INTRODUCTORY 9 



The planets travel in ellipses. 



On tli? contrary, tJiei/ trarei in dcsccnd- 

 !n<j spirals. The distinction is important and 

 not captious. 



Space is filled with matter that is imponderable. 



77//,s -fanciful quality need not l)c pred- 

 icated of the ether, since motions arc shown 

 to be produced- by SUBSTANTIAL cause* capable 

 of overcoming f/reat resistance. 



The earth's continents are huddled around the 

 north pole, by chance. 



They are there because the earth is a "fall- 

 in (/ body" fdJlin-g irith tJi<e *nn, and its heavier 

 parts settle naturally to the bottom. 



Heavenly bodies attract each other as though their 

 masses were concentrated at their CENTERS OF FIGURE. 

 Hence the various theories of "disrupting tides." 



Celestial, like terrestrial, bodies attract 

 each other bt/ thc-ir CENTERS OF GRAVITY. Hence 

 there can be no such thincj as disrupting tides. 



Earth-tides are caused by the application of only 

 the second half of the law of gravitation, namely, that 

 bodies attract each other inversely as the square of the 

 distance. 



On the contrary, the if are amenable also to 



the first half of the lair, that bodies attract 



each otber directly a* their masses. 



Notwithstanding that the evidence shows that the 

 earth's day is as short as ever it was in historic times, 

 yet it is gradually lengthening by reason of retardation 

 by the tides. 



The tides, on the contrary, are the motive 



force that turn the earth. 



