DEATH AND RESURRECTION. Ill 



inertiae, the inertia of matter, one of 

 the most important natural laws that 

 exist. What does this law teach us? 

 It says that matter cannot itself change 

 its condition. If a body is in motion it 

 can never come to rest unless another 

 force at least equal to the primary op- 

 poses the motion. If it be at rest, it 

 cannot impart motion unto itself; en- 

 ergy, applied from without, is neces- 

 sary. Inertia keeps the earth moving 

 around the sun; a stone thrown into 

 the air would proceed everlastingly 

 with its initial velocity if the attrac- 

 tion of the earth did not interfere. 



Because of this quality, then, matter 

 remains in its natural equilibrium. An 

 engine would never be built because 

 the ore would stay in the mountains 

 and the metals forever remain in their 

 compounds. Every product of art re- 

 quires a foreign interference in the ma- 

 terial world; matter, in consequence 

 of its inertia, presents a determined 

 and often very energetic resistance to 

 such an intervention. 



