The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-04-01
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aocompli he'd what he elsimed Bat there VIZ"
also an expression OF enthusiasm Which seem d
TO partake OF the nature Of spiritual and inist-
actnsl exaltation. Pertnps, indeed, he was one
OF those f4aa1a9 of seienco, who, lik4 tue eehep
Its CT The middle nges, in their search for
he ilaai secrets OF ma ure, wIuug SO many bti
ii&hg dlte W res from tho jnhtt tralB which they
hsfd. Again he seemed to r8sd ard To interpret
NY thoughts, for he smiled and said
NY discovery Was not as all a3CileDtI On
tho Contrary, il was reasoned out from wg,l
Known scteutihc principles and tfom scientific
hSpothtses, Of Nhith | assumed tie truth. /
was led t il in this way: Iagen fr granted lie
nebulaf hypotht III, it follows as cotoliary that
the ult1 nate Gt0Ds Of mttter are h1n 10 eous.
Whatever forns they now assume resulb alone
from t1tif different degrees 6f condensation, hnd
tho unlikehe5sas Brisiug from tho varying play
and Influence or tho pi4 Blsal forces, light hea'
magnetism AMI elcetuCitY. In Btort, different
Substances vary directly, ~ The varih' ions IF
their inter oeenar vibrations. Hhii55 their uitI
mate atoms are purely b. mogeoeous. II follows
| ff0m tins that II we could Iott1re mater to itb
| original eoudibi0n of attenuation, IL would as-
| tume gu roe1ndens3 ton, tuch Gorntg az would
| rehnl5 from the f0seas t0 which, during th 8 pfo.
cehs, 1t would bs subjected. ii, by experiment. OF
| eaicsluon, ~e could discover Tho fJrmnlas ex-
pressing tbs molecular vibrations Of different
substances, and II W. could accurately estimate
the tffects OF tho q q rUnt physical forces sepa-
| rafely or Ia composition, We night transform or
trauFmnts matter at will. Of course. to this eZ-
| ont, tine proportion Id OILY eoHceiyhbly and
logically true. Practically, it ia impossible OF
rtalization, except in y limited number
OF cssss. Dop't ruppose, therefore, that ]
have found the Philosophers Stone. 1t is
obyioutly impossible to restore matter to
u truly nebulous condition, in which it is
many million tunes more atteDuahd than
hydrogen ga, and We should have to go
back that far TO find the point OF departure OF
such substances a. gold aud platinum. This is
1 h,rs sinh staf, hny hv
immense specific gravity thai they must have
been relatively long time in process Of condensa-
ton; ard the simplicity OF their molecular siruc-
ture, q their yibr ations being in single plane,
thus constituting them perfectly poarized bodice,
proves that tn, characteristic swing Of their
atoms must have been set up before there had
| been any vide departure from the original nebu.
lar bomogenuity." Here he paused for moment
and then asked:
"Haye you glimpse OF my meaning yet?''
confessed that. although | understood his
| argument, was not prepared for the conclusion
ut which he seemed TO have arrived.
II will try to explliu," he continued. 'There
are some substances, which reveal, by their COM
ple1 character, mean complex ss to their mole
cular vibrations and by their relative evity, that
| they must have been evolved at o very recent
epoch The sun, whilst the Oldest, ID IN one sense
| the newest member OF the system. III metals are
| found in its atmosphere which do not exist on
earth, they are newer lhan the earth. Helsun'
| is case in point II, therefore, Can attenuate
matter cuff ciently may, bysu iecting it to forces
similar In kind to those which exist III the sun, be
able to reconcentrate 1t into the newest Of the
solar forms. This, in fact, is what have done,
/ have found that some substances yield a
| spectrum similar to that OF heliun | have
succeeded in ysporzDg these substances so that
they become nebuloid, II not nebular; and ihep,
by operating upon them with electricity OF q very
Intense grade, have 80 modified their inter
moecul4r structure that after recondensaiion
they assume the form which you have seen, and
that for m is heliunl. al ano her time viii per-
| form the experiment for you shall coon give
uy processes to the world. In the meantime
you have seen that my discovery is not mere
curioslty Of science, bns that it can be turned x
profit immense profit, ss bt lieve. The new
metal hiss many remarkable propert es
have seen. 1t is more lusirous than gold, ana
has the iredesc nee OF pearl. II is strongly mag
netic, and 1t is as defiant OF acids gold itself
1t is easily wrought and 1t WILL no doubt, soor
become fashion, bic for articles Of iewelry. Sec
here is o chain ich Abbott had made Of 1t fol
me. Doesn't it surpass platinum, or gold, OF
silver. Look the shirnn1er OF pri,maIe hues
which prevades It's surface; Bee how 1t gisteDt
III the suolight, and yet tlis article can be MADE
/ as cht apply as aluminium
The chain was one " ich he wore On his per
son. ana it certainly justified all that he had sait
in praise of it.
aBut,' vsptured to suggest, "how do yor
know that helium does not exist on the earth al
well rs In the SUM- RatbtdiuH1 and i'm dunn anC
! cdesiun were unknown until Bunsen and Kir
c4od found few grains OF them In g few thou
sano gallons 1T mineral spring water. Thallinn
lay perdu In the bosom Il the earth till Crookes
spectroscope brought 1t to light. La 1t not pos,i
bic thwt there or other eminent spectroscopis;i
NAV some day discover he inm ?"
Eyes; possible" n replied, ''bat not probab Q
have given you scienuf; reason Tor believing
that it exists Only in the ,un; and that we Car
develop it on earth, only by the process which
have dis severed and described" With this b.
stoppsd, and indicated by his look and manne
thai b, considered the interview at .sn end.
had au intense curiosity TO see the expefimen
10 which hs had ferred but saw that cplftet,
reqn red that l should repress my desire for
time.
After few moments further conversation
took my leave and returned to the store, whfre
thanked Mr.. Abbott for his kindness and toll
him the result Of my interview. He informe,
me that the new heliun jewelry would no doub
be great success, and would, perhaps, effect
reyolu ion in the trade.