Page:Various Forces of Matter.djvu/114

light continuously, but it is owing to a constant stream of air coming into it on all sides, and this work of producing light and heat by chemical affinity will subside as soon as the stream of air is interrupted. What then is this curious condition of heat? Why it is the evolution of another power of matter, of a power new to us, and which we must consider as if it were now for the very first time brought under our notice. What is heat? We recognise heat by its power of liquefying solid bodies and vaporising liquid bodies, by its power of setting in action, and very often overcoming, chemical affinity. Then how do we obtain heat? We obtain it in various ways; most abundantly by means of the chemical affinity we have just before been speaking about, but we can also obtain it in many other ways. Friction will produce heat. The Indians rub pieces of wood together until they make them hot enough to take fire; and such things have been known as two branches of a tree rubbing together so hard as to set the tree on fire. I do not suppose I shall set these two pieces of wood on fire by friction; but I can readily produce heat enough to ignite some phosphorus. [The Lecturer here rubbed two