Omaha daily bee., 1902-09-21

1900"
- hidden apple and set an example
W of pcrvcTsity her descendants
- have been tampcring with the ar
rangements Of the creator in an effort to
change the things that are into things that
are not. They wouldn't leave alone even the
darkness OF night. Omnipotencc said Let
there be light" and there was light. Man,
impairment, dissatisfied man, inspected the
apportionment after the creation and
promptly essayed to improve it. There
isn't light enough" he said. Let there be
more" And forthwith began the attempts
at illumination.
That was IA long time ago, Troy hadn't
incorporated. Damascus wasn't even a vii
lage and Boston hadn't been thought of.
There really seemed no necessity to begin
agitating a matter that was bound to di-
vide the council and cyCntuate in a tedious
controversy over municipal ownership OF
public utilities, but Man had his heart set
on rtarranging matters and he wouldn
rest until negotiations had been opened with
Lucifer. 1t was urged by the more con
servative that if any cumbustibles or in
lammables were purchased OF this Internal
person there would be hades to pay, and
this argument appealed so forcibly, because
of the scarcity Of money at that time, that
1T htbulldNl'AN WV NA'l'l'' ''A ~
preston has ever since endured as signiii-
cant of trouble.
But somebody appears to have secured
samples. meanwhile, and from these Man,
centuries later, contrivcd n combustiblc of
his own, patterned after Lucifer's goods
and bearing his name. In the course of de-
v~eloping this product many experiments
were made, with enough success, it is true,
to enable Man to light torches Of wood and
build brush fires as bcacons, but that there
was no common reliance i'm the method is
amply evidenced by the commentator given
the five wise virgins for keeping the oil
can always sufficiently full to Obviate any
trouble with the parlor lamp when the
bridegroom should appear to declare him
self
The first great stride forward was wheu
Greek fire was put on the market, and the
people rejoiced. But som years later, wheI
they had become opulent from knowledge o.
what to do with a grape that couldn't be
eaten, they began building better houses
and then trouble arose, 1t required 5,
many hired girls to keep the walls clean o
SCOT that two or three natatoriums had t.
be converted into bed chamber and tn
conservatory into a reception room for tn,
domestics' callers.
To the dissatisfaction then created tn
world owes electricity. The Seven Wis
Men held a conference one night, unknown
by the newspapers, and determined TO con
triye something that would do AWAY Wit
so much SCOT and so many hired girls. l
500 h. c. MIR. Thales, one OF the Sever
gave ont an interview in which ht state
that he had taken a very important ste
toward the desired end, i'm that he had dis
covered that when amber had been rubbe
It acquired the property Of attracting ligf
bodies. Later his distinguished fello'
townsman, Prof. DiOgenes Laertius, declare
this to be true and pronounced 1t the be
ginning OF a new and better system
lighting. Today the declaration sttll stand
for the name electricity is the Greek wol
amber.
But Thales' discovery didn't result in al
immediate benefit The laborers Of q
time conceded that rubbing amber mig
produce unusual results, but argued III
II was a tedious work and that any ms
with a natural aptitude at rubbing cou
make more in a bath house. In fact,
wasn't until some twenty-five centuri
later that electricity began to be consi
cred seriously. Benjamin Franklin an &
centric eastern newspaper man, went o
one rainy night with a neighbor boys X
and his own latch key and brought in
whole jugfull OF the squirming huid.