The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-10-12

dllOuS lSoSOho iOi eiiS SANNSAASN-
disturbance that disarranged tele-
graph and telephone systems in the
east, last Saturday, are offered by ex-
perts, but none supported with salts
factory proof. Magnetic storm, sun
spots or like phenomena are charged
with the trouble. All of the experts
are as much in the dark as Thomas
A. Edison, who candidly admits the
cause Is beyond his knowledge. When
asked about it he said:
IF | only knew whence it came or
what caused 1t then l might claim to
know something of real value to the
human race. | suppose 1t was caused
by some disturbance of the electric
fluid under the crust of the earth. The
earth, you know, is the godmother of
electricity; at any rate, it is an en-
ormous repository. OF that | feel
assured. But that is about all l do
feel reasonably certain about in rela-
have put all wires out of business for
time in an area covering part OF
New England, New York and Pennsyl-
vania.
81 experienced an electric storm, If
that is what you want to call it when
II was running a wire in Boston
many years ago. Everyone of them
has been local That of Saturday
was local. AS l said before, some
thing went wrong with the fluid
waves down under the crust of the
earth and we were cut off from wire
communication with the world in the
territory affected for an hour or more.
GU know as much about the thing
as do, or as anybody else, so far as
am aware | observe that some per-
son. who believes he is wise, says the
manifestation Saturday was cosmical.
If it had been cosmical, If it had not
been local, this whirling sphere upon
which we live would have rolled up
like scroll or gone whizzing madly
out of its orbit into illimitable, I'M
thinkable space.
There is magnetism What is mag
netism? Do you know? am certain
/ don't Take the ordinary toy mag.
net. 1t has been artificially magnet
! lied, and still it retains the mysterious
force for centuries. 1t lifts weights
several times it's own. Between its
two poles there abides an unseeable
unreliable force that does this. But
, what is that force? If we only knew
what that is, Or, if we only knew
anything about Gods great immutable
lawsi We are just beginning to in
terpret them little, but that little is
very little.
"In fact, intellectually, we are JUS
emerging from the dog age. We sa!
we are living In wonderful age. WE
are just at its threshold. If onl!
: those of us here now could be spared
long enough to behold the wonder!
: that are about to be opened to thu
3 understanding of the human race. |
makes the head grow dizzy to con
{ template them / do not know how
r fast we shall progress in real knowl
g edge. we know SO little now tina
+ the road ahead of us is long one
: But If we persist as we have begun
we will sooner or later reach thu
{ Chemistry holds the key. That i
n the science of sciences. BY that God
q greatest sanctuary will be unlocked
!. And when it is what world this will
y be to live in, How fine 1t will be t
) know something. No more strivin
= and struggling and clutching In tn
dark then Light, light, there will b
: light everywhere and those who com
). after us will wonder at our blindness.
:, Then do you not yet know, MI
L Edison, what electricity is?" wa
. asked.
y "If only or anybody else knee
4 what it is we might do somethin
u really worth while,' he said "W
d know some things Of its manifestation
}; But how little the best informed {
L US really know of its power and {
o. of its mystery, However, it will ne
>; be long now until somebody disco
t. ers the means by which to conserv
the huge mass of it that at preser
goes to waste"