MECHANISM OF NATURE 



In electrical attraction, which penetrates some 

 substances and which at least partially works 

 through a vacuum, there is evidence of a move- 

 ment of void matter. 



For if the air is considered as a medium to trans- 

 mit the attraction between the electrified glass rod 

 and the attracted pitch ball, then the air must be 

 incorporated into the glass rod, which clearly is 

 not the case. 



Yet all the while that the Glass rod is attracting, 

 it is subject to gravity that is, the atoms com- 

 posing glass rod and pitch ball offer just so much 

 resistance to the stream of gravity, for if there 

 were no resistance there would be no tendency to 

 go along with the stream. 



But between the Glass rod and pitch ball there 

 is an inequality which produces a current of void 

 matter from one to the other, carrying the pitch 

 ball with it. 



PROPOSITION XX. 



HYPOTHESIS. 



The origin and nature of Electricity is a quicken- 

 ing of the process of life in one body, and a 

 corresponding equivalent retarding of that 

 process in another body concerned in the mani- 

 festation. 



Every manifestation of electricity concerns two 

 bodies at once. (Prop. I, B. 3.) 



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