Southold High School - Snuffbox Yearbook (Southold, NY)

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THE SNUFF BOX this trip was to catch up on the scientific discoveries of other countries. Faraday was to go along as valet and general handy man. Although lie was a servant on this trip he had the opportunity to talk with many of the famous scientists. During their long stay in Switzerland he talked a great deal with Gaspard d'e la Rive, professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at the Academy of Geneva. This was quite a rise for a mere bookbinder in little over half a year. Not until lie was thirty did Michael think of marriage. In his early years he worked hard in the laboratory, lectured to the City Philosophical Society, and wrote for the Quarterly Journal of Science. All these tended to establish him firmly in the field of science. Faraday was religious and went regularly with his mother to a little Sandemanian Church. Here it was that lie met Sarah Barnard, who was to become Mrs. Faraday. She was a wise, clear-eyed, kindly daughter of a silversmith. They were married on June 12, 1821. Soon after his marriage Faraday made some important scientific discoveries. Wollaston was primarily a chemist, but in some way he had gotten the idea that a wire carrying an electric current, if brought near the pole of a magnet should revolve on its own axis. Wollaston tried this experiment in Davy’s laboratory but failed. Possibly Faraday saw Wollaston’s unsuccessful experiment, for in September, 1821 he made the electric wire rotate on its axis. The value of this experiment and discovery cannot be overestimated, for it was the forerunner of the present day electric motor. Wollaston tried to claim the credit for this discovery, but Davy and others agreed that the discovery was Faraday’s. Soon after this Michael offended Davy. He conducted an experiment in an attempt to liquify chlorin, using a suggestion of Davy’s. The experiment was a success, and he prepared a paper on it for the Royal Society. He included in it that Sir Humphry made the suggestion, but Davy was very jealous of this former bookbinder and his two discoveries. Not long after this Faraday was proposed for membership in the Royal Society. He was opposed by Wollaston and Davy, but nevertheless gained membership. Faraday had risen to the position of director of the laboratory in the Royal Institution and was more than ever determined to devote his entire time to science. Fie gave up all outside business except his work as an expert on lighthouses. 11 is next great discovery was in the field of chemistry. Fie separated benzine from condensed oil-gas. Many a big business has been built up around this discovery, but Faraday did not attempt to make any money from it. Fie also spent much time in perfecting the art of making glass for optical instruments. In 1820, a year before Michael’s marriage, Sir Humphrey Davy had magnetized a bit of soft iron by wrapping a wire around it and passing an electric current through the wire. In 1822 Faraday wrote in his notebook, as one of his objects, the words, “convert magnetism into electricity.” Nine years later we find him still struggling with this knotty problem, lie conducted many experiments with 27

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THE SNUFF BOX MICHAEL FARADAY Someone once asked Sir Humphrey Davy what his greatest discovery was, and he answered, “Michael Faraday.” Today our whole life is influenced by the early discoveries of this man. When we press a button to flood a room with light or turn a switch to start a motor or tune our radio sets, we are making use of some of the discoveries of Michael Faraday, who was the greatest scientific investigator of the nineteenth century. To this man more than any other we owe the transformation of electricity from a plaything of the laboratory to a useful servant, lie was born in Newington, England, on September 22, 1791. His parents were of the poorer class in England. His father was a blacksmith and his brother was a gasfitter. Michael was an active, laughing boy who when he was but thirteen was apprenticed to a man named Riebau. In Riebau’s shop he learned bookbinding. Faraday soon made a firm friend out of old Riebau, who allowed him to spend time in reading as well as binding the books in the shop. It was from these books that young Michael gained his early education. The books which interested him most were works of science. He specialized in the study of chemistry and electricity. Faraday saved his money and bought himself simple apparatus and with it conducted many chemical experiments. He did not tire of this sort of thing, but with every book and every experiment he became more enthusiastic. During his spare time he read nearly all the books of science in Riebau’s shop. Sir Humphrey Davy at this time was giving lectures at the Royal Institution. Young Michael expressed the wish that he should like to hear Davy. He mentioned it to one of Riebau’s customers. Fortune favored Faraday in that the customer gave him four tickets to the lectures. Michael went to these lectures and listened attentively. He found that his knowledge of science enabled him to understand Davy’s discussions. Faraday made notes on these lectures and later elaborated them, thus showing that he had understood Davy. The same audacity which prompted Michael to speak of the lectures to Riebau’s customer soon moved him again. This time it was an attempt to get away from bookbinding, a trade which was fast becoming distasteful to him. lie wrote to Sir Humphrey Davy, enclosing his elaborated lectures and asking for work. Fortune again favored Faraday in that Davy asked him to come to the Royal Institution for an interview. He obtained a position as laboratory assistant in the Royal Institution. At this time Sir Humphrey was working on a safety lamp for miners. Faraday understood the principle upon which the lamp was to work well enough so that he was able to make many a brilliant suggestion. About six months after Michael’s arrival at the Royal Institution Sir Humphrey Davy decided to tour Europe. The object of 26

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THE SNUFF BOX coils of wire and magnets, but without success. It was not his way to give up, and finally he discovered the secret; motion was needed either in the coil or magnet. Though he was forty years old. he danced around his laboratory like a boy. He built a larger machine than the one used in the experiments, and was able to make a spark jump a small gap. These discoveries were the forerunner of the modern dynamo and electric light. Faraday also set about standardizing measurements of electric power. Years of hard work in the laboratory, lectures in the afternoons and evenings was a hard grind for Michael. He had always been troubled with a bad memory, and this intense thinking made him worse. He realized this loss of memory and hated to talk because he could not work; he wanted to talk of his work. He found it necessary to seek a variety of mantal relaxations. He traveled and visited all sorts of places for amusement. Fie spent much time in the zoological gardens watching the animals. Many universities bestowed degrees upon him at this time, and because of his poor health he refused the presidency of the Royal Institution. All his successes and honors did not change him. He merely grew older mentally and physically. On June 20, 1862 he gave his last lecture. He lived for five more years, fading in mind and body. On August 25, 1867 he passed into a sleep from which he did not awaken. Michael Faraday had finished his work. He made possible this wonderful age of electricity in which we now live. R. H.. ’35. BLACK IVORY There I was, thousands of miles from home, somewhere off the dark, dark coast of Africa, and aboard what I had come to learn was a slave ship. I was born in Massachusetts in 18—, of a good New England family. I had early expressed a desire to go to sea, which was against my father’s wishes. However, being set in my ways, as was my father, who had been in the Navy in his younger years, I stole away one night and shipped on a vessel as a cabin boy. My father came aboard hunting for me. suspecting that I would try to ship, but I bribed the second mate, who had charge of the vessel at that time, to deny having seen me and thus I escaped. 1 soon discovered that the vessel was a slaver, but it was too late then, to turn back. I determined, however, to betray her to the authorities, if I ever had the chance, even though it meant my own capture. When we reached the coast of Africa, the captain went ashore and immediately started bargaining with a native chief, who had been expecting us, for his prisoners from the interior. We stayed on the coast for two weeks, loading hundreds of negroes who did 28