Rollo's Museum

stride of his father's knee, as if he were riding a horse. His little brother Nathan came up and stood near, wanting to get up too, only there was not ro

imitating the tone in which Rollo

ir?" sai

n my lap," said his father, "if it was not

He did not know wha

, he put his hands upon Rollo's shoulders, and crowded them down, by way of showing him how the earth acted upon h

makes weight

to move, and if I thought the earth would listen to me

ve it free to move; and then Rollo can tie a string to it, and move it easily along to the place where I want

laughed, and Rollo's mother looked up from h

o release this single stone, for a few minutes, from the grasp with which thou holdest all things down upon thy surface. And by it I shall gain much, while

kes everything h

atural tone; "the attraction of the earth is w

ous great stone," said Roll

paper, and empty; and the other made of wood, and loaded with iron as heavily as it would bear. Now, they would both be supported upon the water, so that their weight would be neutralized; and yet they would move very differently. You could push the

"it would go harder

re particles of matter than the light one, and they have all got to be put in motion

se the effect of the pushing has to be divided among twenty times as many particles, and of course will only carry them one twentieth part as far; s

at puff of feathers, or a balloon of the same size, hanging in the same way. Now, if they were both suspended freely, they would both move easily, for thei

t he could move it but

d to rise; so that it cannot be moved at all without being lifted a little. And the more it is moved, the higher it is lifted, so that it

ir?" sa

s knee, and stood by his side, listening eagerly. His mother, too, was paying close attention. A

e mass of lead, as big as a load of hay, is

strong enough to ho

on, as large as a stick of t

u could not get such

, to balance it. Now, suppose that the lower end of the great chain is secured around the middle of the iron beam, and the upper end to be fastened to some strong support up in the air. Now, we can move the

uld be able to move them; but still they would move exceedingly slow at first, and it would be hard to stop them, when they were in motion. So, he said, if the earth should cease to attract and draw down any great

hould not attract us, could we push o

s father, "mos

about anywhe

tain

t this idea, and looked very

as no gravitation," sai

, "if you should get up into the

an, beginning to loo

o as to push yourselves down. You would be just like a boy in a boat, off f

g," said James, "before we went

at you m

our hands, like a bir

could," sai

to fly; and Rollo said again, he wished, with all his heart, there was no

serious consequenc

equences?"

ious than you

ey would be, unc

you could not stand up str

uldn't we, fathe

t replying to James's question-"what makes you think t

did not know what to say. He had an indistinct recollection of havi

if the attraction of the earth should cease; in fact, if it made

ttle vain of his knowledge; and in this case, instead of listening attentively, and endeavoring to learn something new from his father's explanations, he se

hat would be the consequence

Rollo's father, "all the streams

!" said Roll

why the streams flow is, that the earth attracts the water from th

what else?

uld never be a

" exclaimed al

rth draws them down by its attraction; and, of course, if thi

on these strange effects, when Rollo

than these; but I do not know whether you wo

llo; "I think we

, on a muddy road, in a wet day, holds the mud upon it, until when it is go

said all t

tight, it would be thrown off at all times, even w

s,

e loose things upon the surface would be thrown off at once, if they were not held to it by a strong attraction. If this at

ollo; "where should we

e should fly off into the sky somewhere, some in one direction, and some in anothe

l us, father?

d be any shock that would hurt us, but we should have

llo. "There wou

ld look bright enough when you looked directly towards it, but t

told them would ensue from a suspension of the earth's attractive force. Rollo be

ses would not go off, certainly;

; houses a

they are fa

astened down?"

are nai

ground, certainly

"but then they are built w

the lowest stones. The foundation

"I thought they were fas

nly just lay the foundations upon the ground, with

ld not stand up straight. I meant the houses. I read in a book that h

hought that was rather wide shooting. Rollo wanted to know what he

nsion of gravitation would be; and, in attempting to tell that houses would be in danger of being blown away, you

, and even Rollo could not help smiling at the ridiculous figure which his display of his learning mad

se of all the pressure, both of air and of water, and all the effects pr

, "I believe I un

rd, to see if some beans had come up, which he had been

STI

gravitation? What was the first evil consequence which their father said would ensue, if there was no gravitation?

to co