440 



KNO\A^LEDGE • 



[Dec. 1, 1882. 



in r-> 



iho present year in September. As the earth 

 sides of her orbit at those times, the comet 



I - Ills near the sun or the middle of the orbit, 

 , . ad to look ill nearly opposite directions; (8) 



\; . ^ I icn sfen in about the same apparent direction 



.. •• . : : 1 . I loniets have been seen oven longer than this 

 A !!; Constant Reaoeb. It ia a matter of taste; 



,, ; , s ilmt feeling is very strong, 1 believe. As men 



:, ; 1 it slowly dies out. 1 have myself an exccod- 



II . t\r it (even a contempt for it when 1 lind any 

 tr tilf), but you appear to like it. Ti-ace out 

 it- ...M a little about its significance, and 1 should 

 imat-iu, \ui: «..'.i! i at least understand that those who think the 

 dignity of manhoml a matter of some import can hardly share 

 your present views. They tu-e natural enough, though, 1 must admit. 

 When I was a lad, such views as yours were among my day-dreams. 

 In the youth of nations it is so with them. It is idle to argue about 

 tastes. ' When, however, you speak of love and reverence, I would 

 aak what you mean. If you mean love and reverence based on 

 actual knowledge of personal character and conduct, I say you are 

 quite right to love and reverence what yon hold to be estimable ; 

 bat if, analysing your feelings, yon find you have very little know- 

 ledge of character, disposition, genius, talent, temperament, and 

 GO forth, and tliat only the glamour of wealth or influence, or of 

 some iubred, old-world superstition, rouses in you what you fancy 

 ia love and reverence, then I would merely remark that yon arc 

 illogical. Even this 1 only say because you seem to invite an 

 opii ion. It is your affair, not mine. Some would be very unhappy 

 if all their tastes and feelings were so analysed and their reason- 

 ing powers so stiinuluted that they had to give up what they fancy 

 is dear to them. "Then take thine auld cloak about thee," by all 

 mean.", without chilling yourself by looking for holes and worn 

 places in it — even thonghthey be patent to others. — J. Harti.ktop. 

 By an odd coincidence, I want two more lines from the verse I have 

 just partially quoted. I cannot in the least agree with yon. I 

 would rather err on the side of undue respect than of discourtesy 

 towards members of the classes you refer to. Why should you bo 

 " abrupt and blunt " to any one, solely because " Ho ia a wight of 

 high renown, and thou art but of low degree." In so far as you 

 arv affected eithtr one iray or the other by a man's better position 

 in the world, you fall short of what is duo to your personal self- 

 pe9|>cct. Equally so in your intercourse with persons whose position 

 is not so goo<I as your own. — .T. Gledston'e. Must defer answer till 

 I can deal at length with the matter. But that view about rays 

 through head forming the tail has no possibility of being right. — C. 

 J. Bkown. By the same reasoning, though, you would judge a 

 Moliammedan justified as against a Christian teacher. So far as 

 first principles are concerned, a man of science, accustomed to 

 weigh evidence, would be at least as likely to be right as one care- 

 fully trained all his life to cultivate faith as against evidence- 

 weighing. — E. TfcK. Fear no space at ])resent for that .subject. — 

 X. To lake one point only, how could motion exi.st in the thin air 

 which would diminish iho resistance :- If they were imparted, how 

 codII :!.•■.!.. li ..i.i.iinod!' Consider the resistance against them ! 

 i, ■ '.■■ of any use in this tlicorj-, and there must bo 

 <■•:'. However, as yon say, the theory breaks 

 .1.. ■i"g- — J. W. WiLtlAMs. To one who holds the 



til. -.1 . 1 i-.i. through the struggle for existence has proved 



th>ru lull iiK no doubt." — Socx. That lasts till orbit has 

 become circular. But after that comes distinction. Xo repulsive 

 p<.n<r h:i~ . w-r 1- '-n shown to be exerted by sun on a comet, as 

 a ■ ■;! obviously ref<elled.— Peccavi. Nay, but post 



]'• ■ ' jirrrarere, for they smashed yonr cast, either 



.-1 .r in stamping the lot of letters amongst which 



y I I'.ut " in these nice sharji cjuillcts of the ' drift,' 



go I i.Li-h. I :.ri. no wilier than a daw."— C. IJ. SilKiinoBN. The 



'1 even of gesture, right enough ; but the 



to a time when Beatrice must have been 



'1 an honest gentleman like Benedick full 



to his love Beatrice should presently nrgo 



r.'h, and her pain at his refusal is not 



felt that neither of tho two old men 



■ •.■ wrong done to lie'o, A Rcnso 



rily in which tho two noble accusers 



k must have moved Beatrice strongly. 



, was Hhakrtpearc'K Benedick Italian ?— 



•— coins there are sixteen ]ioHsible events, 



In, and in one case four tails; in four 



1 ; and in four cases, one head and three 



-. two headn and two tails. The chances 



y thcKO numbcm rcHpcctivcly. Hence 



:>ro as follows :— (>f all four coins being 



'WO beii:g alike, OlOths or ."I-Hths; of 



or one-half. If yon wager that an even 



altvmalir 



.,f ide 



number will be of one kind, your chance is l-8th + 3-§ths, or one- 

 half ; so that tho betting should be even. — T. A. Yes; if tho con- 

 densation <-o»/(( be effected with sufficient rapidity, and in a suffi- 

 ciently short time. — .1. V. M., Joiix EiiWARHs, H. S. Standen, 11. 

