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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



will not pass ; but when the molecules 

 of those adjacent pieces are agitated by 

 sound-waves they transmit electricity 

 freely. The same effect is produced by 

 light when the metal selenium is exposed 

 to light, and its electrical conductivity 

 is unequally affected by the different 

 rays of the spectrum. Prof. Hughes 

 calls his invention the microphone, and 

 it has this peculiarity, that the sounds 

 are taken up directly by the " trans- 

 mitter." 



The London Telegraph thus refers 

 to the results of Prof. Hughes's ex- 

 periments before the Eoyal Society: 

 ' Inserting a ' transmitter ' in his cir- 

 cuit, an absolutely amazing sensitive- 

 ness to sound, as well as power of con- 

 veying it with the utmost fidelity, was 

 displayed by the apparatus. A touch 

 of the finger on the vibrating plate of 

 the telephone was conducted to the 

 speaking end in volume of vibration 

 like the rustle of a forest ; the stroking 

 of a camePs-hair brush on a card was 

 magnified into the sound of aloud whis- 

 per ; the beating of a pulse or the tick 

 of a watch was found to pass with per- 

 fect clearness through a resistance rep- 

 resenting a hundred miles of space ; 

 and, when a fly happened to walk over 

 the plate, the tramp of its feet was most 

 distinctly caught, like that of some six- 

 legged horse trotting, and it was, more- 

 over, heard to trumpet from its raised 

 proboscis like an elephant in an Indian 

 jungle. Sounds, in fact, totally inaudi- 

 ble before to human ears, were arrested 

 and reported by this simple and acci- 

 dental expedient of interrupting the 

 electrical circuit with a finely-divided 

 conducting material." 



CATHOLICISM AND ETERNAL PUNISH- 

 MENT. 



TJndek the title of " Hell and Sci- 

 ence," a writer in the Catholic World 

 for June makes an elaborate reply to 

 our recent comments on the doctrine 



of future punishment. He is especial- 

 ly indignant, as might be expected, at 

 our remark that there has been a " rap- 

 id liberalization of theological opinion " 

 on this subject. He says that " the 

 doctrine of hell is not a theological 

 opinion but an inspired dogma," which, 

 of course, can be neither liberalized 

 nor got rid of in any other way. In 

 speaking of the altered theological tone 

 upon this subject, we of course referred 

 to what currently passes under the 

 name of theology, but our reviewer 

 avers that we were utterly wrong in 

 the application of the word. This is 

 his case : 



" Theology is essentially based on author- 

 ity ; hence theology has no existence in the 

 Protestant sects, whose very reason of being 

 is a contemptuous disregard of authority, 

 and the assumed right of private interpreta- 

 tion. Now, all those who ventured to argue 

 against the existence of eternal punishment 

 belonged to Protestant sects ; and, therefore, 

 their 'liberal view' of the subject does not 

 constitute ' tbeological opinion.' Protestants 

 may, indeed, assume the title of ' divines ; ' 

 but the title is not the thing. There is no 

 real theology outside of the Catholic Church. 

 "When Catholic divines shall discuss the ex- 

 istence of hell as a free theological opinion 

 which, of course, will never happen then 

 only Prof. Youmans will be welcome to say 

 that there has been a liberalizing of theo- 

 logical opinion." 



"We freely admit that there is great 

 shrewdness in this policy of the Cath- 

 olics, by which so effective an instru- 

 ment of domination as the fear of hell 

 is placed beyond examination on the 

 part of the followers of that faith. By 

 shutting off the right of private judg- 

 ment on dogmas sanctioned by author- 

 ity, they no doubt get rid of the fer- 

 ment of discussion and diversity of 

 opinion which, among Protestants, fol- 

 lows the exercise of the right of pri- 

 vate interpretation. The writer in the 

 Catholic World identifies liberalism 

 with Protestantism, and recognizes that 

 among Protestant sects the notion of 

 hell is dying out. He thus concedes 

 that liberalism leads to this result, 



