OXYGEN. 247 



In fact, the above little " camel " -whom we found roaming 

 about in the wilderness of Morley's figures, is not mentioned 

 by Morley. 



Yet, on results, claimed exact to the fifth decimal, hav- 

 ing on the mean only a probable error of 5 units in the fifth, 

 we detect a difference of 21 units in the fifth between the 

 MEANS of six determinations made in "globe 3" and nine 

 determinations made in " globe 5." This difference bet-ween 

 the means is over four times the amount of the probable 

 error of the mean of all 15 determinations, and amounts to 

 two-tenths of a milligramme. 



But two-tenths of a milligramme is a quantity of com- 

 mon recognition in all good chemical analysis. 



Now, why does not Morley show up this great conflict 

 of the means according as his oxygen was weighed in 

 " globe 3 " or " globe 5," the weight of which was properly 

 and minutely allowed for? 



Possibly he did not notice this little camel; he was too 

 busy straining at gnats. At any rate, he does not say any- 

 thing about it. 



We notice next, that the oxygen from chlorate was o.i 

 mgr. heavier per litre than the electrolytic oxygen. 



We notice that the third series gave, in both of its divis- 

 ions, a. full milligramme difference between the lightest liter 

 and the heaviest liter. 



But a milligramme is a full grown camel, when the gnats, 

 are given to the hundredth of the milligramme^ and the 

 "probable error" are gnats of the thousandth of a milli- 

 gramme. 



In first division of Series II, the range is also 99-100, 

 that is, a full milligramme. In the first series it is % of a 

 milligramme. 



What must we conclude from these facts? That the 

 work of Morley is so wonderfully exact as Clarke, and the 

 Secretary of the Smithsonian, and the Stasian Ostwald, and 

 the admiring members of the American Association or the 

 American Chemical Society are expected to believe and 

 vociferously do believe? 



Is not this "credo" of exact science shamefully ridiculous? 



