
ordinary mec 



KIDD’S OWN JOURNAL, 45 
TABLE-MOVING,— Dr. Faraday’s object to prove to them and 
BY MUSCULAR FORCE. to the rest of the world that the truth lies in 
| the exact converse of this proposition. The 
THERE HAS APPEARED in the Times news- | Stst thing done, was to convince the movers 
paper, a Letter from Dr. FanapAy respect- | that none of the materials i ed in con- 
ing this absurd mania, which—imported, it | *t*ucting the apparatus would in Ade we 
would seem, like Mormonism, spirit-rappings, | interfere with the results; to do this a bundle 
and other monstrous delusions, originally | 0f Plates was made up consisting of the most 
from the United States—has spread over the | ongruous materials, whether bey 
so-called enlightened and educated countries | °F ordinarily speaking,—such as glass, sand- 
of continental Europe, and also infected this P4Pe", gue, mo ee , tinfoil, wood, gutta- 
kingdom, with a rapidity and universality | Pech, &c., and this bundle, when affixed to 
unequalled by any mere physical epidemic. | # table, was placed under the hands of a 
In that Letter, the Professor intimated his | t¥™er; the table turned. The experiment, 
intention of placing (which he has done) the | varied in many ways, was repeated with 
details of some experiments he has instituted, | ™"Y persons (movers) with one uniform 
and the conclusions inevitably resulting from | result, viz, the motion of the tables; so that 
these experiments, before the public in the | 20 Objection can be raised to the use of any 
pages of the Athenaum. ‘Let us endeavor to | % All of these materials as impeding or ob- 
condense this, so far as it can be effected | ttucting the presumed new force. 
without rendering the explanation obscure, | The next step was, to ascertain the de- 
It is only right to quote Faraday’s own | velopment of electrical, magnetic, attrac- 
words, giving his reasons for devoting him- | #¥@, tangential, or repulsive forces, but in 
self to this investigation—doubtless to his | V#I%5 no indication of these or any peculiar 
own vexation and annoyance at having his | #4tural force could be detected, nor aught 


attention occupied by such trivialities; but | °bserved referable to other than mere me- 
by so doing he has acted the part of a good | chanical power exerted by the turner. The 
citizen, and stood in the breach; for his | 2+ thing was to determine the nature of this 
lucid explanation of the causes, on the one | Pressure, or at any rate so much of it as was 
hand, and the weight of his authority on the | @*¢tted in. horizontal direction ; and this, in 
other, will not only arrest the onward march | the first instance, was done unawares to 
of this latest folly, but it is to be hoped, pre- | the mover. A soft cement of wax and 
vent the further spread of still greater and | ‘UtPentine, or wax and pomatum, was 
more mischievous delusions. prepared ; and four or five pieces of smooth 
“YT should,” says Dr. Faraday (in the slippery cardboard were fixed, one above 
Times), “ be sorry that you should suppose the other, by pellets of this cement; the 
[ thought this investigation necessary oN lowest of these cards was covered with 
MY OWN ACCOUNT; for my conclusion re- sand-paper and rested on the table; the 
specting its nature was soon arrived at, and | &13% of the succeeding ones gradually over- 
is not changed, But I have been so often | @pped each other—the exact position of each 
misquoted, and applications to, me for an being indicated by a pencil-line drawu on the 
opinion are so numerous, that I hoped, if I under surface of each overlapping piece of 
enabled myself to give a strong one, you cardboard. The uppermost sheet was larger 
would consent to convey it to all persons than the rest, so as to hide all beneath it from 
interested in the matter,” sight. This wag then placed on a table, and 
Let us now turn to the Atheneum. The | the services of a turner called into play, who 
nature of the proof required, and the methods | placed his hands on the large uppermost 
of inquiry followed, were of the same nature card. The use of the apparatus is due to the 
as are ordinarily demanded in any physical | nature of the cement, which is strong enough 
investigation In the first place the table- | ° offer considerable resistance to mechanical 
movers, whose services were employed, were | ™0tion, and also to retain the cards in any 
not merely persons successful in producing BEW Position they might acquire ; yet it gives 
this movement ; but are vouched for by the | ¥#Y slowly on the continued application of 
Professor, as persons of honor and candor, mechanical force. 
yet at the same time influenced by a wish After some little time had elapsed, hands, 
to establish the existence of a peculiar motive | cards, and table, all moved to the left 
power. Faraday has satisfied himself that a | together, and a true result was obtained. On 
table moves, when the parties, although | examination of the pack of cardboard, the 
strongly wishing it, neither intend to nor be- | displacement of the pencil-lines showed that 
lieve that vo he move it by the exertion of | the hands had moved further than the table, 
nical (muscular) force. All | which, in fact, had lagged behind; the upper- 


these persons agreed in the belief that the table | most card had been 
e table pushed to the left 
moves the on not the hands the table, which | dragging first the under cards, and lastly the 
appears to be the popular creed; so it was | table, along with it. In other instances, when 
