force 

 which impelled it has been arrested, and 

 would continue to run on for ever if the mo- 

 tion were not constantly impeded by friction. 



72. T. Do you think that merhanicvil 



or friction, are the only i 

 whieh moving bodies on the same 

 >!' the earth are 1: 



P. No. The air <> '.icrnhlc 



resistance; and no dot. 1 



; running fast with 

 a cloak on, that you have fc> 

 speed increased, th.it the resistance of the 

 air also increased. 



73. T. Can you give me a good exam- 

 ple to prove tint liodii-s will continue to 



when not impeded .' 



/'. The vast bodies of the universe, 

 which received motion from the Creator, 

 have continued to move with u:-< ' 

 velocity since the time they were lai.. 

 into space. 



74. T. Are organised bodies an 



lion to the law nf inertia? 



/ n horses are 



always pass far beyond the 



winning-post befoi 



1 ; and a man standing uptight in a 



