The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-08-07
WHAT is ELECTRICITYi

In ssHarper's Magazine" for August Sir Olive
lodge presents in a popular form view of the ma
ture of electricity which has recently received muc
attention from scientific men. To only limited ex
tent perhaps is he to be regarded the author OF tn
theory here advanced. His belief in it. though, i
noteworthy, for Sir Oliver is one of the leading au
thorties on electricity Besides, he has particular
" happy way Of discussing such subjects. Some q
the most profound thinkers-Clerke MAXWELL foi
instance, have employed language which to the lay
man is absolutely incomprehensible. Hence, while
cearness of statement is not evidence of sound rea
soning man deserves public gratitude who talks
and writes 50 intelligibly as Sir Oliver Lodge
Textbooks on physics usually distinguish carefully
between matter and force The former can be recog-
nized by man only while under the influence OF
some form of the latter Again. force reveals itself
only through the medium of matter Still, the two
are to be kept separate In the mind Whether cleo
trcity is force or matter is question which has re-
ceiyed good deal of consideration. Most physicists
frankly confess that they cannot tell Electricity,
they say can be known only by its properties They
prefer to describe it as physical agent 2 which
IS mdulI6Steu LII Ctutdu ways. ~ OAO tAihC NAOAS
was disposition to consider electricity as one form
of force but the opinion is not so widely held today
Silvanus P. Thompson (of the London Technical
college, whose works on this subject have been widely
used in colleges and high schools declares that cleo
tricty is neither matter nor energy, though re-
senbling both III being destructible In some ways,
he shows it acts like an attenuated gas in others it
- III
respectfully the notion that it is identical with the
ether which is supposed to extend everywhere
through space, but he is careful not to commit HIM
self to any of these hypothesis. Sir Oliver Lodge In
his article in "Marper's Magazine goes further
He too, denies that electricity is energy but he is
even more strongly impressed than is Silvanus p
Thompson with its similarity to matter. He will not
say in SO many words, that they identical, but
he has no hesitation in affirming that matter is com
posed of electricity"
Sir divers faith is based on conception OF the
atom, of which Professor j. ]. Thomson (of Cam
bridge university is the chief exponent According
to this expert, atoms are made up of two kinds of
particles Some are large and carry charges of pos
tive electricity, and some are small-exceedingly
small indeed-and are negatively electrified Pro
fessor Thomson calls the latter corpusces," says
that they are far numerous than the other kind
and adds that they are so diminutive that thou
sand of them are required to equal in bulk posi-
tive particle When he thinks Of the structure Of an
individual atom, the Cambridge physicist employs
only solitary positive element which is made to in
close like shell, the negative particles Electric at
traction binds the system together As all atoms in
the universe supposed by him to be built on that
plan, of course he make electricity coexstent with
matter He also shows that electricity seems to pos
sess some Of the properties Of matter 1t can be re-
moved by filtration through cotton wool
Other physicists concede that large positive parti
cles and small negative ones can be detected separ
atey and that it is safe to guess at their size from
the quantity Of electricity they carry On the other
hand, very few experts are willing to evince belief
in the hypothetical combination which Professor
Thomson makes Judgment on the correctness of the
electrical theory Of the atom" is at present sus-
pended. Consequently any argument which has that
for foundation is just now unconvncing. Never
theless Sir divers article is valuable for the ind
cation which it affords of the trend of modern
thought regarding both electricity and matter
A PIVOTAL STATE.