The Anaconda standard., 1899-12-13

From the New York Tribune.
Wireless telegraphy is as hard to be-
ieve in as the child's story about ihe
seven league boots Why a little
wheel that runs along wire shouia
gather power enough to lift three car
loads of people up hill is much more
difficult to understand than that tae
door of the robbers cave should swing
open when All Baba uttered certain
words. No doubt a door could be ar
ranged with so delicate mechanism
that on being affected by certain VI
brations Of the human voice 1t Wouid
open. But still 1t would only be a me
chanism, and would be no such mifacle
as is exhibited in telegraphy.. II pehea
in thing means the understanding u
it we do not believe in electrlclty. Ws
only make II, or rather induce IL anu
guide 1t. and then use it. But no one
knows what it is. When the capie 10
laid from Canada to Australia ana me
old earth renews its vigor py Weaiins
an electric belt we shall be aple TO seii1
messages from our right hand 10 GU,
left with all the world between. Anu
while one hand ticks off the sentsii.e
the first words of it will be coming 10
the receiver pGlOEe llic tta@s 49,
are sent off. In those two or three sec
onds the message will travel apout ."'-
900 miles, allowing for the great oeE'
ton in the Pacific.
Now, let 1t be noted that no one un-
dsrstands this. The human mind can
not follow that message as it twists
on the glasses of half million tele-
graph poles and sweeps across the val
.Js,
mountains. Is man not forced TO ms
he,ief in the miracle of natures magic
solely by results? This does not differ
from belief in religious creed. II be-
lieve in God, the Father Almighty, ma
ker Of heaven and earth!" So far as
human understanding goes, is there
any difference between the reasons for
a belief in this creed and the reasons
for a belief in electricity? Both come
from noting results the causes of which
are undiscovered. Both creeds are
equally scientific, and it may be that
we make a distinct gain for ourselves
when we refuse to contine our belief TO
ordinary scientific limits.
For a quarter of century science
has dealt with us in a rather high
handed way. "Thou shalt not believe
IN anything lllct Ao1lol NV SoN'
crudely speaking, has been one OF Inc
chief commandments Of the last rev
years. The proofs Of the doctrine OF
evolution, which on the whole have
been satisfactory, have credited science
with too much, even though the gains
made through that study have been
enormous. Those gains are now being
Incorporated in religion and as part
of the history of man they were both
great and necessary, but further per-
sonal gain may be made in the discov-
| cry that the world is not all pudding
| and cannot be eaten, and that there
are many matters and conditions that
can perhaps never be found out
through ordinary scientific methods OF
! research. Easg
What fine chemists scales will weigh
| the imponderable? What meter viii
measure the effect OF will power on The
| mind of another? There are more
things in heaven and earth than ari
1 dreamed of in materialism, and nov
| that the more simple mental phenom
ena exhibited by rhypnotized patients
are being taught and studied in New
| York there is hope that the majority
| Of mankind mays soon become aware
| Of the existence of those parts OF thei