The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-15
LIGHTNING IN BIBLE DAYS.
Is Electricity a Divine Revelation, or
Was Moses, Aaron and Solomon
E1ac%riciansp

Is Electricity a Divine Revelation, or
Was Moses, Aaron and Solomon
ElectriciansP
There is nothing new on the face of the
earth, and there is no doubt that cleo
tricity was well known to the Israelites,
and probably TO the Phenicians. The
first record of electrical phenomena is as
old as the ten commandments. Moses,
when he received the stone tablets on
which the ten commandments were writ
ten the second time, built box out of
fir, not the common cedar or any other
native woods, but fir wood which had to
be imported by Phenician merchants
from the southern part of Europe. Was
this choice accidental, on account of the
great value of the resinous wood, or was
it the choice of the best known non-con-
ductor among the great number of vari-
Gus timbers2
Moses had the fir box lined inside and
outside with beaten gold, which con-
verted the ark of covenant into very
expensive but very perfect Leyden jar or
storage battery for electricity. AS gold
is by 80 per cent. a better conductor of
electricity than copper, was the choice
of gold again on account of its value, or
was IL du OF T6N6idJlOuF %
much is certain that if Edison or Tesla
had lived in those days they could not
have improved on the choice OF material,
and the result was powerful Leyden jar.
How was this Leyden jar charged was
the next probe A FIRE of material rich
in carbon was kept burning on top of the
ark of the covenant, and during day time
a tall column of smoke guided the twelve
tribes of Israel through their wanderings,
and at night tall fame was equally as
well seen by them. Now carbon is good
conductor Of electricity, and the particles
of CARBON floating in the smoke would con-
duct sufficient electricity to highly charge
the Leyden jar. At least the current of
electricity would be amply strong, so that
if hand were held toward the ark
of the covenant sparks would
result. That this was done by
Moses at different times is mat
ter 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.
After Moses death his brother Aaron
took the matter in hand and greatly i'm
proved the electrical power of the strange
battery. He had the ark of the covenant
placed in the temple, he had it surrounded
bypoles so ellis high, or $50 feet. These
poles were covered with beaten gold and
gold chains were hung from poles to the
ark of tbs covenant which made very ex-
pensive but very complete and powerful
electrical connection. In a country where
electrical storms are as frequent and as
powerful as in Palestine at an elevation
of 800 feet and reach of $50 feet of the
best conductor, an abundant supply of
F'ranklin's electricity would necessarily
always be on hand.
1t is very likely that Aaron knew
nothing of amperes, ohms or volts, other
wise his two sons never would have monk
eyed with this powerful apparatus, 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 body.
Any coroner's jury of to-day, If it were
to sit on an inquest over the body of
Aarons sons, would at once bring YER
| dict of death by discharge of electricity.
Aaron knew this power, and to make it
effective all he had to do to deal death
from this apparatus was to remove the
costly cancels hair carpets, which are al
most perfect non-conductors of electricity
and make the culprit stand on terra
| tirma death would result instantly by
| fire breaking out and leave no wounds
or burns to account for their death. That
several members of revolving tribes of
! Israelites were thus electrocuted is also
matter of record in the Bible.
J 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 cop
per waterpipes led into the cisterns in
side the temple On the temple, or rather
on its roof, number of gilt spears were
placed in vertical positions, ostensibly
to scare off the birds and to keep them
from de6ling the temple, but these spears
were several cords high, or from l6 to "a
feet. Such a hight would hardly be
necessary for scarecrows, but it was am
pie to load the roof, waterpipes, ETC.,
with powerful current of electricity
Franklin the electric chair in the state
of New York as well as the discovery of
the Leyden for itself in Leyden, Ger
many, are all back numbers. History
only repeats itself, whether recorded or
not G. B. WARRAND.