The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-10-24

Time, Could Not Have Surpassed Aaron.
There is nothing new on the face of
the earth, and there is no doubt that
electricity was well known to the Israel.
ties and probably to the Phpnicians
The first record of electrical phenomena
is as old as the Ten Commandments.
Moses, when he received the stone ia.
bles ON which the Ten Commandments
were written the second time, built a
box out of fir-not the common cedar OF
any other native woods, but firwood,
which had to be imported by Phpnician
merchants from the southern part Of
Europe. Was this choice accidental on
| account of the great value of the resin
Gus wood, or was il the choice Of the
| best known nonconductor among the
great number of various timbers?
Moses had the fir box lined inside and
outside with beaten gold, which con-
vertod the ark of the covenant into a
very expensive but very perfect leyden
jar or storage battery for electricity. As
gold is by 80 per cent better conductor
of electricity than copper, was the
choice of gold again on account of its
value, or was it an inspiration or reve.
lation? So much is certain-that if Edi-
son or Tesla had lived in those days
they could not have improved on the
choice of material, and the result was q
powerful leyden jar.
How was this leyden jar charged,
was the next problem. A fire of mate
rial rich in carbon was kept burning on
top of the ark of the covenant, and dur
ing daytime tall column of smoke
guided the l2 tribes of Israel through
their wanderings, and at night tall
flame was equally well seen by them.
Now carbon is good conductor of cleo
tricity, and the particles of carbon float
ing in the smoke would conduct suffi-
cient electricity to highly charge the
leyden jar At least the current of cleo
tricty would be amply strong, so that if
q hand were held toward the ark of the
covenant sparks would result. That
this was done by Moses at different
times is a matter of record, and that he |
could always depend that his faithful |
Levites would obey his instructions to |
the letter and have the jar always |
charged.
took the matter in hand and greatly inn
proved the electrical power of the
strange battery. He had the ark of the
covenant placed in the temple and had
| it surrounded by poles 80 ellis high, or
| 100 feet. These poles We're covered with
beaten gold, and gold chains were hung
from poles TO the ark of the covenant,
which made very expensive but very
complete and powerful electrical con.
nection. In country where electrical
storms are as frequent and as powerful
as in Palestine at an elevation of Coz
feet and a reach of 100 feet of the bes
conductor an abundant supply of Frank
Inns electricity would necessarily al.
ways be OH hand.
It is very likely that Aaron knew
nothing of amperes, ohms or volts;
otherwise his two sons never would
have monkeyed with this powerful ap-
paratus, and they would not have been
killed by fire breaking out of the ark of
the covenant and killing them without
any wounds or burns appearing ON their
bodies.
Any coroner's jury of today, If it
were to sit on an inquest over the body
verdict of death by a discharge of cleo
tricity.
Aaron knew this power, and to make
it effective all he had to do to deal death
from his apparatus was to remove the
costly camel's hair carpets, which are
almost perfect nonconductors of elec-
tricity, and make the culprit stand on
terra firma. Death would result instant
ly by fire breaking out and leave no
wounds or burns to account for his
death. That several members of revolt
ing tribes of Israelites were thus cleo
trocuted is also matter of record in
the Bible.
Solomon in building his temple ad.
vanced one step further. He found that
copper would do as well as gold He
| had the temple covered with copper, and
copper water pipes led into the cisterns
inside the temple.
On the temple, or rather ON its roof,
a number of gilt spears were placed in
vertical positions, ostensibly to scare off
the birds and to keep them from deiiling
the temple, but these spears were sew
eral cords high, or from 10 to "a feet.
ouCH nciBht Wouiu haiuiy po heocnsaiy
for scarecrows, but it was ample to load
the roof, water pipes, ETC., with pow
erful current of electricity.
Franklin, the electric chair in the
state of New York and the discovery Of
the leyden jar itself in Leyden, Ger
many, are all back numbers. History
only repeats itself, whether recorded or
not. &C. B. Warrand in Savannah News.