Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-03-22
The CaFIOus Facts About Gas,
New York Evening Post.l


New York Evening POSt.l
Whether or not the use OF OlehAnt
gas 90 an illuminating agent tends di.
reclly to superinduc5 q state Of mental
imbecilily we are not prepared 10 say,
with q tOlerable measure OF confidence.
Granting that II will not do to assume
that one thing is the cause Of another
because the two are frequently found
Ia company, we nevertheless note the
we'll nigh universal juxlapositiOn OF
any two things as tending At least 10
suggest the relation Of cause and effect.
Meaning 10 assert no more than this,
we wonder that no curiOns Investigator
OF mental phenomena has thought Of
collecting The facts about AAs, which
would make very curious chapter If
set 10 orderiv array. His point Of de-
parture, Of curse, would be the mani
testify insane tendency OF ell human
beings who usl gas 10 reduce their sup
ply Of light In the hope Of thereby re-
ducing the cost Of their light. We cali
this a manifestly insane tendency, be-
cause 1t is q direct attempt 10 subvert a
law known 10 be 80 persistent 90 the
law Of graVitalion itself. Every per-
son who ever Rad gas to pay for knO we
experimenlally that the less gas he
burns the more gas be must pay Tor. II
ls not easy to explain this, but expe-
rience teaches it-DOt the experience OF
one man, but the uniform and uni-
versal experience Of houRehOlders.
Yet In practice we 1y In the
face of this law constantly. When
= gas bill which was expected 10 be for
four dollars appears in the house
through the aperture under the base
ment door, and tho good housewife
finds that 1t amounts to seven dollars,
she slraightwsy institutes q system Of
supervision which shalt diminish the
consumption OF gas in the house one
half. She reduces the number Of burn
ers employed, and forbids the full use
Of any one Of them. She follows the
careless members of the family about
the house, turning down every burner
not Immediately needed, until II shows
only blue pOint of fame, insufficient
/ 10 light her feet out OF the room. She
compels the members OF the household
/ to feel their way about the house, a.
ferrybosls do In fog, and gives them
a chance 10 study the nature Of the
sense of feeling by means Of expert
mental investigation with their shins.
II is certain that che thus reduces the
amount of gas consumed 10 one.halI
the amount used the month before aud
IL 10 equally certain that the bill at the
end of The month will be increased 10 4
similar proportion.
Curiously enough, nobody learns BY
experience of this sort. Month after
month the lessons OF experience are de-
ded. Every body knows tina, the rule
is q fixed One-lbe less gas burned, the
greater the cost will be-and yet ev
erybody persists in trying TO reduce
gas bills by sparing the gas. Logically
the right course would be 10 light al
the burners 10 ones house and keeI
them burning As nearly all the time 81
possible.
The late Bishop WhitehOuse, OF II
linOis, made some curious experiment.
on this subject several years ego. Hav'
ing discovered the fact referred 10
that the less gas be burned, the more
he was required 10 pay for II, be deter
mined 10 subject the law which ap'
peared 10 govern the phenomena o.
gas consumption 10 Q severe scientific
test. He carefully shut the gee OF The
meter In lis house, had carpenter 60
curely fasten ell the doors and win.
dows, and went to England to attend
the Pan Anglican Council. When he
returned, the official reader OF meteri
visited him and inspected the dlals Ia
bis cellar. Then came the bill, and
the law was firmly established, for the
good Bishop was charged for third
more gas a month during the time Oi
his absence than be had ever been
asked 10 pay for before.
Il is q curious set OF phenomena
which here invite investigation, aud
we thus briefly refer 10 them in the
hope that we may stimulate some sci
eniifc INQUIRER 10 explain them.