COSMIC PHILOSOPHY 



bodies, moving in independent directions and 

 exerting attractive forces upon each other, must 

 forever move in directions which rhythmically 

 vary, and with velocities which are rhythmically 

 augmented and diminished. Thus the rhythm 

 of motion is a corollary from the persistence of 

 force. Our only alternatives are rhythm, or in- 

 variable velocity in an invariable direction. The 

 latter alternative being excluded by the fact that 

 in the known universe innumerable bodies co- 

 exist, it follows that we must adopt the former, 

 and admit that all motion is and must be rhyth- 

 mical. 



The direct dependence of this conclusion 

 upon the axiom of the persistence of force is 

 still further illustrated by the case of the pendu- 

 lum. Let us imagine, for the sake of definite- 

 ness, a heavy bob at the end of a rigid wire. 

 When the bob is raised to leftward of the per- 

 pendicular, and then left to the action of gravity, 

 it at once begins to descend. But while it is de- 

 scending, gravity is at each instant adding to its 

 momentum, so that, when it reaches the per- 

 pendicular, it cannot stop, but is carried along 

 to rightward until all the added momentum is 

 lost again ; that is, until it has ascended to a 

 height equal to that from which it began to de- 

 scend. Being now left to the unhindered action 

 of gravity, the same series of motions will oc- 

 cur in the reverse direction, and so on forever. 

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