234 THE NEW WORLD OF SCIENCE 



be a new heaven and a new earth. Just as a spider on watch 

 at the center of her net, becomes a combined spider and net or- 

 ganization, extended into space as a circular plane surface with 

 physiological and nervous mechanism at the center ; so a human 

 being armed with a sufficiently powerful radio apparatus 

 becomes in the same sense, a combined man and ether organiza- 

 tion, pervading the whole world, and capable of initiating in- 

 telligent response over all the globe. This new man and ether 

 organization is spherical and hollow within, since its present 

 powers and realm terminate only a few meters below the 

 globular surface of land or sea. Its outer surface, although 

 roughly spherical also, is but ill defined as yet, albeit the realm 

 of the creature probably extends everywhere as far above the 

 globe as an airplane can soar. At the radiating and receiving 

 center of this spherical being, with its tentacles all over the 

 globe, is the physiological and nervous controlling mechanism, 

 or the man power. Yet hundreds of men situated in different 

 parts of the globe, and all pervading it, can radiate out their 

 respective tentacles through the circumambient ether without 

 conflict or interference. 



In the earlier stages of the war, radio communication was 

 employed not only to link up regimental, brigade, division and 

 army corps headquarters, but also to link the infantry in the 

 trenches with their regimental headquarters, and the observa- 

 tion airplanes with their artillery commands. The radio spark 

 signalling was carried on from the trenches with the aid of 

 a low portable air wire, strung in or close behind the trench, 

 and worked from a shelter or dugout. It was open to the 

 objection that the radio signals were capable of being read by 

 friend and foe alike. 



At a later stage of the war, the Signal Corps developed a 

 portable and collapsible frame, one meter square, which could 

 be operated on one of three different short wave lengths, by 

 sustained oscillations from a generator vacuum tube. This set 

 was found to be very reliable, and to be capable of sending or 

 receiving signals not easily detected by the enemy. Two such 



