, 1879-06-28
WHAT IS I.1GIITf


~ Mmnn ~. ,.;;,,l ~ - 11au1tnn nv 1th,,n.
ru,,,o ~ Innsnn ms rs,. ~ -" :. o!". ,k-At.s
.s'. r'sSso' .ss.,3 .mue L. % ". asa ~ "n'en
Isere prooaoly IN, been greater deTeopmert
sciences than in auy that has preceded II,
sIn.o ,h.t ,,.an,;r, ,.,,-n,..s t., ~ hts,,
,, a.', ,s,s 49,, ~ uo .,,s'vs "
..,c "o.'u "hen .ae e9ca'''u 1sat "ent iosta'
to the last half Of tie seventeenth century,
very little has brcu known Of, light, what IT. ia.
inv 4 trarc1t thrnu1h snace. rtc.
'es :. '.a'~IS .,.n'. W" rsAA. so4..i 81,
tcllecs, made ona Of tho sreatcat mistakes OF Ills
ttfe in surprising, Us he evidently did. that lIghk
IA uroduccd by tac nnssare through .nnco al
,,nnit.,n,,,x .us,I nartts,,, ~ n,o,,.r ,s,th
great velocity, aud that tlieae particles catering
The crn mud passing through tho several humors
a,ll lenses Ut that organ, ppIngcd on tho rctiua
md uro,.rrcl in M rio sensotton wo c,l l,cht:
~ ,',a.o .so aro ro, t.a,,.r ,Si,h ,ha @ con',sa
ton and functions Of tho oYe, let me say that
tic rctinn Is web or network of exceedingly
fine alnmcnt or nerve tissue That surrounds or
back Of The rrr rstallne lens. il may 1exciLc in
Us feeling oi wonder lhat mau possessing
tho e,cantc Intellect Of Newton ehouid haVo
entertained for moment conclusion 10 far
beyond TIC pair OF probability ns ths would
nec,u to be when viewcl III tue ltght OF Eho
nineteenth ceatl,rv, for how cuuld such loII.
cnte membrane as the rcisna Of the cYo bo con-
tinualy bolnbaricd with such battery Of par.
matcly f ' destroying III ''''' 49, 49,.
lhcrc we're, however, even In the seventeenth
century, mcn who discarded Nowtou'e theory
ns inconsistent viii. natural laws, aud also be-
ca,lsc Is did not ACCOUNT ior ali tho phcnotucto
OF light, OF those who onposrd Newton's the
oyy Wcru Huyeus, tie astronomer, ind Eules,
ti,e mathematician, but even tliess men, loarncd
as they we're In scientific loret could not, for
ultI,rr nroye Ncwton's theorics WRONG or defn-
onstratn Ills correctness of their own.
Later, Sir Thotnas Young, ono OF the greatest
md after him lie celebrated Frenct,a,nn, Au.
0mstlnn Frcsnoi. and ofhera. t1aye fnYnstirntnd
Rnd cxncrlmcntrd until at length the theory Of
Hight ana it. true caakes ls no longer au enle.na
wcIl.tuforncd stiidcnt Of science either Ia this
country or in Earopc, ~~ . -. -. ' ~.
Light, ns wo slul sec, is tho product Of three
c!vncnts acting Mechanically namely. conbas-
ere: In other words. itcht Is the product
0f mutton. Il is gcnvrated by lie
fine iii. nt,arer. or tremiifous motion that is
Impaired to tic other IN t]ic process Of colnbus-
t lie molten nucleus Of tio sun's orb, or tio
Cnscn,s cnye1noa ihat ,,,rrn,,n.,s IL IN ,hn OK.
lights in our houses. tic coal unl wood cousun-
INK % On q our ijros, Or tho explosive discharge ot
0TJn
hr shnrc IL mosfon irnnarted tn the other' nrs}
tiis-tn ths ftrn of wnyo llke tha wayea on
H., ,,'rf.no ~ wster..f1fa. ~ thro,nh snsns
.s,, vi, r.oc,, ,haa far tho 1inhtni,,@
E"tar,s * |n"c aA' "1 6s,r ~
ia.e. ,ha Win, III '1o ~ nervc ~ i,,ameTt nfrea1v
~. Ky or.a 4hr,,,,,, H.. .n"d;n+n ~ tns
t,t,ea n.r,o ssa un1ion ~ oI,o,Ie1 ~
~ ,,L ~ roai,xa ~. ~ itcht
i1", sha.n uau tnts.ns ~, ninr. o ~ rssis
vs . .cea ~, '@,., ,i1.,t y. H. itx,t
o. H. cyG tacro ~ pT st sus'i VILE ss. " t.
aass tsorY o. iRnt ,':, H. ness aas1u.eu oT
taas T. auLa'i, mMe' no rssch .aasetl,
~ e. ~ n"e" eissA'es oes1'o 'oHbu1ao'o ~ ooR
seneca'
u Is eenotat'Y khoWn tnAt souoa u tne otoa-
uGt O. tn9se eIesnentas !saNic!!' soaoioIs oF
Ssa1 nH ny amy sthcr ar ay ns ~ n
az ~ medium through Rn'cn ue V!1enunhs
IT, ur r, i0. ~ ., aa mascs anont @ pf' r. a. o 'aa,y,
snnndfnr tn thu ratinn oi sho ava On which thesh
ne1iat waves tulpipgc, producing tho sensation
OF sound. Take away either OF thesa elctntnts