The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-04-04

10 the feucc<iOu u 1h ttso acFo"
which, when blended, appear white. Nov.
no night is perfectly dark there Is some
degree Of Iigb. being reflected from some
where at all times Of the day. Now, Il
green absorb six Of the seven colors or six-
seventies Of all the light falling on an object,
OF course there can be but one-seyenth re-
flected, SO the eye receives from such m OBJ
iect only one-seventh Of what little high |
there may be, while the white has reflected
all and shows with six times the brilliancy
Of the green. How often have we sat at
night and seen the light fade AID the grass
80 brightly green fade to an intense black
not that its color changed but that all color
left it. Now, to change the color Of any
hing we have but to cover it with some sub
stance that absorbs different portion Of the
light anu rejects differently colored ray
Black, as W. have already seen, absorbs oil
the seven colors; next to black, green alb
serbs most light, consequently it is least dis
tinguishable in dim light Of ali others, or
in other words changes to black soonest, the
light being almost totally withdrawn, while
these colors or shades which are, rs We say,
nghtest, continue visible longest under the
same circumstances
A perfect black is perfect blank 50 far as
color goes, and looking at perfectly black
object we do not see 1t at all; we only are
xare that certain point in our vicinity is
occupied 10y something that reflects no light,
and by obscuring our view shows not its
substance bat its outlines by making, SO to
speak, a corresponding hole in the prospect.
l This may provoke criticism, but scientifically
| speaking, ii is impossible to see anything
4 that is perfectly black. TO prove tbs let IS
define sight, or rather let us consider in what
Nt.cts become visible to the eye. Sup
Tor instance we are in perfectly dark
ard lamp is lighted, now all the light
that room must ia the first instance pro-
from the lamp, and by looking directly
e same the rays from il are rec wed on
"a as they come directly from the
at, turning from the light, all the
avs that reach US are reflected by the OBJ
jects we see and by that very rejection we
see them, that is, the PARTICLES OF light are
thrown off by the lamp in all directions in
straight lines When they meet some object
that refuses to allow Their passage they are
rejected or thrown back just as rubber
ball rebounds from the side Of a house, and
= 4 ~. IL fLra fha
thus producing both vision and color. For
if part of the rays are absorbed BY the %
ject they first strike, the colored ray that is
not absorbed, is alone reflected to the eye
and thus as some objects reflect one color
and some another We havea variety Of colors
from the light th own out by one lamp
I Now il is obvious that IL all are reflected
the color OR rather oppOsure for white is
not a coloi), is the same as the original ray
as Il issued from the hame aud light we cal
white and refuse it the name Of color be
cause it IS the appearance caused By the
blending Of all the different colored rays il
one.
Now We see that let any object absorb SIX
OF the seven different colored rays AND reaecl
the seventh, If that one reflected is the blus
one, We see blue object; by the process Of
reflection wo are enabled to see it, and from
the character or the ray reflected 20 deter
mine its co.yr. It is often the case tina
more than one OF the rays is reaectsd tbs
way: instead ofproducing on the eye the I'm
preston Of one distinct color It gives .
shade or mingling of two or more.
The only way an object is pictured on th'
retina is by the particle Of light il reflects
to the eye, and as sight is only result Of
the action of light upon the organs Of thG
eye, il is patent that II no light reaches the
eve no image is formed within it. This j.
precisely the case IN regard to a black oh
jet, that is, one peri etly black. II we car
conceive Of one perfectly black, as no ray
Of light are reflected from it, OF course VI
are unable to see it, but that does not pr,ven
our knowing its presence, Or even its shape
or form, magnitude, etc; We see all arounc
it, and know that over certain space some
thing is absorbing all the rays Of light, anc
we see it in the same sense that we see a
hole in the wall, or pieces Of cloth. W.
cannot properly say that We see hole, bu
we see the outlines Of it, and so Judge OF IL
form and size. But as no light is reflected
an intangible thing Ike hole we cannot b
said to see it. And just so with black !
reflects no light, consequently it is no
visible; to say that it was would be to dis
pute the whole theory Of light and color, Al
now admitted by all scholars.
Light and color then, are inseparable, no
synonymous for color is but an inheren
quality Of light, and where there is hgh
there must be color, except in the solitary
case Of black, where the color is all absorbed
with the light
Light is colorcd in and Of itself, and nc
process can separate the color from the light
and all the varied phenomena of ght aud
shade, bright and dull colors, are solely
owing to the different manner in which the
light is reflected to the eye by the obstacles
it encounters in its direct passage through
space. The atmosphere allows all other
colors to slip through but the faintsst tinge
Of blue, which, by some wonderful organism
OF nature it impedes, giving the sky its well.
known hue.
To close with a simple example, it is as
though one held in his hand seven marbles
Of different cOlOrs and properties, and while
they were mingled in the hand looked
white; now they are thrown against the wall,
they all rebound and are caught. Of course
they are still whits; they are thrown against
another wall, differing in some strange man.
ner from the first, and six Of them penetrate
the wall, the seventh is canght on its re-