The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1878-12-28

thpleu, JaDlOcnKOt, Werdormann.
Sawyer, Hosmor and Gary in
their important, but not yet fully
realized, applications of electric
force.
The crowning discovery Of the
year, however, if the half that has
been claimed should prove true, will
belong neither to Pictot, Cailletet,
Edison, Hughes, Watson nor Swift,
but to the eminent English astrono-
mer and spectroscopist, M. j..
Norman Lockyer, who visited our
shores in July last for the observa-
tion of the great solar eclipse. His
discovery, which the Herald was
the first to announce in America, ie
nothing less than that of the sixty
four o-called elements" are con-
densations or notifications by the
interactions of tie cosmic forces
upon single primitive matter,
which, SO far as this earth is con-
cerned, seems to be hydrogen, but
which in the solar corona is found
to be at least four times lighter
than hydrogen. OF course men are
already speaking of this discovery
rs if it were synonymous with
alchemy or the transmutation of
metals In one sense they are
right, but not in the most impor-
tant meanings connected with those
expressions. 1t may be found pos =.
sible to reduce gold and other pre-
cious metals and stones to their
primitive calcium or hydrogen, but
it m " he positively stated that it
will never be possible to make golt.
from hydrogen or calcium. The
reason is the same rs in the paral-
lei case Of reducing fuel to ashes.
TO destroy is easy to reconstruct
from the same or similar materials
is Impossible. Above all, ono Of tho
f9ctovs in tie form .tion OF metals IS
unl;mt5e dur stiJn ri time for the
play Of the cosmic forces. and until
the new alchemists can control that
factor their efforts will be useless.
1t IS too early to predict the range
of MIR. Lnckyer's discovery; but,
granting all tho facts which he
claims, he has but demonstrated
experimentally an idea which is
perfectly familiar to modern
chemists. It is highly probable
that Mr.. Lockyers conclusions are
well founded and that they vii!
revolutionize the formal teaching OF
chemistry, but they cannot change
the facts rs they have always existed
Meanwhile the scientific world is
becoming impatient for the record
Of Mr. Lockyer's experiments-not
for his conclusions, for those they
can draw as we'll rs he.
Mr.. EpPENsrErN's BABIES. Yes
terday reporter called at the store
of MIR. Abraham Eppenstein to
make some inquiries about the
health of the three cherubin that
his wife had presented him the
night before!
"Well, how's everything9" asked
the reporter, smiling broadly.
'.Vell, I feels pooty good all the
While. Beesness was pickin' up
pooty kvick. L have der largest
assortment of goods vat vas ever
brought.
"The chiidren--the babies 7" in
terrupted the reporter II want to
know something about the babies"
swat babies Oh! dose dree
leetle fellers vat come to seen me
last night? I wish you would said
in your paper tomorrow dot Mr..
Eppenstein's babies are like his
goods-der best the market affords.
"Und see here" called the happy
father after the vanishing reporter,
"poot in a line at der bottom, und,
said of you please, dot your popular
merchant, Mr. Eppenstein, haf just
returned from Nj Yoriek NIT a large
stock of goods, vich he is almost
givin away on ockound of der hard
times. oil City Derrick.
HOME DEooRATIoN.--Just as quick
as farmer Jones painted his barbed
wire fence blue. plain blue, farmer
Smiths wife swore she wasn't
going to be outdone, and the fence
around the Smith farm soon bios :
somod out red, picked with white.
Mrs. Jones wasn't going to have
any of the Smith family put on airs
over her, and their blue fence was
soon trimmed with gold leaf stripes.
Smith trumped over by putting a
gilt ball on every barb and Jones,
when last heard from, was painting