Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-02-18
STATIC ELECTRICITY.
That was the Subject Interestingly
Lfciufed Upon by Instructor
Chambcflain.

The Students Society held i;s rcgu.
lar session last evening. Instructor
Chsmberlaln gave an interesting and
instructive lecture on estate Elec.
triclty, f" Illustrating the action OF cleo.
ttioity In different forms and upon
different object.
Several centuries before Christ IL was
observed that amber anu ruslnous sub.
stances when rubbed together had the
power OF attracting light tubstances.
Tho frat man who attempted to ex.
plain this was Thales. lie said that II
had sort Of lie. Nothing further
wsr added TO this information until
Queen Elizabeth's time, when Gilbert
added his mits towards the advance.
meat Of our knowledge on tho subject.
rho word electricity" Is derived
from tue Greek "eleoifon." The iirst
ana simrlet iosm o. electricity IL fric.
tiVnal electricity. Tie second 10 vol.
tale, aud IL VI more recent discovery
than the first.
II IL observed that II glass rod IL
rubbed ON silk II has the power OF
attracting fight substances. by stand.
ing ON q stool separated from the door
by glass legr, ani then having some
one strike you on the bacg with cat
skin, electricity IL generated, anu "A
spark will be emitted II some ono
touohus you on the hand.
SOmo substances retain electricity
for n long time, while others allow It 10
spread over them and 10 escape rapidly.
Brass aud wood, living animals and
vegetables, etc., are good conductors Of
electricity, while air In "A very good
conductor. Electricity generated In
glass will attract substances
that yulcanlzed rubber Will re-
pei. From tubs 10 ~ seen
that there are two kinds OF electricity,
VIZ, positive and negative. IL was
given Those names by DR.. Franklin.
Whea electricity was attracted from
ono substance to another, the ons
receiving Il was said 10 be positively
charged, while the other was negative.
ly charged. Tbs kind Of electricity
depends upon the rubber aa we'll ns the
rubbed. o%'ean, giais u rubbed with
silk, negative Is produced, but where
rubbed with wool, positive Ia developed.
Rubbing smooth anu rough glass
together produces positive In the
smooth anu negative In the rough
glass.
Inall kinds Of friction electricity is
produced, IN varying quantities, for
Instance IN tho breaking piece Of loaf
sugar or IN eating some substances. IL
Ap insulated conductor he placed In
proximity with IA substance similarly
ogtged, they repel esch other.
The negative Of one body attracts
the positive OF another anu repels the
negative to the other Gnu OF the body.
This was all that was known OF elsc.
tricity for "a number OF years, when
men devised means Of gathering u
large amount OF electricity ia one Oh.
Ject or place. This was done by means
OF fesined and u metal plate. 1t IL
oi,en desired to get a large amount OF
electricity In small space. This il
done 10y means OF cDndensers. A sub.
slauce connected with the electro plate
Of the generator II placed close To
substance similarly charged. The
positive or negative, ~ the case may
be, OF the object connected with the
generator is attracted to the side near.
est the other substance, thus allowing
more room for electricity to enter.
Whenever there In q connection DO.
tween Two bodies opyosilely charged,
thore Is IA spark given out. The color
OF the spark depends upon the con.
ductOr and also upon the medium
through which It Is conducted.
Passed through air 1t Is white; through
farihed air 1t Ia gTeenish; through
oxygen 1t IL white; through nitrogen
II Is reddish, etc.
The atmosphere contains some
When II IL clear II Ii p0si.
lively electrified, when cloudy It Is
negatively charged. Tho earth IL
always negatively charged. The
earth Is n great reservoir OF volt iic cleo
Iriolty. This Is generated by chemical
scIiOn. Lightning IL caused by the
passage Of electricity between the
Barth ami this clouds.
Song by the College glee club.
The society then adjourned Tor one
week.