WHY WAS NOT THIS DISCOVERY SOONER MADE?
It may be asked, why should the discovery of this great source of all the forces, vital and physical, have been delayed to the present time? Master minds have been engaged for ages in efforts to solve the wonderful problem.
Herschel, Newton, Humboldt, Faraday, Mossotti, and many others have held the key almost within their control, and the consummation has only failed of being realized at an earlier day by reason of the tenacity with which the minds of men are held by preconceived and pre-existing opinions.
Sir William Herschel regarded solar and stellar light as the effects of an electro-magnetic process.
Newton recognized all movements of the cosmical bodies to be the result of one and the same force; "of some higher and still unknown power," but luminiferous ether shaded his mental vision, and he failed to discern that power. In his investigations of those great subjects he is led to ask, "Are not the sun, and fixed stars, great earths, vehemently hot?"
Humboldt said: "It is indeed a brilliant effort, worthy of the human mind, to comprise in one organic whole, the entire science of nature, from the laws of gravity to the formative impulse in animated bodies;" but the preoccupation of his vast mind, and the hold of pre-existing ideas, offered difficulties to the solution of the problem. But, note the approximation of his ideas to those herein expressed, he said: "The sun, as the main source of light and heat, must be able to call forth and animate magnetic forces on our planet." Unfortunately, however, he continues thus: "and more especially in the gaseous strata of our atmosphere."
Faraday, perhaps the most distinguished man, in the whole of his own field, which the world has ever produced, recognizing the power of this great obstacle to true advancement (i. e., preconceived and pre-existing ideas), once said: "When such a one as myself gets out of the way, then new conditions, new men, new views, new opportunities, may allow of the development of other lines of active operation than those heretofore in service." He believed in the existence of one great universal principle, from which gravity, heat, light, electricity, magnetism, even life itself might come. He spent many of his latest years in efforts to solve this great problem, and on his failure he asked: "Is it all a dream?" He never, however, wavered in his faith, and his last efforts were directed to that end.
With prophetic vision, almost amounting to prescience, he, in speaking of magnetism, said: "When we remember that the earth itself is a magnet, pervaded in every part by this mighty power, universal and strong as gravity itself, we cannot doubt that it is exerting an appointed and essential influence over every particle of matter, and in every place where it is present.
"What its great purpose is, seems to be looming up in the distance before us:—the clouds which obscure our mental sight are daily thinning, and I cannot doubt that a glorious discovery in natural knowledge and in the wisdom and power of God in the creation is awaiting our age."
Thus did those great philosophers so nearly attain to the goal of their highest earthly aspirations, and only failed in the consummation by reason of clinging to the existing opinions of their age.
APPENDIX.
1. ([Page 22.]) "Bruno, about the close of the last century, guessed the fundamental fact of the Nebular Hypothesis, and Kant reasoned out its foundation idea, and Laplace developed it."—Correlation and Conservation of Forces.
We have learned to recognize on how very doubtful a basis many of the received axioms of physical science are founded. This hypothesis has been received with much unanimity and has firmly held its sway. Yet, "Bruno guessed the fundamental fact," and this figment of the imagination has, for nearly a century, controlled the scientific mind. Its paralyzing influences have affected other departments of physical science, and true progress has been obstructed. The attempt to describe minutely how the spheres were formed millions of years ago is but presumption.
This hypothesis, from such an origin, unverified and unverifiable, is too weak to support the superstructure which has been erected upon it. This hypothesis discarded, it may be presumed that the earth was never in a fluid or wholly incandescent state.
"It may be shown that all nebulæ are crowded stellar masses."—Humboldt.
Action and Retro-action.
2. ([Page 25.]) "Considering the continued activity of the sun through countless centuries, we may assume, with mathematical certainty, the existence of some compensating influence to make good its enormous loss."—Cor. and Con. of Forces.
