New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-12-18

of the sun after refracon round To his asion'hmsnt
it drawn Out to image whose len5th was NY, n.o
times its brcadthi and this image was N Nlo1u W.
bands of different colors. Newton saw immedQtey thal
This IMAGE was due 30 tic act that some oi
the star light more detected by me PRISM tlln
others and ne concluded. therefore,, that white solar
l.ht was mixture 0f lights OF different ooors ANA OK
different degrees of ronmnglbihty e.. ~,
spectrum. Newton divided the spectrum INTO seven
parts red orange yellow green niue, lul,o' NiVie''
when commonly called the seven primary OF pms
/ matte colors.
NFwTONs DOUBLE METHOD OF PROOF.
This was che Hrst analysis OF solar light by Newtoni
but che scientific mind Is fond of verhoaton, and mover
necct u where It rs possible. II Is this stern c0uscien-
ousness on The part Of those who pursue 1t that gives
adamantine strength 70 science and renders all assaults
/ on II uuavairng Newton completed his proof BY syn
thesis. For instance ne reuacted the colo,s nlCh'
rebonded them, and thus reproduced the white light out
I'm he lecture. Newton's experiment in Newtons
form IS made; 10 is ofterward made with INSTRUMENTS
! which yield larger aud richer effects IMAM tho5e
seen BY Newton. The synthesis OF white ngm
/ is effected in three du,rent ways. frs,ttg,
the oolors Of the spectrum are squeezed together
and Blended by a cylindrical lens; Wlite ngnSS
le carbon points whence the light issues, is built up
from the coors Of the sDectrum thirdly IN virtue OF ne
persistence Of luminous impressions upon the ena the
prsmatic colors may be mixed together III me eS Ise
the impression OF wh1enPsS Dehg Inc Int ie tnto
! Iao drawing out OF the W1Je ilght mo
spectrum is called dispersion. And here historic COM
p.eteicss lvHu ri f g. r,fractir and disner-
OF NeWtOnS lie supposed that IeIracIlon anu &
sion hand IN hand, and that yOu abolished tne one
at
arded the progress Of discovery. DOlland however,
proved Oy combining Two different kinds OF glass
the cooTs could BE- eXtinguished sun leaving residue
refractOn, and he employed this residue IN the con-
structOn achroInatic lenses-lenses which yield no
cOlor--wmch Newton th0ughO an hnpVsslDih5' luls
point is illustrated in the lecture by combining prism
Of water and one Of glass the color Is destroyed oul not
me refracton and dispersion Of bisulphde Of carbon
are compared with those of water in order TO explain
why the st mentioned liquid is used when our object Is
10 spectra great extent and richness Of color
rom then til its close, were OF great beauty. The one
upon which the final experiments were made, by when
tie actual character OF color explained must nave
! been at least and half feet WIDE and its length
when dispersed by two rsns, covered the whoe screen
Nothing could be convincing than the evidences ne
offered that red pigments were black every else III
the Light OF the spectrum tnan IN the red ray yeilOw
black except in the yellow, &C. Placed side by side with
er desiroyed eoors presented no DISTINCTION to the
eve. much 20 say, but not too much that every eA
! pertinent presented was an unqualified SUGGEST
PHENOMENA DUE 10 WHITE LIGHT.
! Having uuraveled the interviewer constituents Of
white light have next TO inquire what part the con-
stuton revealed enables this agent to play in ma
tureG To it we owe all the phenomena Of color; and
vet not to it alone for there must be certain relation
ship between the ultimate particles of natural bodies
aud gh 10 enable them 10 extract IOu u the luAiIes
OlcoOr But function OF natural bodies Is here Sc
ecye not creative There s no color generated by any
natural body i'm any kind of form. Natural bodies have
showered upon them in the white light Of the sum the
sum all possible cOOrs, and their action IA iIn-
led to the sitting and applopratng the total the
coOrs which really belong to them, and rejecting those
which 90 not 1t Will fix this subject i'm your minds il
say that 1t the portion OF light which they reject ana
that which belongs TO them, that gives bodies their
Let us begin our experimental inquiries here by asking
what is the meaning of backness Pass black ribbon
through the cO.ors OF the spectrum; II
resuOf the absorption OF AL tine constituents of solar
ght. Pass red ribbon through the spectrum. In the
Ieu lIght inc fpDoh Is NlNlu Itd, why because tHe
light that enters the ribbon not quenched or absorbed
blue of the spectrum it is black Jet II alb
serbs the green and blue hight, and leaves
intense darkness Place green ribbon in the green Of
the spectrum. 1t shines yiyidly with its proper color
transfer 10 70 the red, IL Is black as Jet Here 1t a0sorb
~ the eve When white light is empoyed the red sifts
1t by queDchlng the green, and tine green sits ~ By
queucnng the red, both exhibiting the residual color
mn, the process through which natural bodies acquire
their cOOrs is negative These cOlors caused
Dy subtraction, not 10y addition. The action Of
liquids and solids upon the spectrum Is also illustrated
some cutting OF the one end, Others cutting of the
other end and selecting for absorption the middle
COMPLEMENTARY coIoRs AND ABSORPTION.
These experiments prepare us for the consideration of
point regarding which has found currency for ages
You will find it stated in books that blue and yellow
! lights mixed together produce green. They do not.
Blue and yellow complementary cOlOrs and produce
white by their mixture. The mixture Of blue and yellow
e5 S feT "S SSeS fo I the me ftafe Of
lights Helmholz has revealed the cause or the green
III the case OF the pigments No natural color is pne.
| the blue 10 bass through it but a portion of the
! adjacent green. A yellow powder Is Transparent
/
| transparent to the adjacent green. Now when
blue yellow mixed together the blue cuts of the
yellow, the orange ana the red the yellow on the other
hand, cuts of the violet the indigo and the blue Green
f. the only color To which both are transparent and the
consequence Is that when white light falls upon mix
yellow and blue powders, the green alone Is sent
back 10 the eye The explanation of the mixture of pig
ments will De subjected to the test OF experiment. and
a subsequent lecture the mixture OF cOlOred nights
will be employed 10 prove that blue and yellow, ny their
bleuding, produce white. This question OF absorption Is
the subtle aud difficult in molecular physics
We not yet in condition TO grappe with it, but We
/
of relations which these experiments reveal 10 us We
in the first place Solar light agent OF exceed
completely composed of innul5erable constituents
TefrangOle in different degrees. We find secondly the
solar light in the most various ways ana produce
by this sitting the oolOrs observed in nature and ART
To do this they must possess molecular struct0n com
mensurate III completely with that OF nght ITSELF
Thirdly have the human eye and brain organized
be able To take i'll aud distinguish the multitude OF
impressions thus generated. Thus the nght at
do natural bodies must be complex. Finally, TO
take III the impressions thus generated the human
eve and brain must be highly complex. III
we were permitted To inquire into the intention OF
II what called material purposes were the sole end
OF nature much simpler Inecheanlsm would De sum
Gent But instead Of simpicy-instead Of principle OF
parsimOnyWe have prodlgay OF relation ana adapta-
ton and This apparently for the sole purpose OF enabling
things rDbed in the splendors of color Would
il that Nature harDOred the Intention OF edu-
catug other eDOyments than those deryaDe from
meat and drink Al al events whatever Nature meant
and il would be presumption 10 dOgmatlse as 10
what she meant find ourselves here tue and
upshOt OF her operations endowed with capacities TO
others OF indefinite scope and appcat0n which deal
alone with the beautiful and the true.
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THE FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL FIRE.