The Catholic bulletin., 1916-07-29
SCIENTISTS
WHAT ELECTRICITY OWES TO
THE CHILDREN OF THE CHURCH
Its PIONEERS WERE MEN OF
FAITH.

FAITH.
The Professor of Physics at Univer-
sity College, Cork, Mr.. Bergin, deals in
a current brochure with several Cath
olics who have won fame as electri-
clans, and who indeed practically
opened the way for the work of Mr..
| Edison, who, as we all remember, is a
determinist in matters connected with
the Soul, meaning that he believes
man to be merely an electrical ma
chine"
Mr.. Bergin takes up his own particu-
lar field-that of physical science, in
which, he says, it is remarkable fact
that a most distinguished group of its
most famous names belonged to Cath
olics; not only that, he adds, but all
of these were men of undoubted piety
and attachment to Christian principles.
This statement is certainly opposed to
| the idea which has been to often put
forward of recent years, namely, that
Science and Christianity are opposed
to each other.
Galyani, for example, whose name is
one of the. most familiar to scientific
and mechanical workers, was not only
the greatest of all the forerunners of
electrical discovery, but his very name
has given rise to words which are in
separable from electrical work Gal
yanism (says Bergin) first came into
the world as kind of alternative word
for what we more commonly call cleo
tricity in these days, and was the first
derivation from the name GalVani.
Then manufacturers took up the mat
| ter and discovered the plan of coating
one 4netal with another by electrical
methods, and thus arose the verb Ito
galvanize." 1t has even, in course OF
| time, come to take on a metaphorical
meaning, and we often hear of man
"galvanizing" his employees into ac-
tiyity. Then, again, there was Volta,
! who discovered the electrical "pile,' -
of which Arago says, 1T is the most
wonderful instrument that has ever
come from the hand of man, not ex-
| clnding even the telescope or the
steam-engine.' His reputation as a
man of science was not superior to
that with which he was honored for his
great piety. In his famous confession
4 of faith, which he drew up in 1916, we
find among other remarks the follow.
ing: Il have always held and hold
now the Holy Catholic Religion as the
1 only true and infallibe one, thanking
| without end the good God for having
gifted me with such a faith which
recognize as a gift of God and super
natural favor from Him."
/ Volta was a contemporary of Gal
yani, and the two worked together on
important discoveries Our common
use OF the word voltage" and the
term volts shows that the scientists Is
name Is certain to be connected with
electricity until some other science
/ displaces it-always possibility, il
must be remembered Closely mem
orable with the foregoing names, il
that of Ampere. AS the unit of cleo
tro-motiye force is termed volt" SO
scientists use the word ampere to de-
note the unit of current. And although
| Ampere was noted scientist in an
atheistic age, he carried his Catholic
faith with him all through the Revolu.
tionary period and right to the end
OF him it was said by one of the ia.
nous men of his period: 1T was re,
ligion which guided the labors of his
mind and illuminated his contempla.
tions; he judged all things, science
itself, by the exalted standard of re.
| ligion. Above all things, 1t is
beautiful to see what sublime things
1 Christianity wrought in his great soul
1.-The admirable simplicity, the unas
sumingness of mind, the high rectitude
In matters of science, the pleasant and
ungrudging amiability."
/ Then In Electricity there Is the third
unit the unity of quantity which il
called the coulomb. This is named
after Charles de Coulomb who, also q
fervent Catholic, was said to have liv
ed among the men of his time in pa
tience and In charity. And the fourth
unit that of resistance, is called after
Ohm, who Is also thought yosince he
was a Professor at the Jesuit College
at Cologne, to have been q Catholic
Here he labored as professor OF Mathe
lruatics for some ten years. The fifth
unit isthat of capacity; it is called q
farad- after Michael Faraday who
Though not a Catholic, was a devout
| Christian and believer. So theT
three, probably four, of the great
diBcoyerers Of electricity with which
the modern world is working such
| 1nafyels were Catholics, and men d
great feryor in their belief. Of then
there is, however. no doubt that Gal
! vani was the greatest. He was borr
| In Bologna In 1887. and though at frs
| he wished to enter the Church, he de
cided 10 embrace d medical career I
was through bis studies ~ Payslolog'