^ !% 20 - 
SYMMES’ THEORY. 
For the Cincinnati Gaze tie. 
Messrs. Editors —Galileo’s reply to Ritten- 
honse (who had recently answered his strictures 
on Mr. Tuft’s explanation of a wooden globe 
experiment, as applied by him to the support 
of my theory) having been copied last week in¬ 
to your columns, leads me to offer some remarks 
thereon I had seen the piece several weeks 
sinree in some of the eastern papers, and altho" 
a part of it appeared to be designed for me, yet 
I had concluded to leave it to the world to judge, 
whether it was not sufficiently controverted, in 
effect, by my former numbers or publications: 
but, as it is now so directly before me, I change 
my design, and reply. 
1. Galileo’s charge against my theory, where¬ 
in he avers it has an atheistical tendency, cer¬ 
tainly does not justly apply to any of my expla¬ 
nations of it—and I doubt whether there be anv 
passage in the scriptures that forbids Mr Tufts’ 
explanation. If i here be any passage in the Bi¬ 
ble that forbids or contradicts my theory, I chal¬ 
lenge Galileo to shew it by an extract or refei 
ence—since there are several passages that can 
be cited which have a bearing in favor of i* 
"The very first verse of that sacred volume reads 
thus: “in the beginning God created the hea¬ 
ven and the earth which surely does not for¬ 
bid any particular formation whatever. 
2. Let Galileo give a reason why the planets 
must necessarily be solid, in consequence oft he 
greatness of their velocity.-—indeed, unless he 
knows the density ofthe medium through which 
they move, and the force ofthe impelling pow¬ 
er, he cannot judge correctly of their density * 
At any rate we find many things in nature tha; 
are wonderful and inexplicable, without being 
able to doubt their existence. 
3. I do not think it “indispensable” that the 
thickness of the crust of our sphere be given ; 
nor is it reasonable in Galileo to require or ex¬ 
pect that I should be able or attempt decidedly 
to define minutici on such foundation as the da'a 
3 'et obtained afford?. Were the sphere even as 
thick as Galileo “supposes,” yet it would hardly 
obstruct the progress of the sun’s light, much, 
if any more than a very thin sphere would do ; 
for I deem it conclusive that the verge must be 
founded gradually at the entrance, so that a per¬ 
son passing round to enter the polar opening, 
would continually suppose himself on a general 
level as elsewhere on the earth ; and even after 
he has entered quite beyond the verge, he may 
not know when he is within it, except by nicely 
calculating the various phenomena observable. 
