The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-23
VERY OLD NEW THINGS
THE REAL ANTIQUITY OF THE
LATEST INVENTIONS.
Wireless Teiesraphy Three Centuries
Old-Scott's "EternaI Lamp" of
Six Hundred Years Ago.


older than telegraphy with wires In the
light Of subsequent knowledge the state
ment made by his contemporaries that the
"wondrous wizard, Michael Scott" could
wave a wand in Salamanca and make the
bells OF Notre Dame ring in Paris may
have been true. though the world mas
laughed at the ides. for over six hundred
years.
Aaother inventor of wireless telegraphy
which really telegraphed was Strada, an
italian Jesuit, who lived between the years
1s72 and 1647. He conceived the idea that
magnetic needles magnetized under some
particular planet would vibrate in SYM
pathy with each other, though long as
tanees apart. Strada invented a machine
consisting of a dial with an alphabet
around in and a needle lightly attached y
fhe face of the dial. This needle, III Ola
chroniclers may be believed. actualiy vi
brated In sympathy with a needle similarly
rcarnetized But Strada found the same
dffficultv as did MarcOni-the message
would be liable 10 be switched OF from the
station for which IL was intended ana ar
rive at some other sympathetic point 10
ohv.afe this Strada declared that the oper-
ators of the needles must be friends. and
that they must agree upon the time OF tneir
communication, thus mixing up telepatny
with wireless telegraphy. He tried TO do
by the power of the mind what Marconl
saws he now Is able to do by mechanical
and chemical means-control the "etheric
waves" Strada's invention was as well
known to the scientists of the times as
Marconis Is known to-day Dy the puDnc
Strada was not encouraged in his attempt
to perfect his invention. Its utility was
doubted, Just as the utility of the telephone
was doubted when ii was introduced. and
one scientific writer of the period thought
that its use would cause too many trea-
Sens" So Strada turned his attention to
In ha
was gathered to Abraham's bosom, leaving
his body tucked away in some forgotten
corner of some old church In Italy. If Mar
conf succeeds in his attempt, to make WIRE
less teIegraphy of commercial value he will
have a monument when he dies and page
IN the encyclopedia. Who knows where the
bones of Strada lie? His name is almost
unknown In books OF reference.
Not so with Michael Scott; ii Is pretty
certain that. he was buried in Melrose
Abbey, and tradition says that with him
was buried the book OF "Necromancie IN
which he had made a record of mis- scien-
tific investigations. Not comprehending the
wonders of the natural world which Scott
had discovered, the piou5 monks decided
that Ii was better than Sir Michael should
take his book with him when he went to
rest. He was a pious Christian gentleman
Of the family which had richly endowed
the Abbey-but il was better that such
strange things as he taught should no
longer disturb the minds OF men. So they
sang masses for his soul before the high
altar under which not so many years after
was laid the heart of Robert rhe Bruce.
AN ETERNAL LAMP.
With Michael Scott was buried, says ira
dition, a magic lamp which would ourn
forever Now the people who repeated
these stories Of the death and burial Of
Michael Scott did not invent their tales out
of whole cloth. What was the magic
he Hfr,, ual
times we find reference to these pcrpetrally
burning magic lamps. They are as
elusive as the will o. the wisp, but, like
that exhalation of the marshes, they had
cause and being. Had some one invented
an electric lamp with storage battery. or
was the invention one which has been lost
entirely to the world?
Perhaps the solution is found in the
new discovery, which Is heralded from
Paris, of the eternal light of the Becquerel
rays. 1t would not be at all strange il at
the beginning of the new century Henri
Becquerel had discovered the secret OF the
perpetually burning lamp, which was
buried in Melrose with the body Of Michael
Scott.
1t ought to be understood that Sir
Michael Scott and Father Strada were no
adventures with an idea which they tried
to patent ar6 market. They were of the
first chop" people OF the day and were
the hOnOred princes and admired or the
learned. They moved in the most ex-
elusive circles and had wealth and power
at their disposal Sir Michael wrote many
learned works upon astrology, alchemy
and the occult sciences which were thought
TO be orthodox, but his great volume in
which his real scientific discoveries were
put down was lost when he was laid at
rest in Melrose. He studied at Oxford and
in Paris, and learned Arabic in Toledo.
Upon the invitation of the Emperor Fred
erick III he translated Aristotle and his
commentators from an Arabic version into
Latin Strada also was reckoned among
the first scientists of his day and was
aided In all his researches by the Catholic
Church Yet neither of these two men was
able to make wireless telegraphy go"
But the idea lived in tradition and al
lusions in ancient manuscripts, and in
Stradas case even In a published scientific
discussion There are illusions to the
scheme in the literature OF nearly all
periods since Strada's death.
Professor Hyslop and DR.. Quackenbos are
much interested now In the phenomena Of
"spiritisn' and "hypnotism." In all the
traditions and in all the history OF Wales
and the. west Of England In the early
periods of their known life these still un-
known psychic" powers are mentioned
Owen Glendower was what would be called
in these DAYS by Professor Hyslop me
dium, and the same skepticism which
prompted Hotspur 10 retort 10 Glendower's
boast, II can call spirits from the Vastly
deep; with Why, SO can j, or so can any
man: but Will they come when you do call
for them?" Is made to-day by the public in
regard TO Professor Hyslop's proposition
AS TO DIR. QuackenbosS ..hypnotism," old
Merlin was something of an adept at that
game I'm the days when Arthur held his
Round Table at Camelot. The old tradition
of the vanquishing OF Merlin by Vivien is
only the echo OF a mesmeric scandal which
must have been almost as much of sensa-
ton at the court OF the British King as the
discovery OF the SHINING OF Guinevere
What was the charm "of woven PAGES and
OF waving arms which Merlin taught to
the willy Vivien but the art OF hypnotism?
ANCIENT BREECH-LOADER
Over la the United Service Museum on
Governors island is a breech-loading can
non which was captured from the Coreans
at the time we had one of our forgotten
wars with the heather" This cannon is
undoubtedly of an antiquity which far an
tedates the employment of breech-loading
ordnance in the world which to-day we call
the civilized Yet IL embodies some OF
the principles which are now used in the
best breech-loading guns that are made
The steam turbine. which has OF late at
tracted so much attention because OF the
wonderful speed which IL gave TO the Tur-
binia, Is in reality about as ancient a form
OF the application OF steam as can
be found The earliest notice which can
be found or steam engine IS turbine,
the invention OF Hero OF Alexandria, 1870
years before Christ
II c. Archer. in writing in Good Words
on the subject OF ancient inventions. tells
this story OF the genesis OF the modern
machine gun:
James Puckle an original thinker and
author or several curious WORKS, issued
sonewnere aoout the year Ire an engraved
broadside entitled:
"a DEFENSE