What Is Motion?
There are practically but two things we see when we use our eyes. One of them is matter, which is a term we apply to the things we see, speaking of them as objects only, and the other is motion which we observe some of the matter to possess. Some of the things we see confuse us, if we bear in mind that everything is either matter or motion. For instance, we see light and know it is not matter and are confused until we understand that light is a movement of the ether which surrounds us and is in and outside of everything. In the same way we feel heat and may think it is matter thrown off by the fire, when it is only another kind of motion of this same ether. When we understand these things we see that motion is a very important and real part of the world.
When a motion is started it will keep on going forever unless some other force which is able to overcome the motion stops it. When a ball is thrown in the air it would go on forever were it not for the law of gravitation which pulls it to the earth and the friction of the air on the ball as it goes through the air. When you stop a thrown ball you sometimes realize that motion is a real thing because it stings your hands. We do wonderful things with motion. Many things when you add motion to them acquire qualities which they did not possess before. For instance, an ordinary icicle thrown against a wooden door will break, but if you put it into a gun and give it sufficient motion, it will go right through the door. There is a story of how a man killed another by using an icicle as a bullet. The icicle entered the man’s body and killed him. Then, of course, the ice melted and no one could tell how the man received his wound, for no trace of anything like a bullet could be found. A piece of paper has no cutting qualities, but if you arrange a circular or square piece of paper with a rod or stick through the center and revolve it fast enough, you can cut many things while it is whirling. The motion gives it the cutting qualities. You can take a piece of strong rope and, by tying the ends together, making a circle of it, you can make it roll down the street like a steel hoop if you catch it just the right way and set it spinning fast enough before starting it on its way. A steam engine has no power to pull the train of cars until the wheels are set in motion. So we see that motion is a very important thing in the world.
Motion is the cause of movements of all kinds, the power which takes things from one place to another.