Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-11-10
A FINE SPECIMEN.

I'M
A FINE SPECIMEN.
crystal and other peculiar things in ma
ture, and will show you the collection;
but first want to tell you about cleo
tricity. 1t originated in the Greek word
elektron, which was applied to amber
thousands of years ago. The ancients
discovered amber, but it puzzled them to
know whether it was u metal, mineral
or jewel. They found that it was made
electrical by friction, and SO they called
IL elektron; and from that we get our
word electricity.
"There are various forms of electric
ity. Common electricity is produced by
friction, and for many years glass and
amber were the principle articles used
in producing it. Until it came into
common use electricity was looked upon
with awe by even those who produced
it by friction. Then there is galvanic or
voltaic electricity, resulting from
chemical decomposition in a galvanic
battery. Atmospheric electricity is seen
and wondered at by everybody from
childhood to old age. 1t comes with
thunder storms, and is sometimes very
destructive, shattering church steeples,
setting fire to houses, rushing down the
sides of trees, and sometimes killing
people in open fields. There are many
artificial manifestations of this mys-
terious power of nature, and 1t is be-
coming necessary part of modern CIV
ilization. 1t is the most economical
and popular motive power for street and
suburban railways; it has superseded
gas as an illuminant; it is used for
cookery in place of wood, coal and gas
oline; and its uses for telegraphing and
te1ephoning are marvellous in extent.
Here in the capitol life would sometimes
be uncomfortable with gas light and its
heat.
"There are thousands of miles of wire
concealed in these solid marble walls.
and throughout the granite Easements
and subways. The weather bureau has
its connections here, and in the senate
and house and Hobbies there are skilled
scientists who tell the statesmen all
about the weather in their distant
homes, as well as the speed of the wind
and the condition of the temperature
outside the capitol building. The tele-
graph wires which connect the capitol
with the white house and the executive
departments also tap the through wires
to the commercial centers, so that with
electricity we are constantly in connec-
ton with the entire world. And yet, as
/ said before, very few people know any
thing scientifically about 1t, and only
recently did know the derivation Of
the word.
"But, like all men, I am talking about
my own speciality, when I started Out
to show you my curios and tell yor
some of the strange things abou,
them. Amber being electric was called
elektron, and you see how attractive 1
becomes with little friction. Here
is large piece of virgin amber, one o.
the largest pieces in the world. By rub
bling it with this chamois skin it be
comes heavily charged with electricity
See these bits of paper and cardboarf
flying after it as / pass it over th,
table. 1t is not to be wondered that tn,
ancients regarded it as mystical ant
magical. They believed that there wa
spirit of good or of evil in the amber
and that heat melted that spirit to man
ifest himself. The prevailing impress
sion was that it was spirit of affec
ton, drawing others towards it, with
out malice. Many, however, believe'
that the spirit in the amber was NAL
evolent. and that it would deceive an,
destroy all who came under its influ
ence. The human mind is NATURAL
more theological than philosophical
and hence we have so many religions il
the world. They all seem to arise fror
the natural disposition Of man t
fathom the unfathomable, and to bull
theories concerning the supernatural
:, The amber was fruitful of much specu
lation, and the old-time philosopher
passed away from earth without eve
knowing the origin of the mysteriou
elcktron.
"Pieces of amber having flies or othe
insectsimbedded in them excited philos
ophers and scientists of the oIde
schools. Amber must have attracte
the insects and swallowed them; an
~ uPI'CatSu W I've d sAJlltl Bull
stance, without life, without mouth, q
digestive organs. These phenomena ar
no longer mysterious. for we know tha
amber is actually the fossil gum of a
extinct cone-bearing tree. This gun
IN the process of hardening imprisone
the flies and other creatures held in il
gummy embrace, and there they a,
to-day, perfectly preserved, and loolsin
> very much alive, although imprisoned
l once saw and tried to purchase a bea,
tiful specimen which contained lit
lizard with five legs, looking as muc
t alive as living lizard could look in
teaspoonful Of syrup; but it had bee
, dead for thousands of years. TIL;
specimen is in a private collection, al
no amount of money will buy it.
amber was at one time more val
oble than gold, because 1t was scarce
In the Fourteenth century and previo,
] to that time. eEsSer was made in