MECHANISM OF NATURE 



except the recognition of the manifestations of 

 that attraction. And nothing has been learned 

 about Gravity since Newton's day, and there is 

 no known way of converting Gravity into any 

 other force, or any other force into Gravity. 



Yet there is, in human nature, a half-dead in- 

 stinct that weight can be lessened by deep inhala- 

 tions, and many birds sail in a manner to defy 

 all our estimates of aeroplane results, from a given 

 amount of force and air-resistance. 



And there is a widespread belief in the possi- 

 bility of the conversion of universal force, through 

 human ingenuity directly, into mechanical and 

 chemical energy for the use of men. 



That Gravity furnishes the necessary stable 

 background for the action of other Forces can 

 readily be seen, and looking upon all Forces as a 

 displacement of material, brings all Forces in rela- 

 tion with one another, in common origin. 



But let it be otherwise, and let Forces generally 

 and Gravity in particular, be occult Forces that 

 is, something that can work where there is noth- 

 ing to work upon. (Hypothesis.) 



And let Fig. A represent an air-tight vessel with 

 three balls suspended from the top by small 

 strings. Through the stoppered tube D exhaust 

 all the air contained in the vessel. Then there 

 romains in the vessel nothing but the suspended 

 balls and void matter. 



And Gravity that causes the balls to attract each 

 other must either work through nothing at all or 

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