Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1842-04-09

A NEWTON once existed-as sage q philosopher as ever
devoted his attention to the discovery Of the laws by which
the heavenly bodies are governed, and Of the principles by
which even san apple' is caused 10 fall to the earth instead
of ascending upwards into the regions of unboundcd space.
A FRASKIIN once existed,-who, by means of a Kite,
drew lightning from the heavens, and by a long course Of
investigation established the principles OF attraction and
repulsion, per tanning to that invisible and subtle power of
electricity, the effects OF which have astoundcd mankind
from the earliest ages of the world to the present period.
But we have a worthy citizen, vino conceives that ne has
discovered that the principles of attraction and gravitaton,
established by Newton, and sanctioned, since his day, by
the whole scientific world, are altogether erroneous-and
who, extending his researches beyond those of Franklin,
has discovered, just beyond the atmosphere which surrounds
our globe, a grand reservoir OF electricity, whose influence
upon the earth causes all the varied phenomena which have
hitherto been attribu ted TO the attraction OF gravitation-
And not only is our earth surrounded by this atmosphere of
electricity, but tine sun, moon, planets, satellites, aud ali OF
the fixed stars are similarly favoured. This electricity,
according to the views of our modern philosopher, causes
the motions of the planets III their orbits, drives the comet.
III their course from the sun, and on their approach again to
that body, mus, necessarily, by the repelling influence OF
SIMILAR e!cctricities, forever prevent ;hem falling into il.
We listened TO an exposition of these views by this indi-
viduai. on last Monday evening; bnt they ee-e rendered en-
tirely unsatisfactory by tho absence of any proof Of their
correctness. When a lecturer undertakes 10 controvert long
established principles, he should in the first place "show
causc' of their incorrectness, and then present evidence of
the truth Of those substituted for them. But such was not
the case on last Monday evening. No Arguments were ad-
duced to shake our belief in the Newtoniah principles, and
we had to receive .aas sacred truth'' the mere assertion Of
the lecturer, that electricity was accunula ted around and
outside of our atmosphere and likewise around all the hea-
venly bodies, without The least reason being given for such a
belief Again the electricity surrounding the sun and that
The heavenly bodies being OF the same kiai,
causes the latter to fly from the former in thei. course thro'
their orbits Quere: What causes them to come back
again towards the sun, Does the nature of their electrici-
~ change, 50 that the electricity surrounding the sun exerts
an Ghractire power upon their eiectricity, II so, By What
potrer or agency IS thus change efettsdf
Other points of an equally unsatisfactory character were
noticed; but these viii suffice. We Judge that these views
will not elevate the lecturer TO the niche in which the SCI
entifc world have agreed to raise the fame of those whose
names we have mentioned in the first part of this article.
AN AUDITOR. 4