MOTION. 181 
and B. But the three balls start on straight lines; how shall they be deflected 
aside into curves in order to traverse orbits? ‘The reason why seems to be the 
arcanum of celestial dynanics, the secret of cosmic motion, and law upon which 
rests the structure of the universe. The great fact is this: The centres of 
gravity themselves are in motion! Thus, when B moves towards the centre of 
attraction between A and C, this centre of gravity is all the while approaching 
A, because A and C are nearer together. And B started originally towards this 
moving point. But when B first began to move, the objective point was station- 
ary, and afterwards began its motion. ‘The effect on B isthe key to the structure 
of all sidereal systems. ‘The result is that B is turned aside from its straight path 
and follows a curve. Gravity has performed its most difficult task of causing 
worlds to move on curves, for once in motion on curved lines, orbits are 
inevitable. The intricate process is this: B started towards the centre of gravity 
of A and C on aright line, but in a unit of time this attracting centre moved a 
unit of space, which tended to project B on a new straight line towards it. B 
cannot take up this new rectilinear path, however, because it has acquired inertia 
of motion, tending to keep it on its original track by the first law of movement. 
B desires to move in two right lines at once, it can do neither, but obeying the 
law of resultant motion falls into a curve midway between the two straight lines. 
And the reason of B moving on a curve is because its objective point is moving 
and this deflection being a constant force, perpetually seeks to turn B into a 
new straight line, each infinitesimal interval of time, and a curve is made up of 
an infinite number of excessively short straight lines. If A and C were immoy- 
able, their centre of gravity would be stationary, and B would move towards 
it on aright line, but being in motion, B must traverse a curve. Finally all 
becomes ready for the crowning act which will instantly convert B into a planet, 
when it will no more wander in frigid voids, but make regular circuits in the 
genial rays of A. During the long journey of B a time arrives when B seeks to 
pass A, ignore it entirely and fly away forever by reason of inertia gained in its 
flight from remote space, where it first condensed. It cannot pass because at 
the precise moment when the radius vector of A and B or the straight line 
joining their centres, forms a right angle with the direction of motion of B, then 
B loses its relative weight, becomes balanced between the opposing forces, solar 
attraction and inertia of motion, and at once becomes a planet. B can neither 
pass by on its original path nor fall to A, but deflects into a curve, a mean 
between both directions, and its future motion is resultant. The orbit is a curve 
at the proper distance between the paths sought to be traversed under the influ- 
ence of two energies, centripetal and tangential. While B was being made a 
planet C was passing through the same routine, and countless other heliocentric 
systems were in formation by the same laws. But B and C had set the sun A in 
new motion, hence it will continue in motion by its inertia on a curve having as a 
radius the distance to the nearest attracting centre, giving rise to the proper 
motion of the ‘‘ fixed” stars daily seem from observatories. If when C approached 
