A Very Notable Article in the June Century

A very notable article in the June Century is “The Problem of Increasing Human Energy,” by Nikola Tesla. He regards mankind as a body in motion, and addresses himself to the problem of increasing its force. This can be done in three ways: by increasing its mass, reducing its friction, and adding to its velocity. Its mass is chiefly reduced by lack of food, and to increase the food supply he would utilize, as fertilizers, hydrogen compounds extracted from the atmosphere by the chemical action of electric discharges. The chief frictional element diminishing velocity is organized warfare, and he would lessen the destructiveness of future battles by producing electric machines that would fight without involving the exposure of those who launched them against the enemy, thus taking the personal animus out of war. The transmission of intelligence and of power to enormous distances by electricity operating without intervening wires would give humanity an enormous forward lift. To each of these ways of increasing human energy, Mr. Tesla announces one or more contributions, presenting for the first time photographic views of recent experiments with electrical forces of enormous voltage.

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