76 



WHAT IS LIFE? 



A thermopile is placed in a dry wooden box the out- 

 side of which is white- washed, so that when closed 

 external influence, say from the human body, shall be 

 reduced to a minimum. Suspended by means of a fine 

 white silk thread passing through the top is an object. 

 Any matter appears to answer ; a thin disk of ebonite, as 

 illustrated, gives very marked results. The object is 

 suspended a quarter of an inch above the thermopile. 

 It may rest there an indefinite time. The thermopile 

 is connected with a sensitive galvanometer. Now 

 experiment proves that this suspended object is always 

 acting at a distance upon the thermopile ; moreover, 

 if we pull up the object, say two inches further 

 from the thermopile, the object is acting on it with 

 greater intensity than when it is closer. Remember 

 the box is closed, and thus the experiment is performed 

 in the dark. 1 



1 The understanding of the fundamental principle of this 

 remarkable experiment maybe conveyed to the mind in the following 

 way. A piece of copper wire is twisted round a piece of iron wire 

 the same as a bell-hanger does. From this " couple" is connected a 

 length of insulated copper wire made in a coil at the further end. 

 A light magnet is suspended in the centre of the coil by means of 



Fig. 7. 



a fine thread of unspun silk there is no contact between the magnet 

 and the coil. 



The magnet moves round like a magnet of a compass. Before 



