THOUGHTS ON NATURAL PHILOSOPHY. 7 
philosophy, and then invent some imaginary force (which, 
after all, can only be a name, a word, a no-force) to account 
for phenomena caused by a force already in existence is 
fallacious and absurd. 
The first law should therefore be that:—Every body 
continues in its state of uniform motion in a straight line 
or in its state of rest, except in so far as 1t may be compelled 
by motion or force to change those states. 
The advantage of this amended law is that you are dealing 
with known things, and in their right order, and do not have 
to imagine fanciful ideas. 
This amended law agrees with my axiom that “ Two 
portions of matter, moving adjacent at equal rates of speed 
along a straight line, must continue to move together as 
long as their rates of speed remain equal, and they do not 
receive any interference.”’ 
This is the fundamental law of material combination. 
When they meet other portions of matter and clash, they ' 
combine to execute the work of moving the other portions, 
or are moved, as the case may be; but either way they 
combine to exercise force and do work. 
The birds in the air, the fishes in the water, animals on 
land, and all moving things illustrate the truth of the axiom. 
As long as they move adjacent to one another, at equal 
rates of speed, along a straight fine, without interference, 
they keep together. 
Matter, having motion, must have speed and direction, 
and therefore eventually adjacency. 
Material motion gives the sensation of heat, and is called 
“energy.”’ The word “energy’’ is only a name given to 
material motion. 
Electricity and magnetism are material motion in special 
forms or modes, and only in operation when material motion 
