OF THE EARTH'S ANNUAL MOTION. OF THE PLANETS AND THEIR MOTION. OF THE DIURNAL MOTION OF THE EARTH AND PLANETS.
CAROLINE.
I am come to you to-day quite elated with the spirit of opposition, Mrs. B.; for I have discovered such a powerful objection to your theory of attraction, that I doubt whether even your conjuror Newton, with his magic wand of gravitation, will be able to dispel it.
Mrs. B. Well, my dear, pray what is this weighty objection?
Caroline. You say that the earth revolves in its orbit round the sun once in a year, and that bodies attract in proportion to the quantity of matter they contain; now we all know the sun to be much larger than the earth: why, therefore does it not draw the earth into itself; you will not, I suppose, pretend to say that we are falling towards the sun?
Emily. However plausible your objection appears, Caroline, I think you place too much reliance upon it: when any one has given such convincing proofs of sagacity and wisdom as Sir Isaac Newton, when we find that his opinions are universally received and adopted, is it to be expected that any objection we can advance should overturn them?
Caroline. Yet I confess that I am not inclined to yield implicit faith even to opinions of the great Newton: for what purpose are we endowed with reason, if we are denied the privilege of making use of it, by judging for ourselves.