Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-03-19
COMMUNICATED.
"Tne Problem Of Human Life, Here
and Hereafter"

and Hereniter."
stated in my notics OF this book some days
ago, that tie author 10 it subjects the theories
ofTgrdsl!, &c.. to absolutely destructive criti'
cism." wish your readers to see specimen
of his work.
lynda thus describes orc of his experiments
10 bis lectures 90 Sound, page -; as quoted by
the auhol:
"At the distant ond Of tube, 1 place
lighted candle. c. fg. 4. When | clap my
| haudJ at this end, the fine Instantly ducks
t10lvn. 1t is cot quite extinguished but it is
torcioy depressed. When l clap two books,
BIB, together, IJlow the candle ont. You may
here observe, 10 rough way, the speed aoiM
Uh!cA tic sound l0auc is propagated. The in
slant clap, the aamo is extinguished; there is
40 sensible interval between the cap and the
extinction of the flame. do not say that the
time required by tho sound to travd through
tbs tube is immoasurably short, but simply that
tho interval is two short for your senses to ap-
prtclato it. 10 show you that it is pulse and
not pug, Of air. fill one end Of the tube with
smoke Of broom paper. On cappipg tho books
together, no trace Of this smoke as elected from
the other end. The pulse has passed through
| OOtt oHtOitC uHtl Ui tettHUUg Cl(iIyWy SuHtf "
them along With it.
Hero is Mr. Halls comment
''A8 astonished as the reader no doubt is ct
this quotation. it is absolutely the language of
Prof. Tsniall, whose name is as familiar on
questions of tconoe as any household word TO
persons who arc accustomed to reading tho pao
pers 10 suppose 1t possible that physicist
could BIO found, making any professions as o
pubic lecturer, who could have deliberately
written cut ana published to tho world such q
statement OF G scientific experiment in which he
80 utterly Inexperienced the entire operation,
passes belief, and would DO secuted OF once,
except for the fact that We have tho evidence
before US in such uumistakahlo words that it
cannot DO gsiusad. And it equally saggers
crsdulity that az intelligent audience, COMPOSE
cd largely Of scientific slud1nts. could attentive.
| ~ listen to this lecture and co. hnvo detected
the iallaclous character Of tho doctrine taught
and the misguiiipg tendency Of tho illustrations
presented"
These critical students, however, looked on
approVingly, and saw this eminent lecturer clap
tho books together IN suoh a manner as to force
tho air through the tube and thus tXsuguished
the candles, and yet never suspected. tho trans
narent nature of tho deception. even aftor tho
Professor had fatty stultfod himself by saving
| lnSS, EuCu L Clup tUO bOUhS tpRCtuCT, J. OtUO
the candle GU I Why did they 20! ask him to
explain how he could blow candle out with
out puff of air. or puff of some other
material substanct2 lie might es we'll talk of
1roshing his hands without somo kiud Of NuM
Sound cannot 'Jl0W' out a llmo, or even stir it,,
unless 1t should happen to BE- tunod 10 unison,
as elsewhere explained, OF which tho roadcr
will coon be aburdantly convinced" =
'As proof that it vas not u puff of air
which produced tho result, bat 'sound pulse.
look at tho ocular demonstration which tho
lecturer had ready at hand, and which seemed
to tc such clinohCr as'to silence and literally
overRhcn any scientific doubling Thomas who
might hsppen to BIO 10 the assembly! | fill one
end Of tho tube with the smoke of Gro,gn papcrP
Which end, Protessoi2 Why, of course no
Wss too ehreWd and skilled public lecturer
aId expetimeater 10 fill tho a0rong e,.a of tho
tube. or the ooc nearest to tho candle, for he
well knew Tor if he did not know il he is to be
pitioi) that if he had filled the small end With
smoke, instead Of tho LARGO end fifteen feet
away. q uasiJlc 'puG s0oulI hare greeted his
audience every time the books came t0gctAer,
and would thus have iugloriously exploded tho
whole deception Hence he was cauticu,
enough to put tho smoke into tho largo end of
tho tube, 80 that it would be compelled 10
travel fifteen feet before it could pass out a. The
small end, which would have required at leas!
i've or six powerful cla0S Of the books to carry
it that distsnce Of course this was purely
accidental. as VIC must chsritably suppose, since
lt ntVer occurred to this able aud authoritative
Investigator of science to ill the entire tube With
tho smoke Of brown paper and then see
whether it would puff shioh would have
boon moro easily done than filing ono end OF
1t. because special care had to be used MT to
lot tho smoke crocp ahead Too Tar into tho tube,
or too near to tho outlet. lest 90 accidental
pull should ucdaceive the audience, while
this critical class OF scieutif. students equally
forgot to request hin TO do ST! They ooustitu-
ted, TO say the least, IN sudieuce remarkable
TOR doi6relco to authority, ii not for scientific
persplcacily, and proved themselves uuprece-
dentcd tor tho marvellous character of their
amlabllIty, sitting there AID taking
down the logic as we'll as tho smoke of brown
paper without asking question or offering
the least interruption except to applaud!
ut is true it seemed impossible to suspect O
trick OF pres!ldgitaticn or anything wrong on
such an occasion, especially from the appara
emily frank and candid style of tic Lecturer. lilo
did not hesitate to tell his auditors, 10 tho
p!alpest language, that it vas one end ot the
tube only which he filled with the smoke of
brown paper. and they saw distinctly, when he
put tho lighted brown paper into it, which
end of the tuba be meant; SO there was appa
rcdtly nothing unfair or disingenuous 10 tbs
performance. Then alter 6llicg this particular
end Of the tube ho honestly clapped the
books together in from. of The bcll-shsped
mouth, without q trace Of the smoke being
tjected from the other end !! After such COM
elusive demonstration, is ii aDy wonder that he
should have 50 ttiumphantly added: "he
pulse has passed through both smoke and air
aoHhom curYying either Of them along Nth it,"
But now ask seriously, how did Professor
Iyrdall know that no cir Was carried out of the
snail end of tho tube when BIO capped the
books? Evidently in tho same way exactly 10
| which he knew that 10 smoke was carried out,
he lid not see 1t. The reason Why ho did not
see the smoke pass out was because it could not
get out. since it was impossible for it to travel
| the whole length Of tho tube at o single clan.
This, to say thu least. was a GOOD aud sufficient
reason. Smoke being risiJlc substance it YVES
absolutely essential to the SUCCESS of the exper-
Ona hob