If the earth receives the benefits of this activity, surely the "compensating influence" must, in a like degree, go forth from the earth to the sun. And, furthermore, if this influence (whatever its character) may pass in the one direction through space without known or visible means of communication, retro-action may be affected through the same channel.
The Earth and all Spheres framed alike.
3. ([Page 26.]) "The earth belongs to a system of planets analogous to itself, having the same origin, the same destiny, situated around the same centre and governed by the same motive power."—Flammarian.
Mutual Relations of Earth and Sun.
4. ([Page 27.]) "A mysterious chain links together the celestial and terrestrial forces. According to the ancient signification of the Titanic myth, the powers of organic life, that is to say, the great order of nature, depend upon the combined action of heaven and earth."—Humboldt.
The Sun's Body Dark.
5. ([Page 30.]) "Herschel's fixed idea was that the darkness of a spot was an indication of a cool habitable globe."
A New Theory of the Nature of Water.
6. ([Page 36.]) M. Maiche, in Les Mondes, propounds the theory, reached after numerous experiments, that water is simply hydrogen plus electricity, or oxygen minus electricity, or, in other words, that normal electrified hydrogen constitutes water, and that normal diselectrified oxygen produces the same; or that hydrogen, oxygen, and water are precisely the same, differing only in degree of electrification.
Sun-heat.
7. ([Page 41.]) "The sun, as the main source of heat and light, must be able to call forth and animate magnetic forces on our planet."—Humboldt.
"It is an incontestable fact that the sun exercises an action upon the magnetic phenomena which are manifested upon our globe."—Secchi.
"What is certain is, that there ought to be, between the sun and planets, a means of communication of force, and the transmission of movement."—Ibid.
"The central body may, as a powerful source of heat, excite magnetic activity on our planet."—Humboldt.
8. ([Page 42.]) "It cannot be doubted that electro-magnetic currents exist in the interior of the globe."—Ampère.
"The internal heat of our planet is connected with the generation of electro-magnetic currents."—Humboldt.
"A large proportion of winter heat of the poles comes through the equatorial current."—Youmans.
Auroræ.
9. ([Page 44.]) "Hood heard a noise as of quickly moved musket-balls, and a slight crackling sound during an aurora. He also noticed the same noise on the following day."
"Father Perry of the Stonyhurst Observatory remarked that the green spectroscopic line characteristic of the aurora, could be detected even where the unassisted eye failed to notice any trace of light."
"The fleecy clouds seen in Iceland by Thienemann, and which he considered to be the northern light, have been seen in recent times by Franklin and Richardson, near the American north pole, and by Admiral Wrangel on the Siberian coast. All remarked that the aurora flashed forth in the most vivid beams when masses of cirrus strata were hovering in the upper regions of the air, and when these were so thin that their presence could only be recognized by the formation of a halo around the moon."
"These clouds sometimes range themselves even by day in a similar manner to the beams of the aurora and then disturb the course of the magnetic needle in the same manner as the latter. On the morning after every distinct nocturnal aurora the same superimposed strata of clouds have still been observed, that had previously been luminous."
Parry even "saw the great arch of the northern light continue throughout the day."
"Arago was of the opinion that each observer saw his own aurora somewhat as each observer of a rainbow sees the luminous arc differently placed."
The Great Sun Battery.
10. ([Page 44.]) If with a percussion cap and a tear we may develop sufficient power to deflect a magnetic needle 3,000 miles distant, what power may not be expected of the sun, 1,250,000 times larger than the earth; the sun exercising a force of the same character?
Gravity.
11. ([Page 50.]) "Prof. Mossotti has recently shown, by a very able analysis, that there are strong grounds for believing that not only the molecular forces which unite the particles of material bodies depend on the electric fluid, but that even gravitation itself, which binds world to world, and sun to sun, can no longer be regarded as an ultimate principle, but the residual portion of a far more powerful force, generated by that energetic agent which pervades creation."—Faraday.
