Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-08-18
ELECTRIC THEORY OF MATTER.
Some Revolutionary Ideas in Modern
Science.

form OF energy any more than water
is y form of energy, Water may be
a vehicle OF energy when at high
level or in motion; SO may electricity.
Electricity cannot be manufactured, as
heat caa: IL can only be moved from
place to place. like water; and its
energy must be In the form of motion
OF Of strain, Electricity under strain
constitutes charge" electricity in To-
>omoton constitutes current and
magnetism; electricity In vibration
constitutes light What electricity H.
self is we do not know, but It may per
hapS Ac y form or aspect Of matter,
So have taught for thirty years the
disciples Of Clerk Maxwell
Now we can SO one step further and
say matter is composed Of electricity,
and of nothing elsa thesis which
wish to explain and partially Justify
First we must ask what is positive
electricity, and the answer Is still we
do not know, For myself do not
even guess--heyond supposing il to be
mode Of manifestation, or n differ
entiated portion, OF the continuous and
allrcryadng ether II seems to exist
N Jumps the siao Of the atoms OF mat
ter; and no portion Of Il less In bulk
than an atom has over been isolated.
nCr appears likely 10 he isolated,
hut concerning negative electricity
we know great deal more, This
exists In excessively minute particles
sometimes called electrons and some
times called corpuscles; these are
thrown of the negatively charged ter
miual IN vacuum tube. and they fly
with tremendous speed till they strike
something When they strike they can
propel as we'll as heat the target and
they can likewise make II emit phos-
phorescent glow. especially IL II he
made OF glass or precious stones II
the target IL very massive metal like
platinum, the sudden stoppage OF tho
tlyiag elcctrous which encounter II
causes the production Of the ethereal
pulses known as Mays. Electrons
are not very easy to stop, however:
and fair proportion of them can PEN
citrate not only wood and paper, but
sheets OF such metals as aluminium and
other moderately thin obstacles, That
il because they are extremely small
much smaller than the atoms OF mat.
ter.
Each clectron has a definite charge
of eleetricity--vIz,, the same charge
as Is conveyed by each single atom
when current Is passed through
chemically conducting liquid Every
oloetron has also definite and uni
form mass. which Is about l.S00th OF
that Of an atom of hydrogen hitherto
the lghtest known form OF matter
From every kind Of material the Same
and no other kind of electron can be
obtained, and we have reason for as~
serthg that no other kind exists
Electric currents are always due To
the loccmotion OF these little electric
charges; they pormeate and make
their way through metals, being hand
ed on from one atom To the next as
hre-hucket IN passed from hand TO
hand. This Is metallic conductlon.
Liquid conduction Ia different; the
electrons travel with the atoms in
liquids, and hence travel slowly. being
jostled by the crowd and being laden
with the heavy atom which they con.
vey or propel. as pony Cor flea-~in
mass pony but In bulk n fleal might
drag heavy wagon through crowded
streets, until at the terminal station II
IL embarrassed and allowed to trot
into its stable which Ia what happens
when the boundary between liquid and
metallic conductors 10 reached. Elec~
irons become still more emancipated.
however, IN rarehod cases, which act hs
n cleared race-course. or like free
Iralge for flight; and then Ia pos
sible to find them flying at prodgious
speed even ms high rs 100000 miles n
second. and sometimes faster still, but
never quite so fast as light
Whenever an electron Is suddenly
started or stopped. or made 10 turn a
corner, II disturhs the ether through
which II had been quietly moving and
exctes n ripple in II. Those ethereal
rlpples constitute radiation, and the
bestknown variety Of them we call
Eight" with this we have been
familiar for long time, because OF our
happening 10 possess eyes--instru-
ments for The ready appreciation OF
ethereal ripples. We used not to
know the reason, however for the pro-
duction of light. We know now that
IL is due TO the sudden change OF mo-
ton, either In speed or direction, OF an
electron; and probably to no other
cause
The charge In an electron is very
small, but is extremely concentrated
that ia TO say, II exists only as very
minute nucleus and in order to ex-
plain the manifestation OF the OBJ
served mass OF 1.S00th part OF hydro
gen atom by so trinlng quantity Of
electricity II Is necessary 70 suppose
that II Is concentrated into space
one. hundred.thousand a the diane