132 Rutherford: Modern 



" If any one should doubt whether the electrical mat- 

 ter passes through the substance of bodies, or only over 

 and along their surfaces, a shock from an electrified 

 large glass jar, taken through his own body, will prob- 

 ably convince him. 



" Electrical matter dififers from ordinary matter in 

 this, that the parts of the latter mutually attract, those 

 of the former mutually repel each other. Hence the 

 appearing divergency in a stream of electrified effluvia. 



" But though the particles of electrical matter do 

 repel each other, they are strongly attracted by all other 

 matter. 



" From these three things the extreme subtilty of the 

 electrical matter, the mutual repulsion of its parts, and 

 the strong attraction between them and other matter, 

 arises this efifect, that when a quantity of electrical mat- 

 ter is applied to a mass of common matter, of any bigness 

 or length within our observation (which hath not already 

 got its quantity), it is immediately and equally diffused 

 through the whole. 



" Thus, common matter is a kind of sponge to the elec- 

 trical fluid. . . . But in common matter there is (gen- 

 erally) as much of the electrical as it will contain within 

 its substance. If more is added, it lies without upon the 

 surface, and forms what we call an electrical atmos- 

 phere; and then the body is said to be electrified. 



