The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-01

tach themselves TO one anotuer assumtDg
while attraction appears to be the basis of
sol1dity, repulslon appears to assume higher
func ion, aud TO inspire in ma ter a spirit OF
selection, adjustment srrBngement order, and
beauty, aud 10 be au ascending force from melt
or neutral atoms, adding to the solidtfving fJrce
a kind of intelligent life like endowment"
The same basic force may in like manner be de
tected underly ying the great geological principles
which resulted in the formation of the earth's
crust. Wtuout con hitting himself exclusively
to any special earthquake theory, the student
of nature canLot but recognize the persistent
action of n repulslve force in the upheavdls and
assures, the undulatory movements aud shocks
which disturb even now the equilibrium of the
earth's surface, no less than In the vasi Das1llc
and metamorphic deposits which denote a
highly CrystalZlng energy at work IN the ear
hest processes of soltdidcation. The testimony
of EARTHQUAKES to the truth of the hypothesis Of
terrestrial tension and repulsion is brought to.
gether with much diligence by the author whose
extensive travels in Central America and the
islands of the Pacific have given him the means
of personally testing and measuring the magni-
tude Of those tremendous agencies. His rca-
soning, which IS in part based upon, and in
general compatible with, the careful obserVa-
tioDs and cautious views of Percy and Mallett
goes 10 establish the existence OF powerful re.
pulsive principle at work. radiaung from the
centre of the globe. From the immense stores
OF facts collected by these aud other investi
gators, he thinks he can see his way to connect
ing this movement OF the fluid mass confined
vary ing attraction of the SUMS mass at different
portions of our planets elliptlcal orbit. TIE
general intensity of the seismic or putonic force
should be, according to this theory, inversely
proportional to the length of the earth's radius
vector.
The tables he has put together do much to
substantiate this view, SO far as the numbers of
recorded earthquakes with their corresponding
dates are concerned. 'For the six months
during which the earth is most remote from the
sun, there stand 5l75 against 6697 during the
eiv NIL nj NOS nrn wi mi ifu nf turn
bodies, thus presenting difference of 1922
in favor of the peIihelic arc" IT we proceed TO
estimate, however, these phenomena in the
ratio OF their intensity, rather than of their fire.
quency, the results seems to US, at first sight at
least, lar less decisive, even If any law can be
deduced from them at all. Picking out from
the long list of eartho ouakes those which seem
TO have been the most violent or extensive, we
find them occurring without much difference at
all periods OF the year alike. OF the two great
catastrophes at Lisbon, that of 1881 took place
on the 26th of February, that of 1755 on the 1st
of November That of Lima, in 1746, was on
October %. That by which the coast of Chilli
was permanently raised was on November 10,
1922; while one of the most violent on record in
this country-by which, says HoVeden, Lincoln
Cathedral was rent, sunlnlG deorsunl-took
place April Is, 1855. That whereby parts of st.
Paul's and of the Temple churches were thrown
down was on the 9th of the same month, 1880.
The late terrible shocks in South America oc-
CURED in the middle Of August the eXtraordi
nary eruption of lava in Hawaii during April of
last year. The wonderful outbreak of vesuvius
described go graphically by Sir W. Hamilton
extended with little iutermisslon from Novem-
Der, 1865, 10 near the end of October, 1766. The
greatest of anomalies is that lately recorded
by Professor Philllps-that periodically
Ntna is most active during six months ending
with July, Vesuvius during the six months
with that month. DR.. Winslow
allows little or no force to the tidal influence of
the moon upon the molten sea within our earth;
else we might refer him to the most recent
observations OF Professor Palmierl, showing
that the eruptive force in the of Vesuvius is
sensibly strengthened at the. syzygtes and
weakened at the quadratureS of the moon. 1t
is so far in favor OF his hypothesis that none of
the tiercest shocks can be pointed out at exact
proximity to the June solstice.
The phenomena of comets have been studied
by the writer with an amount of pains and an
acuteness OF reasoning to which we regret that
we cannot do justice. On the nature and causes
of Waterspouts he dilates, it seems to U.S. with
more originality than conclusveness. Instead
OF seeing in this phenomenon the simple force
Of atmospheric pressure, he believes II to depend
upon positive radiation of the repulsive
force as definite cosmic principle, which acts
upon the body of the waters to rarity, in like
manner (although in an opposite sense) as
attraction acts to condense them" From
what source this radial impulse is i'm
parted to the ocean, its surface being
in the most signal instances calm at
the time, and how 1t is combined with the rotary
action of the descending currents of air, he for
pears 10 speculate, tDTOugn ne mlgnt trace mere
an analogy with the well-known syncronism of
atmospheric and magnetic storms with disturb
ances of the earth's strata. He has done how
ever, good service to science by exposing the
hollowness of referring these and similar sys-
tens in the working of nature to the mere
hypothetical notion of 'react1on":-
To call these and similar phenomena simple
reaction" explains nothing; for reaction, as q
IDEA OF direct and positive physical force. II 1t
mean anything, then, 1t expresses force
opposite in action to that which drew
the Particles towards the centre and
increased the density of the comets mass as it
approached the sun. If IL be force-a positive
principle exerting action opposite to attrac-
sion, admitted by every writer on molecular
physics and which has already been demon
strated TO be susceptible in our own planet OF
swelling into indefinite volumes. of producing
general radial phenomena, and of becoming an
which are everywhere similar and always eK.
pressed In functions of cognRLe and volumi-
pously repulstye character And II may wen
final principle of nature which, throughout our
globe, expands matter, creates the waterspout,
guides the currents of vital force and mole
cules in the palm-tree and pine, lifts plutonlc
fires thousands OF feet high, shakes alike
centre and circum ference, causes flame to
ascend perpendicularly from every radius of
the sphere, Is no other than positive living
force OF repulsion-a principle OF energy the
opposite of attraction; and that 1T not only per-
forms the same function in every planet and
comet, but also is the Identical principle which,
in every star and con trolling central body OF a
system, determines and guides all radial phe-
nomena in their outward courses, and In our
own system. proceeding from the sun, projects
the comets tail In all It's radia aspects In the
same manner as repulsion, ever insensibly
rsdiatipg from the earth's centre. projects the
ascending atoms luminous currents from q
burning tel per. IL is one and the same principle
| as universal in It's reach as gravitation, and
! ever antagonistic to II, whether In molecule
or world. IL Is the occult principle OF energy,
The hnal element of antithetc power, per Sc in
polarity as Will be more clearly seen Hereafter