That, if this earth moves around the sun, the shift might be found by
scientific Mrs. Pipers so to indicate—
But that if part of the time this earth, as a part of one traveling
system, moves at a rate of 19 plus 13 miles a second and then part of
the time at a rate of 19 minus 13 miles a second, compounding with great
complexities at transverse times, that is the end of the regular annual
shift that is supposed to apply to orbital motion.
We need not have admitted in the first place that the three abstrusities
are resistances: however we have a liking for revelations ourselves.
Aberration and Parallax and Spectral Lines do not indicate only that
this earth moves relatively to the stars: quite as convincingly they
indicate that the stars in one composition gyrate relatively to a
central and stationary earth, all of them in one concavity around this
earth, some of them showing faintest of parallax, if this earth be not
quite central to the revolving whole.
Something that I did not mention before, though I referred to Lowell’s
statements, is that astronomers now admit, or state, that the shift of
spectral lines, which they say indicates that this earth moves around
the sun, also indicates any one of three other circumstances, or sets of
circumstances. Some persons will ask why I didn’t say so at first, and
quit the meaningless subject. May be it was a weakness of mine—something
of a sporting instinct, I fear me, I have at times. I lingered, perhaps
slightly intoxicated, with the deliciousness of Prof. Keeler and his
decimals—like someone at a race track, determining that a horse is
running at a rate of 2653 feet and 4 inches a minute, by a method that
means that no more than it means that the horse is brown, is making
clattering sounds, or has a refreshing odor. For a study of a state of
mind like that of many clergymen who try to believe in Moses, and in
Darwin, too, see the works of Prof. Young, for instance. This astronomer
teaches the conventional spectroscopic doctrine, and also mentions the
other circumstances that make the doctrine meaningless. Such
inconsistencies are phenomena of all transitions from the old to the
new.
Three giants have appeared against us. Their hearts are bubbles. Their
bones wilt. They are the limp Karyatides that uphold the phantom
structure of Palaeo-astronomy. By what miracle, we asked, could
foundation be built subsequently under a baseless thing. But three
ghosts can fit in anywhere.
Sometimes astronomers cite the Foucault pendulum-experiment as “proof”
of the motions of this earth. The circumstances of this demonstration
are not easily made clear: consequently one of normal suspiciousness is
likely to let it impose upon him. But my practical and commonplace
treatment is to disregard what the experiment and its complexities are,
and to enquire whether it works out or not. It does not. See _Amer.
Jour. Sci._, 2-12-402; _Eng. Mec._, 93-293, 306; _Astro. Reg._, 2-265.
Also we are told that experiments upon falling bodies have proved this
earth’s rotation. I get so tired of demonstrating that there never has
been any Evolution mentally, except as to ourselves, that, if I could,
I’d be glad to say that these experiments work out beautifully. Maybe
they do. See Proctor’s _Old and New Astronomy_, p. 229.