370 Scientific Intelligence. 



stellar space is infinite in extent and that the normal Iuminiferous 

 ether consists of standard particles which are situated at the ver- 

 tices of equilateral triangles. The length of a side of the standard 

 equilateral triangle is found to be 145-07 X 10~ s cm. (page 197), 

 which we remark is about 145 times as great as the wave-length 

 of Rontgen rays. This number is obtained by comparing equation 



^5 — ' 1 with Balmer's series formula 



(732 \ 



—^ — -\ X 10 -8 . Concerning the first relation 



the author says : "For the purpose of identification for future 

 reference, we will designate equation (14) as Erwin's Formula, 

 expressive of the wave lengths of the radiations sent off by stand- 

 ard ether particles revolving around a centre for any assigned 

 value of the radius of revolution of the particle of the First 

 Order." Positive electricity appears to have no mass because it 

 is composed of minute force rays. "In such a ray the traveling 

 particle is very much smaller than the electron, since it is a parti- 

 cle of the wave sent off by the electron itself " (p. 227). Again: 

 "The electric current is essentially a light wave, except that its 

 traveling wheel is of greater amplitude than the traveling wheel 

 of visible light wave" (p. 235). 



The preceding remarkable conclusions and quotations are given 

 to show that it is not possible to take a neutral position with 

 regard to the text. It is either epoch-making or nonsense. In 

 the opinion of the writer of this notice it is the expression of a 

 very exaggerated case of confusion of ideas arising from miscel- 

 laneous reading of scientific writings coupled with complete igno- 

 rance of the laws of electrodynamics. In any event the book can 

 only do harm to the reader who is not specially trained in scien- 

 tific matters and in recognizing logical fallacies, since it contains 

 many vague, loose and incorrect statements. The following quo- 

 tations will suffice to verify the truth of this adverse criticism. 

 " The tendency of the ball to fly off radially, away from the 

 centre, or centrifugal force, is just balanced by the pull on the 

 string toward the centre" (p. 26). "When light given out by 

 glowing gases or vapors is examined in the spectroscope, the 

 spectrum produced is found not to be continuous, but to consist 

 of a number of bright lines in various parts of the spectrum. 

 Fraunhofer . . . first studied these lines, and they bear his name" 

 (p. 99). "The fact that the wave-lengths of the spectrum lines, 

 for all the elements so far known, conform to Balmer's law, with 

 only a change of constants in the formula, is a proof that ..." 

 (p. 103). "The writer suggests as probably the principal cause 

 for the invisibility of the rays coming from the most distant stars, 

 that they have been converted from visible rays into force rays, 

 on the principle of composition" (p. 109). "Pressure is force, 

 Weight is force, Momentum is force. The measure of a force F 

 is the magnitude of the velocity acceleration f it will impart to a 



