The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-31
The Fairy Land or Science.

+ The London correspondent of the HERALD,
who n few days ago, announced by cable
the latest results reached by Mr.. J. Norman
Lockyer in his investigation Of the solar
problems, has lost no time in commu-
nicating those full details for which our
American scientists have so loudly called.
The long and interesting letter which we
print this morning will enable the dis
tinguished professors in our universities,
whose views upon this subject we lately
presented to our readers to form that
defnitive opinion for which the data have
hitherto been wanting. The personal
glimpses of the two modern magicians.
Lockyer. and Crookes, which our cor
respondent affords us, VIII be found
OF interest and, whatever the final
verdict may be upon the question at issue,
Americans may well be proud of the fact
that their countrymen have furnished some
of the most important materials for the solu-
ton of the grand cosmic problem. 1t is
gratifying to note that Mr.. Lockyer ex-
pressly and cordially acknowledges his in
debtedness to our modest Swans, Professor
G. A. Young, Of Princeton, and Mr.. Lewis
Nj. Rutherfurd, Of this city; and his Incl
dental commentator OF the work, in
another sphere, of Professors Hayden and
Marsh is scarcely less noteworthy. These
names, together with those OF Professors
Joseph Henry, John William Draper and
Henry Draper. will assuredly figure in
fame's bead-roll along with their British
compeers, Professors Stokes, Higgins and
FARMLAND.
Of the new and startling conceptions in
troduced into science by the discoveries OF
Lockyer and Crookes, Us we'll as by the
mathematical speculations upon the same
subject lately given to the world by Men
deleef. Lothian Meyer, Newlands, Stoney,
Wilde, Waldner and Schmidt, it 10 too
early to hazard an opinion, bu' 1t may be
safely assumed that these names and the
ideas which they represent must become
increasingly familiar in the near future
And while. due honor is rendered to these
intellectual athletes it would be unjust to
tiste Dumas, who. before Mr.. Lockyer's birth,
expressed their belief in the ultimate unity
of matter. The outcome Of all the con-
verging lines of research will doubtless
prove 10 be the establishment upon firm
experimental basis of the great science of
the cosmic atoms and their vibrations, for
which the name of palmatics has been pro-
posed.
1t will be seen that the remarks we made
few days ago upon the pathological aspect
of these physical discoveries were not at
oil exaggerated. Mr. Lockyer himself COM
plains of the necessity laid upon him of in
venting not merely a new dictionary, but
new grammar, for the proper presentation
of his novel views. We have the satisfac-
ton to know that the suggestions then
made in our columns respecting the terms
sschromatosphere," "diastasis" and ''syn-
stasis" have received the approval of several
competent scientists.
AS for the ugly term "ultra gaseous" rs
applied to the fourth estate of matter" just
demonstrated by Professor Crookes, there
is, however, no occasion to call upon tho
philoiogists, inasmuch as that state of mat
ter was theoretically announced twenty
years ago by the late Professor Joseph
Henry, under the name ethereal, which
is good enough for oil practical purposes.
In fact, it would seem that Professor
Crookes' discovery is a virtual rehabilitation
Of the cosmic theories which wero enter
tanned four centuries before the Christian
era by certain Grecian philosophers, who,
under the names ''earth, water, air and
fire" taught correct classification of matter
into the solid, liquid, atmospheric and ethe-
real domains. Thus the last word Of
science is often but the triumphant justif-
cation OF the intuitions of the youthful
world.
Whnt WAS shnlxesuenreg