James Slough Zerbe

“ There is no study so profound as electricity. It is a marvel to the scientist as well as to the novice. It is simple in its manifestations, but most complex in its organization and in its ramifications. It has been shown that light, heat, magnetism and electricity are the same, but that they differ merely in their modes of motion. ”

“ All agitation is vibration. All force manifests itself in this way.
The painful brilliancy of the sun is produced by the rapid vibrations of the rays; the twinkle of the distant star, the waves of the ocean when ruffled by the winds; the shimmer of the moon on its crested surface; the brain in thinking; the mouth in talking; the beating of the heart; all, alike, obey the one grand and universal law of vibratory motion.
Qualities of Sound.—Sound is nothing but a succession of vibrations of greater or less magnitude. Pitch is produced by the number of vibrap. 157tions; intensity by their force ”

“ ABNORMAL FLYING OF NO VALUE.—It would be too broad an assertion to say that it has absolutely no value, because everything has its use in a certain sense, but if we are to judge from the progress of inventions in other directions, such exhibitions will not improve the art of building the device, or make a fool-proof machine.
Indeed, it is the very thing which serves as a deterrent, rather than an incentive. If machines can be handled in such a remarkable manner, they must be, indeed, perfect! Nothing more is needed! They must represent the highest structural type of mechanism! ”

“ The wooden roof of Westminster Hall, while very simple in structure, as compared with many others, looks like an intricate maze of beams, struts and braces, but it is, nevertheless, so harmonized that the effect is most pleasing to the eye, and its very appearance gives the impression of grandeur and strength. ”

“ The motor is the great dominating factor in the world of industry. Every wheel and spindle; every shaft and loom, and every piece of mechanism which has motion, derives it from some sort of motor.
The term motor has a wider significance than any other word. A steam engine is a motor, and so, also, is a dynamo, a water wheel or a wind mill. ”

“ It is so particularly in the case of an automobile driver. The steering wheel is a sort of antennæ, which imparts a vibratory intelligence to him, that cannot be grasped or understood by others in the car.
At first the matter of driving is a feeling of intensity in doing certain things, and in trying to anticipate the conditions. This state of mind continues until driving becomes a reflex action. The throttle, or the pedals are instinctively moved; the throwing in of a gear is proceeded with in an easy, natural fashion, and the starting movement is brought about without a perceptible jerk. ”

“ A company of one hundred men, which in marching order, say four abreast, occupies a space of eight by one hundred feet, looks to the aviator about as large as an object one inch in length, four and a half feet from the eye.
The march of such a body of men, viewed at that distance, is so small as almost to be imperceptible to the eye of an observer at rest. How much more difficult it is to distinguish a movement if the observer is in a rapidly-moving machine. ”

“ There is a principle involved in the sharpening of every tool, which should be observed. A skilled artisan knows that there is a particular way to grind the bits of each plane; that the manner of setting a saw not only contributes to its usefulness, but will materially add to the life of the saw; that a chisel cannot be made to do good work unless its cutting edge is square and at the right working angle. ”

“ The energy of a nation may be expressed by its horse power. It is not numbers, or intellect, or character, or beliefs that indicate the progress of a people in a material sense.
It is curious how closely related enginery is with the advancement of a people. Nothing can be more striking to illustrate this than railroads as a feature of development in any country.
Power in Transportation.—Without the construction and maintenance of mechanical power, railroads would be impossible. To be able to quickly and cheaply move from place to place, is the most important factor in human life. ”

“ Electricity, as exhibited in light, has been the great marvel of all times. The word electricity itself comes from the thunderbolt of the ancient God Zeus, which is known to be synonymous with the thunderbolt and the lightning. ”

“ The inventor of a device is he who has conceived an idea and has put it into some concrete form.
A mere idea is not an invention.
The article so conceived and constructed, mustp. 189 be both new and useful. There must be some utility. It may be simply a toy, or something to amuse.
If A has an idea, and he employs and pays B to work out the device, and put it into practical shape, A is the inventor, although B may have materially modified, or even wholly changed it. B is simply the agent or tool to bring it to perfection, and his pay for doing the work is his compensation. ”