The Temple of Nature; or, the Origin of Society: A Poem, with Philosophical NotesDarwin, Erasmus
Philosophy
The Temple of Nature; or, the Origin of Society: A Poem, with Philosophical Notes
Darwin, Erasmus
Cosmology -- Poetry; Life -- Origin -- Poetry
2. The prominent articles of analogical coincidence between magnetism
and electricity are first, that when one end of an iron bar possesses
an accumulation of arctic magnetic ether, or northern polarity; the
other end possesses an accumulation of antarctic magnetic ether, or
southern polarity; in the same manner as when vitreous electric ether
is accumulated on one side of a coated glass jar, resinous electric
ether becomes accumulated on the other side of it; as the vitreous and
resinous ethers strongly attract each other, and strongly repel the
ethers of the same denomination, but are prevented from intermixing by
the glass plane between them; so the arctic and antarctic ethers
attract each other, and repel those of similar denomination, but are
prevented from intermixing by the iron or steel being a bad conductor
of them; they will, nevertheless, sooner combine, when the bar is of
soft iron, than when it is of hardened steel; and then they slowly
combine without explosion, that is, without emitting heat and light
like the electric ethers, and therefore resemble a mixture of oxygen
and pure ammonia; which unite silently producing a neutral fluid
without emitting any other fluids previously combined with them.
Secondly, If the north pole of a magnetic bar be approached near to
the eye of a sewing needle, the arctic ether of the magnet attracts
the antarctic ether, which resides in the needle towards the eye of
it, and repels the arctic ether, which resides in the needle towards
the point, precisely in the same manner as occurs in presenting an
electrised, glass tube, or a rubbed stick of sealing wax to one
extremity of two skewers insulated horizontally on wine-glasses in the
experiment ascribed to Mr. Canton, and described in No. IX. 1, of this
Additional Note, and also so exactly resembles the method of producing
a separation and consequent accumulation of the two electric ethers by
pressing a cushion on glass or on sealing wax, described in No. 4 of
this Note, that their analogy is evidently apparent.
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