The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1867-12-14
aiT SCIENCE MADE EASY.
THE AThosPHERE w 4 BREATHE


ps p-rs .intrn jed 70 Instruct the man Of sci |
lesse, csAsuisss gseieglst, philssoPhers or
astronomer, or provoke the CRITICISMS Of
sucii, but 70 instruct and entertain those to
" hoE1 the telescope and laboratory nave not
been accessible. "And especially in the frst
numbers shall sndeaser TO be elementary
rather than a5truse." INA E
NO T., '.rHE ArxosPHrRg VIZ LIVE IL"
propose .iu this number to ask yol to
stu y with m :s.-.' the chemical comp 81
ZION, and secondly The Inherent qualities Of
that vast q sseous envelope which wraps the
entire ca. III il It's close fulds, extending up
wards the distance Of from forty to fifty miles
at every point.
Thousands have asked themselves, as the
welcome breeze famed their sweating brows,
What IS his grateful wind, and what pow
err set II IN motion, 20 touch with its cooling
wings this ;ail-staiaed face VI mine'
Tncy c1utl 40; SEQ Il they could not
grasp il; ha; e i could De felt, and t. the
senses i brcagh the fragrance Of ar-asa
| Il Jwets aad nex m9sn hsY.
We feel ii all a5llt us, and we Sc its
power ia mary varied forms: sometimes it
I works Tx . messenger of love, coming at
| early spring time In soft gales from softer
southern e,imes il p.ucks old tyrant winter
by his iioraey beard, and By its gentle melt
iug power, d,es What Tao rsds strength Of
riton colil 20, frees him to release what
for months he has ned ia the fortress Of his
grasp, the building rivuIet and the frozen
ca. "a. Apl sometimes We tremble before
its fearful p5wer whsn DO rne on the devas-
| tating breath Of De whlrlwind, or working
BY the uncontro:iablg- frrcencss 81 the torna-
4 does rush.
\ In all these Cases, she element is the same
whether II Be moved by the slow vibrations II
the Holian string, filing our ea,s with its
pfaintlve music. and our ,ouis BY its sad infas
ence, o. set iR miesss,sn 6y the chainsess fury
Of the hurricane, 1t leaves bat 8 crunlbled
wreck Of mans proudest monuments Of ar
chitecturAl skin
| We say Of the atmosphere, that it Is a
subtle hail asatiag in another vastly more
attenuased fiuricsiled ether, whidhJis noE
supposed 20 psrvrde az pace, oesns wishoat
linis, . mass q vast . creation Itself, and
just a. freely circulating through the hard
eaed steel as the lightsst gAsses. cat
i But when we say TIE Atmosphere sub
tie huid we have ou.y given il . name, and
have not afforded any clue to its nature or
composition a
IL il composed Of three simple substances
/ II Vs. take 100 gallons Of air and separate Il
! n is component parts, we shall have rs
gallons OF nitrogen gas, q gallons OF oxygen
Gas ana one gallon OF carbJnic acid gas.
( Nitrogen is . gas much lighter than air !;
10 almost instln.ly fatal 10 animal hls. fla
lighted candle be plunged into vessel Of 4,
the tame goes out Is quickly as if It were
immersed ia water. But although 90 aatag-
Onistic TO animal life, u eaters very largely
ittto the composition Of plants ~
Oxygen, on the contrary, is pot oaly e.
aiIirating to autnh sts. BUTTS tho sresEest
supporter of ccnbusts"s kae#a.. sets hemsr
than nj, al may. be kept or carried IN an
open vessel, il lis htyd cAndls be Immersed
10 oxygen it barns With vastly increased
briliancy, and ifau iron or ste,.i xirs bsxe
piece Of wood or cloth pat upon the cad,
enough TO- jnst start little. falfe, and tasn
Dc bsId in JAZZ OF pure oxygen. tho metal
viii burn as easily a. 50 much wood, and
With gres,sr briiIisncy, throwing on sparks
Of the most intense brightness.
lasBattlss most sngaiw thing in this con
nee,isn a chat 'fbs gas itself ,isss not burn
BY itself. II It, dii, an explosion would be
the result Of the resoing experiments.
Phs exyges rs foaai 10 be IN ingredient
ia the clsearar eonposition OF more differ
entfern's ~ matter than any other known
simple, -
Mixcdwith hitrogen in shout equal parts,
10 FORMS the famous nitrous oxy ids or fslAugh-
ing gas" e. iss'1s - sfsss14 asiA II Y
The lat eonponsn. Of ali is catSoaIc Aeid
gas This j. the easswhieh soncsimes col
.leets in thesbottom % wells and lnines, and
has proved fatal TO the miner 20 Oxen The
sparkle and pungent taste Of sola-watst u
due % the presence Of this gas II u very
much heavier than air, and may easily 10
poured from one open vessel to another, and