52 SELLERS — TEANSMISSION OF ENERGY BY ELECTRICITY. [Feb. 3- 



This practical application of his discovery, taken in connection 

 with his improvements in fireplaces, his invention, given freely to 

 the "world, of the so-called Franklin stove, and other useful inven- 

 tions, are proofs of his attention to the question of practical and 

 useful results as the outcome of his philosophical studies based on 

 experiments. To more fully understand the limited knowledge pos- 

 sessed in Franklin's day, even up to his departure from life in 1790, it 

 should be borne in mind that not until 1774, when Dr. Joseph Priest- 

 ley discovered oxygen, was the chemistry of to-day possible. 

 Priestley's discovery took atmospheric air out of the list of simple 

 elements, and was the beginning of the rapid advance in our knowl- 

 edge of chemistry. Electricity also had no acknowledged connec- 

 tion during Franklin's lifetime with magnetism. Aloisio Galvani 

 had noted an effect of electricity on animals (in fact, what is now 

 known as galvanic action) in 1780, but what is of more importance 

 to bear in mind, in connection with the limited knowledge pos- 

 sessed by physicists in Franklin's time, is the invention of the vol- 

 taic pile (which was the beginning of all galvanic batteries since 

 used), was not perfected by Alexander Volta until 1800 ; therefore, 

 Galvani'sand Volta's discoveries had no place in Franklin's studies. 



The American Philosophical Society has among its collection 

 some interesting pieces of apparatus of Franklin's time, but, as 

 bearing upon this brief outline of Dr. Franklin's contribution to 

 our knowledge of electricity, a suggestion has been made by Dr. 

 George F. Barker, that the American Philosophical Society shall in 

 the near future examine into the authenticity of all the apparatus 

 held as souvenirs in America by individuals and societies which 

 are claimed to have been used by the founder of this Society. I 

 must also call your attention to the claim that has been made to the 

 effect that to Dr. Franklin and Count Rumford (Benjamin Thomp- 

 son), both Americans by birth, ''we owe the first important step 

 toward a full appreciation of the co-relation of forces and the con- 

 servation of energy." The limited acceptance as true of this im- 

 portant fundamental law of nature, based on the assumption that 

 there is only a given amount of energy available in nature for man's 

 use, and that no effort of human intelligence can add to or increase 

 the amount of such energy at our disposal, is shown by the ready 

 credence given even at this late day to the claims of inventors of per- 

 petual-motion machines, or the ready ear lent to charlatans who, by 

 means of verbose pseudo-scientific jargon and fraudulent exhibitions 



