101 



the author's enunciated laws, A=jj 3 

 and * R=jy3 



It is evident here that the attraction is greater than the 

 repulsion, and hence the particle is not in equilibrium. But 

 the stability of this molecule, and in like manner of all other 

 molecules, is essential to the stability of the globe. And 

 the author himself tells us on p. 151, that " it is a necessary 

 determination that a globe so generated, should have in 

 every molecular force, a centrifugal and centripetal tend- 

 ency just balancing each other, and thus holding the mole- 

 cule at rest." 



The simple fact is, that in regard to this whole subject of 

 the attraction of bodies, there never was such a bundle of 

 absurdities put together. It is useless to try to evoke order 

 or system out of it. We defy any man, however acute or 

 patient, to wring from the author's words a meaning which 

 will, in any fair sense, conform to the facts. 



The determination of the laws of falling bodies was 

 among the triumphs of the splendid mind of Galileo. He 

 demonstrated them mathematically, and verified them by 

 experiment ; and they still retain their place, unmodified, in 

 the science of mechanics, as a memorial of his greatness. 

 Let us see what Dr. Hickok has done for them. 



We called attention above to his enunciation of the first 

 law of motion ; and requested attention to the fact that he 

 demands, in order to produce a uniform and rectilinear 

 motion, a constant and unceasing action of a stronger 

 energy against a weaker. In that case, the result of a 

 stronger energy acting against a weaker, was a uniform 

 movement in the direction of the stronger. Noiv, from 

 some reason, which he does not and perhaps can not explain, 

 he finds that " the greater force not only moves, but adds to 

 itself continually." According to his system, a molecule of 