"If gravitation is made to mean something allied to magnetism, some poorly explained phenomena become easily understood. But what are the circumstances affording proof of the identity of these forces? First, gravitation acts upon all kinds of matter; Faraday proved the same of magnetism. Second, gravitation is attractive; so is magnetism. Third, gravitation is proportionate to the mass; the force of magnets also depends upon the mass. Fourth, gravitation acts in an inverse ratio to the square of the distance; so does magnetism. Fifth, gravitation does not manifest polarity; magnetism is known not to do so. Sixth, gravitation acts independently of bodies affording a resistance to light and heat; so does magnetism."—Cartwell.
Faraday's biographer says:—"He is oppressed with the magnitude and importance of his subject, yet is stimulated by the fact that the discovery which he aims for (the relationship between gravity and electricity) would have a bearing in importance far beyond all conception in elucidating not only the facts connected with these subjects, but also others of a high importance. There being scarcely a limit to the subjects which would be illuminated by it."
"Gravity, surely this force must be capable of an experimental relation to electricity and magnetism and the other forces, so as to bind it up with them in reciprocal action and equivalent effect."—Faraday.
Kepler regarded gravity and heat "as being probably derived from one single principle."
"There is every reason for believing that the radiations which constitute heat and light are essentially the same."
"Gravity acts instantaneously."
Static Electricity.
12. ([Page 52.]) Speaking of static electricity, Faraday remarks: "What an idea of the ever-present and ever-ready state of this power is given to us, when we consider that not only every substance, but almost every mode of dealing with substance manifests its presence. It is not accidental at these times, but active and essentially so, and we may, in our endeavors to comprehend it, usefully compare and contrast it with gravity which never changes. There we see that power which in undisturbed and solemn grandeur holds equally the world and the dust of which worlds are formed together, and carries them on in their course through illimitable space through illimitable ages; and in this other power, even in this our first glimpse we see probably the contrasted force which is destined to give all that vivacity and mutual activity to particles that shall fit them as far as matter alone is concerned, for their wonderful office in the phenomena of nature, and enable them to bring forth the ever varying and astonishing changes which earth, air, fire and water present to us; from the motion of the dust in the whirlwind up to the highest conditions of life."
13. ([Page 61.]) An illustration of this form of wind-production may be found in the following facts related by Dr. Gisler, who for a long time dwelt in the north of Sweden: "The matter of the aurora borealis sometimes descends so low that it touches the ground. At the summit of high mountains it produces upon the face of the traveller an effect analogous to that of wind."
We should pronounce this effect to be the production of a true wind of a circumscribed or local character.
Solar Spectrum, its origin.
14. ([Page 80.]) Prof. Kirchhoff was led to the study of a coincidence between the bright yellow line given in an incandescent sodium vapor, and the solar line "D," which coincidence had already been noticed by Frauenhofer. Upon applying a greater dispersive power he noticed that the line "D" was a double one; but so also was the sodium line under these conditions. Moreover, each line of the one coincided with each line of the other. The suspicion became strong that it was the sodium in the sun which caused the "D" line. He then extended the comparisons to other elements. He carefully measured sixty bright lines in the spectrum of iron; and found every one of these sixty lines to correspond with a dark in the solar spectrum.
"The overwhelming probability of a common cause for both was forced upon him, and by calculation he ascertained that this probability was as one million million million to one, in its favor."—Lockyer.
ADDENDUM.
The great Solar Cone-space, in order to be clearly marked to the eye, was represented in Plate I, page 30, as white. This to some readers may be misleading; as this space when viewed transversely is not luminous,—it is not even visible. (Pl. V.)
Pl. V. Solar Cone, Or Cone-Space.
Outside of the atmospheric envelope of all spheres, there is only "the black of infinite space."[E]
Retro-action between the earth and visible and invisible spheres, gives to the earth the light which it possesses during the night-season.
[E] Flammarian.