Fig. 90
The two inclinations in this line counteract one another. One inclination toward the left is balanced by a corresponding inclination toward the right.
Fig. 92
In this case, also, there is no inclination toward the left which is not balanced by a corresponding inclination toward the right.
Fig. 92
In this line, which is composed wholly of inclinations to the right or left, every inclination is balanced, and the line is, therefore, orderly in the sense of Balance; more so, certainly, than it would be if the inclinations were not counteracted. This is the problem of balancing the directions or inclinations of a line.
75. A line having no balance or symmetry in itself may become balanced. The line may be regarded as if it were a series of dots close together. The line is then a relation of positions indicated by dots. It is a composition of attractions corresponding and equal. It is only necessary, then, to find what I have called the center of equilibrium, the balance-center of the attractions, and to indicate that center by a symmetrical inclosure. The line will then become balanced.