 Moi'LTON, Opii'Ek, Geo. Hakhison, S. Gahratt, Thomas Lyons, A. 



M'D, A. H d, G. E. Clarke, and very many otiiei-s. Thanks for 



interesting letters ; tho phenomena are discussed, with duo consi- 

 deration of your evidence. — Louisa Byng. WIimI ,s the soul or im- 

 mortal jiart ? Also, when did man cease to be :ni nii i ' - A. O.W. 

 White. Knowof nobooksgraphically descrilii ' ' i 1 ypothe- 



sis. — P.A. Thanks for fly letter, buttho kick ii i i i, nly indi- 



cate life. May it not have been merely the 11 Ml II ■■\ mi. In increase 

 of temperature ? When his "crackling" luils nml twisis, wodo 

 not infer that piggio is alive. — Opifeu. That was an evil jackdaw, 

 but not intelligent. Cats " sleep on their heads," apiinrently, when 

 electrical conditions prevail ; it must bo uncomfortable. Tho 

 meteorological society should keep a corps of trained cats to foretell 

 weather for them. Sun spots seem certainly associated with great 

 and widespread magnetic disturbances of the earth, not with tho 

 other things you mention. — A. II. Emp.son. That contributor no 

 longer replying. — R. Lewins, M.D. I sco no iin])ertiiiont curiosity 

 in asking the question in tho way you suggest, but if tho quostioTi 

 was asked with the object of publishing tho answer, which tho 

 event seems to show, then there was room, I think, for objection 

 to tho proceeding. As to the views less reticently exprossod in 

 private, would he have cared to have had them ]iublished ? — 

 T. STE^•EN■.s. That theory about tho Star of Bethlehem seems 

 scarcely to merit attention. The heliacal rising of Sirins is a 

 coarse phenomenon, depending on refraction and other variable 

 conditions. But, in any case, are we to associate astrological super- 

 stition with the customary views of Christians about the birth of 

 Christ ? Would not that be conceding a great deal ?— H. V. Tho 

 comet did not pass through tho sun ; but its outskirts probably 

 grazed the sun's surface. The solidity or gaseity of the comet 

 would not affect the thermal result of an actual collision.— J. 

 TuRNEH. Comet's orbit not what was thought. — T. A. H. Other 

 subjects crowd us, so that there is scarcely room for that. — Dewi 

 G. Such communications should not bo sent to editor, but 

 to tho publishers ; tho editor does not keep by him spare 

 copies to send out. If delay arises, though, tho editor is 

 blamed all tho same. — Paciebat. No, certainly ; yon are not 

 troublesome, but most patient. Tho real trouble is that kindly and 

 considerate questioners are more than wo can deal with. As to 

 quotations, as a rule, if one is not certain it is best to go to the 

 author — the tcmpora mutant ur, &c. (as you mention), and nemo 

 repenic are illustrations; |but I think tho ridiculu.'i mux usually 

 comes out right. I Ihappen to know most of the "ArsPoetioa" 

 by heart, so that the change of tense was wilful. Tho explanation 

 of Foucault's Pendulum exjieriraent requires rather moro spaco 

 than can be given here. Will give it shortly in these columns. 

 The ]>rinciple is not akin to that which oxplaius tho fall of a Btono 

 to tho east of the vertical, though both depend on tho earth's 

 rotation. Sir E. Beckett's "Astronomy without Mathematics" is 

 a delightful work. It is not a text book. — Mahs. Your question a 

 little difficult—" What foci should exist in each case between the 

 objoct-glass, eye-pieco, and speculum for a reflecting telescope of 

 200 magnifying power ? " What is the objoct-glass of a reflecting 

 telescope f— E. D. W. True of 1877 and of 1H78 np to November. 

 But nothing remarkable in sun and planets. Difference must have 

 been in our own air. — I'AfLA. (1) Mr. Proctor is not a member of 

 that Church, (2) and therefore can give no details such as you ask 

 for. (3) 1 suppose the engraver means a rising sun. (4) Comot is 

 receding. (5) The Editor can and will persuade Mr. Proctor to 

 name each month tho planets of the month and where they are to 

 bo looked for. — C. U. Uavis. Yos, that would be a solution of tho 

 fifteen puzzle, if it did not happen that, as originally jiropoundod, 

 that solution was excluded. It is widely known, however. — Faiier. 

 It seems useless to try to recognise any law in our English modes of 

 spelling. Spelling "traveler" pleases Americans, and does not 

 jilease us. Phonetically there should be but one " /." But wo do 

 not spell phonetically. (Oddly enough, Pitman, tho jihonetist, in 

 his shorthand writes immediately with two 7/i'b). — A. Aitken. 

 Hard-hearted being. Yon toll "J." (p. 423), having let ABC bo 

 tho given triangle, and found O the contro of inscribed circle, to 

 draw OU, OE, OP porp. to AB, BC, CA, and to inscribe 

 circles in each of the three quads thus formed. These 

 will be tho rcquir<;d circles touching each other and aides of 

 ABC. "If J. wants it for 'use' yon can send proof; but if 

 he only wants to bother some of his fellow readers ho might 

 find the proof himself. It would be a pleasant emjiloyment for 

 him for a few minutes." HVwW it f It would take him all his 

 time, I fancy, to prove it for any case but an oipiilatoral triangle. 

 Try it yourself ; you will find that if J's problem is solved, tho 

 angles IJOE, EOF, and FOD are all equal, therefore their comple- 



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