Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-03-04
THE ARTIfICIALS.
From the PHILADELPHIA Times.

the diamond, but the real diamond
itself. They scratch sapphires, and
when properly set on fire while rest
ing on slip of platina they 90 off in
Whit of blaze and smoke, just as. do
the diamonds from Brazil or South
Africa. The canny Scot claims TO
have done in his laboratory exactly
what nature has done in hers. His
processes are different and he produces
smooth diamonds instead Of the rough
ones which are usually found in the
mines. Hannay's diamonds will bear
cutting, after the manner Of diamonds
of the old-fashioned sort, and for all
practical PURPOSES it would seem that
they answer as well as far as they 90.
Many people suppose that, now that
we are to have artificial diamonds, We
will have them as big as turkey eggs
and rs cheap as buttons. These pco-
pie jump too hastily at this conclusion.
Possibly diamonds may one Of these
days be made as large as great pieces
OF chalk and equally cheap. When
this comes TO pass the dazzling gems
will be 20 common that the public
generally will have TO wear blue spec
tacles for the protection Of eyesight.
As yet Professor Hannay's diamonds
are of infinitesimal size. If the prin-
cipIe5 on which he makes them are
correct, he will eventually make larger
stones. Meantime scientific men are
divided in opinion. An eminent Ital-
ian chemist, who PROCESSES TO know all
about diamonds, says that Hannav's
gems will prove As delusive a. Mac
Tears.
1t is probable that if artificial dia.
monds shall be successfully made ,hey
will be rather of commercial value
than "a ornamental gems. The makers
will have much to contend with The
laboratory Of science il vastly differ
ent from that of nature. We NAV
take n natural product apart and dis
cover each one of it, several clements
with exactness, both A. Ia character
and proportions. Then We may take
/ the various substances IN n correct
| proportion a. We can weigh and meas
ure them, and try 10 put them togeth.
or TO counterfeit nature. The result
Is generally to teach Us that natures
chemistry Is different affair from
ours, and that there are occult process
ses which we have not mastered and
whose secrets we are not vet able In
| fathom. 1t has been thus in the man
ufacture of artificial stone. Knowing
the component parts Of stone. it seem
cd easy TO take certain rocks apart
and put them together again. Within
the last quarter century many fortunes
have been spent i'll unsuccessful at
tempts TO initiate nature in this re-
spect. Most of the result. were like
Colonel Sellers eye-water. They were
all that could be desired except in the
lack of one ingredient. Some of abe
counterfeit stone would crumble To
pieces in few weeks. Some was
good enough on the outside, but inside
like so much brown sugar. Some,
which managed to hold together toler-
ably well, broke odt in sorry-looking
efilorescence which spoiled its beauty
1t is not TO be denied that various
respectable varieties of concrete have
been produced, some of which answer
we'll for building purposes. But real
rock has not yet been made, and pres
ent indications are that il will not be
for while.
While we confess the incompleteness
of many of the attempted limitations of
natures work, we must admit that in
some departments of this class of in
vention ingenuity has been crowned
with triumph. Bald heads are orna-
mented with flowing locks which not
only simulate nature, but sometimes
laugh nature to scorn. Toothlcss gums
are furnished with nerveless porcelains
which neither ache nor decay, and
which can be sent TO the factory for
painless repair, when repair is needed
The world would be in darkness at
the going down of the sun hut for the
success of the makers Of artificial
light. For generations the sperm
whale helped US out of our darkness
When he began TO fail us, we found
relief in the generous adipose of the
unctuous hog. When we grew tired
of turning swine into oil, carburetted
hydrogen came into fashion despite
the protests of even the scientific.
When gas companies taxed us too
heavily, we blazed defiance at them
with oil pumped from the bowles of
the earth. Now electricity threatens
to sweep gas, and all the family of
Illuminating oils, out of sight. Posi-.
bly, some future inventor of artificial
substitutes for sunlight may knock
electricity, just as electricity threatens
to knock its predecessors.
The progress of ingenuity in prepar-