The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-26
THE LAVE MR.KEELY.
He Really Did Discover n New and
Mysterious Force.


Mysterious Force.
Philadelphia North American
1t is vastly easier to dismiss the late John
w. Keely as a charlatan and the Keely
motor so called as an imposture than to
do justice to the one or criticise the other.
Had Mr. Keely refused to have his expert
ment capitalized. and had he worked on
without taking the general public into his
half confidence, he would perhaps not have
demonstrated the subject of his experiment,
but he would have escaped a great deal Of
severe and ungenerouS censure. For Mr..
Keely was not an impostor. Though he may
not have discovered or developed any new
force in nature nobody who knew him well
doubted that he believed he had discovered
such a force. Whatever may be said of him,
the worst that he merited was to be called
an impracticable visionary. He had no
training either in science or in mechanics,
yet he constructed some of the most ingeni-
Gus machines and operated them by some
energy not referable to what Is known of
motive powers in use. The fact that his
machines were not applic9 bic to the work
of this practical world need not be brought
against him in order to discredit the man
or his work.
The energy embodied in steam was recog-
nized more than two thousand years before
1t was successfully applied to the use Of
man. The nature of the electric huid-if It
be tuid--was about as well known hun
dred and nifty years ago as 1t is to-day, yet
it is easily within the recollection of COM
messed that subtle energy and made it sub
serve human uses, The world owes the
progress of chemistry TO men who sought
by it to discover the philosophers stone and
the elixir of life, some of whom were char
latanS and tmpostors, no doubt, but by no
means all. 1t was in the search for the i'm
possible that the possible was demonstrated
and that chemistry became a science. This
should be a warning against hasty and UNI
Just Judgment Of men and what we deem
their vagaries. That Mr.. Keely had a clew
to something that may be demonstrated and
made to subserve human uses is denied by
some and believed by others. OF those who
"a
they know nothing about it, and of those
who believe, that they have no sufficient
warrant for their belief in what has been
demonstrated. The fact that Mr.. Kelly
failed to give his alleged discovery a COM
mercial value does not warrant any one in
d1sm1sslng him as an Lmpostor. If he was
imposture than his hackers. If he had
secret he evidently knew as little about it as
any who believed without evidence
1t is supposed that his secret died with
him. But II he had a secret and that secret
embraced new force In nature-new be-
cause hitherto unknown to man-it has eX-
listed from the beginning and will continue
existent and active forever. We cannot sup
pose that any secret relating to future dies
when q man dies. Hence If there is any
secret about the force Mr.. Keely believed
he had discovered 1t will be pursued and
made plain to the world. If no data have
been preserved it may be difficult to get
the clew and follow 1t out. But if data can
be had the family of Mr.. Keely and the di-
rectorS of the motor company should call in
the most painstakng explorers of natures
secrets and give the work into their charge.
Such men as Edison and Tesla should be
summoned and the plans of Mr.. Keely, If
any, should be laid before them. Their
knowledge of the energies of nature fits
them to pronounce Judgment. If Mr. Kelly
was on the threshold of a. great truth they
may be able to discover the truth. While
Mr.. Keely. lived the world cared little about
interest will revive, for the world will want
to know what it has lost,