CHAPTER L 



EMILE'S OBSERVATION 



E MILE'S turn came to tell what he had seen. 

 "When you made me a sign to be silent, " 

 said he, "it seemed to me as if the trees were walk- 

 ing. Those along the railroad were going very fast ; 

 farther away, the big poplars, ranged in long rows, 

 \\rre going with their heads waving as if saying 

 good-by to us. Fields turned around, houses fled. 

 But on looking closer I soon saw that we were mov- 

 ing and all the rest was motionless. How strange ! 

 You see something running that is really not moving 

 at all." 



"When we are comfortably seated in the railway 

 car," his uncle replied, "without any effort on our 

 part to go forward, how can we judge of our mo- 

 tion except by the position we occupy in relation to 

 the objects that surround usf We are aware of the 

 way we are going by the continual changing of the 

 objects in sight, and not by any feeling of fatigue, 

 >inco we do not move our legs. But the objects and 

 people nearest to us and always before our eyes, our 

 traveling companions and the furnishings of the 

 car, remain for u< in the same position. The Icft- 

 hand neighbor is always at the left, the one in front 

 is always in front. This apparent immobility of 

 > tiling in tin- car makes us lose consciousness of 



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