Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-09-04
We KLE orKloAL RxnInlr.oN.
A Review OF sho Growth or the
Science by President latham

6efmsntR orchestra furnished excellent
music. AT 1910 o. clnck Hon. George H.
Boxer introduced Mayor Smith who
welcomed the visitors in few brief re-.
marks.
The entire sssemblage, headed by
; members Of the pre- 8, then marched from
the lecture room ACROSS Thirty-ssccnd
street to the main building where large
crowd was waiting to see the opening
ceremonies.
After prayer by the Rev. DR.. J.. 8.
Mcintosh, Prof. William T. Taths m,
president Of the Franklin Institute, made
the opening address which was heartily
oheered by those present
President Willism p. latham spoke as
follows When our first parents were
in the Garden of Eden they received the
primeval command to increase and null
tiply, to replsnish the earth and subdus
it. After the fail, mankind could do
little TO subdue the earth by their unaidt
strength, and even after subjecting the
lower animals to their service, their life
was merely precArious struggle for ex-
istence.
When, however, In process of time,
through the increase OF their knowledge,
they were able to avail themselves OF the
forces that exist in the other elements,
they made some progress in subduing the
earth. When they called in the aid of
fire to extract metals from the ores, and
Of water to furnish them with mechanical
power, and to float their ships,
and Of sir to drive their
sails, their general course was advancing
but their prsgress was not assured, ii d
was liable to reversals. But, after they
had bsen able to combine the forces
| which exist In fire and water, and to
avail themselves Of the munifcent energy
of steam, the progress Of the race became
assured, steady and comparatively rapid.
During all this time, there was force
prevailing all nature which was little
understood and oil which no use was
made. In the early ages Of Greece, it was
observed that a piece OF amber upon
being rubbed acquired the power OF
attracting light substances, and THE
attractive force was called electricity.
Subsequently 1t was tould IA
other substances besides az Der
acquired the same power by friotsbh,
and In process of time, machines we're
invented by which the force thus created
could be separated from its oris lnRl
sources and collected together. Its prop
critics were examined, its attractions and
repulsions weighed and measured, and
its methods Of discharge observed.
These methods Of discharge 100 years
ago formed the principal attraction OF our
lecture rooms. will notice two Of them
particularly, the disruptive discharge ex-
hibited by the spark and shock attending
it, and the connective discharge
exemplifed by the motion OF
pith balls between two horizontal plates.
The balls receive q change from the lower
plate, And, being repealed thereby, con-
vey the charge to the upper plate, where
they discharge themselves and fall back
again to take up a fresh load.
1t was near the spot where we now
stand, about $50 years ago that Or. BEN
jamin franklin raised his kite to the
clouds and drew down their fire on the
string. He examined Its properties, and
found them to be Identical with those OF
the electricity Of his laboratory, and
proved that the disruptive discharge
of the lecture room was exem-
pli6ed on a large scale in nature by
the lightning and thunder, and IL WAS
here in Philadelphia about so years ago
that DR.. Robert Hare taught MS that the
connective discharge Of the lecture room
had also Its example 10 nature on a
magnificent scale In which the air mingled
with the vapor Of water acted the part of
the pith ball and conveyed the electricity
from the cath to the upper regions Of the
atmosphere that this connective dis
charge Of electricity from the earth pro
duoed an ascending column of air, which
suooessively caused the low barometer,
the inblowing OF the winds, the vortex
and the whirlwind.
| We have thus traced electricity from
the slight influence exerted by rubbed
amber to the lightning and the whirl-
wind those wild and mighty powers
which, from the beginning, by saint, by
savage, and by sage, by poet and by
prophet, have been recognized as mark
ing the visible presence Of God.
Witness the thunder and lightning OF
Sinai when the law was delivered to
Moses. Witness the voice which God
answered Job out Of the whirlwind.
Witness the thunder bolt of Jupiter
which clothed his arm with invincible
power and made him sovereign Of the
gods. Witness, in short, the poetry OF
all ages.
Bnt electricity in this form was too
| wild and too mighty to be used by man
In his efforts to subdue the earth. About
| the beginning Of the present century,
however, tame variety OF this forc9 was
discovered, in chemical electricity, and
| subsequent discoveries revealed TO us
| magnetic electricity, which is now the
most copious source of supply, and in
this form it has been harnessGd and m sde
obedisnt to the will of man. II
Eliminates his path With radisnce ex,
eelled only by the SURPRISING glory Of
the sun. It carries his messages with
celebrity which the boldest imssina.
ton has never dared to describe.
IL reverses the action Of ohemi-
cal affinity, and performs miracles
in chemistry and metallurgy. In q
Thousand ways ii serves the convenience
and comfort of msu ,and by adding velocity
to sll his powers before possessed, It has
increased immeasurably his capacity to
execute the primevsl command and to
subdue the earth.
The use Of electricity ia still in its in
fancy. We may not predict the future,
but We may examine what is going on
among ms at present and tolthis end the
managers of the franklin Institute
deeming that the time had
arrived when the present state of cleo
trical science and the practical
application OF 1t should be shown to the
American people, have undertaken the
present exhibition. II any one desires
10 be fully informed on this head,
would say to him, s'LoOk sround you"
We have invited the nations. They
are here by their ambassador, their
commissioners, their philosophers, their
srtiaans, aud their works. The electri
cal world Of the United States Ia here
fully represented nay, it may be said, it
is here Gu mage.
The governor of Pennsylvania is
prest mt and has kindly consented to
open the exhibition, and for that pur-
pose we await the pleasure of bis ex-
oellsnoy.
Governor Pattssun here stepped forward
and was introduced. He said PenLsyl.
yania was to be congratulated for the
presence of this exhibition within Its
borders. He quoted the lines, slightly
altered
Nature aud Natures laws were hid in night,
God said let Franklin be and all was light.
And then formally declared the Inter-
national Electrical Exhibition open.
The 5000 spectators soon scattered
about the floor and viewed the various
exhibits.
The visitors recorded by the turn.
stiles for the day and evening was 5,276,
of which 2, ITO paid at the entrances, OF
the remaining 3 1865, the greater part, It
was said, were entitled to admission upon