Ether
or ÆTHER, a medium filling order to account for the immense rapidall space. ity of its vibrations when radiation passes The ether seems to be of through it, its rigidity must be excessivel It may be asked, how, if this be so, the earth can move through the ether at the sively large compared with its density. rate of nearly a million miles per day.
But, if we consider that shoemaker's under the blow of a hammer and that it wax is so brittle a solid that it splinters But, if we consider that shoemaker's yet flows slowly like a liquid into the through it, and corks float slowly up and that bullets sink slowly down crevices of a vessel in which it is placed, yet flows slowly like a liquid into the through it, the motion of the earth and that bullets sink slowly down through the ether does not seem so in- through it, the motion of the earth comprehensible. is going on in the ether. phenomena it seems certain that some- From magneto-optic thing of the nature of molecular rotation phenomena it seems certain that some-