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The One Hoss Shay
Oliver Wendell Holmes
The One Hoss Shay
Oliver Wendell Holmes
"The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay" is a perfectly intelligible conception, whatever material difficulties it presents. It is conceivable that a being of an order superior to humanity should so understand the conditions of matter that he could construct a machine which should go to pieces, if not into its constituent atoms, at a given moment of the future. The mind may take a certain pleasure in this picture of the impossible. The event follows as a logical consequence of the presupposed condition of things. Oliver Wendell Holmes, (1809-1894) American physician, poet, and humorist notable for his medical research and teaching, and as the author of the "Breakfast-Table" series of essays. There is a practical lesson to be got out of the story. Observation shows us in what point any particular mechanism is most likely to give way. In a wagon, for instance, the weak point is where the axle enters the hub or nave. When the wagon breaks down, three times out of four, I think, it is at this point that the accident occurs. The workman should see to it that this part should never give way; then find the next vulnerable place, and so on, until he arrives logically at the perfect result attained by the deacon. The localities referred to are those with which I am familiar in my drives about Essex County.
Media | Books Paperback Book (Book with soft cover and glued back) |
Released | January 6, 2017 |
ISBN13 | 9781542397339 |
Publishers | Createspace Independent Publishing Platf |
Pages | 60 |
Dimensions | 152 × 229 × 3 mm · 95 g |
Language | English |
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