ELNSTEIN'S HYPOTHESIS AND THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY.
Our object in touching even upon the fringe of Relativity is a very narrow one. We have been wondering for many weeks' why none of our scientific or literary critics, or those who can claim to be learned both in physics and in poetry and literature, and there are many such, have not yet made a most d propos quotation. We do not for a moment suggest that what is known to us is likely to be unknown to the persons in question, but as the ordinary man and woman may like to see the stanza we will set it forth here, even at the risk of being arraigned for quoting what every schoolboy knows. We do not add the name of the author because we think it may amuse some of our readers, who do not recognize it at once, to suggest who it was who wrote the lines, or at any rate to say to what period of our literature they belong. Anyway, no one will, we think, deny that they exactly represent the mental attitude of the non-scientific man of intelli- genoe towards the Einstein controversy. "Lord of his new Hypo- thesis he reigns " is a line of which any man might be proud. " He reigns : How long ? " will not, w hope, be taken as a personal reflection by Professor Einstein. For him we have the greatest respect. Right or wrong, it is a sporting thing to challenge the cdrcumambient ether :-
" Man does with dangerous Curiosity These unfathom'd Wonders try : With fancy'd Rules and arbitrary Laws Matter and Motion he restrains ;
And study'd Lines and fictions Circles draws :
Then with imagin'd Soveraignty Lord of his new HYPOTHESIS he reigns. He reigns : How long ? 'till some Usurper rise ; And he too, mighty Thoughtful, mighty Wise, Studies new Lines, and other Circles feigns. Prom this last Toil again what Knowledge flows ?
Just as much, perhaps, as shows, That all his Predecessor's Rules Were empty Cant, all JARGON of the Schools ; That he on t'other's Ruin rears his Throne ;
And shows his Friend's Mistake, and thence confirms his own."
Was the author thinking of the Priest of Nemi, " The Priest who slew the slayer and shall himself be slain " ?
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