The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-03-15

=
five millions of years, and that it would
then be eight times as dense as tits
now. And he concludes that the
i present conditions OF radiation of heat
and light can not have gOnGDn for more
than ten millions ofyears, andprObably
can not support life on the earth as now
for another ten millions. This theory,
then, does not pro 'ess 10 provide for an
| indefinite continuance OF the sun
present powers. And we may add, by
the way, that, even five are led to con-
template the ultimate extinction of
Ugh and heat i'm the sun. it is no more
than appears TO have happened in the
moon, wlRch appears to b dark and
inert mass, the rotation of viii h has
been perhaps stopped by SOM such
tidal action n we know is atwork upon
oar planet, nd very slowly, but steadily,
retarding our diurnal rotation. That
| the moon does not rotate is manifest
from the fact that IT always presents
the same face to the earth. The first
theory, then, does not profess to show
that the ms waste is repaired from
without
The second theory is that the waste is
repaired, both in volume and heat, by
the continual impact or striking of
mcteoTites upon its surface This theory
Is due to Dr. Mayer, of HeilbrOnn, and
was published in 1913. 1t was enthusi-
astically received by Sir William Thorn
son, of Glasgow, one OF the greatest
physicists of the day, and who is spe-
cially known for his successful re
searches in electricity. 1t is well known
that if body when moving rapidly e
suddenly stopped in its course heat is
the immed ate result. We may see this
| exempt ed when a bullet is fired again t
a stone wall; the lead becomes heated.
! his theory suppOses that the sun is be-
inc perpetually hammere like pond
crous anvil by falling meteOrs, and that
its heat energy is maintained as n lump
of iron is kept hot by the vigorOu blows
of "a blacksmith. Various calculations
have also been made as to the amount
of heat generated by the impact of a
small planet or other mass, the weight
OF which can be computed. But surely
if there were falling continually on the
sun such n mass OF meteOrs as would
+ repair the regular waste, the earth
wou meet with a good deal more of
such matter than it does in the period
r ical meteoric display in November and
other occasions; and the orbit of the
planet Mercury, which is the nearest
; known the sun 5 satellites. would eX-
hibit some traces of this powerful influ-
ence. We can, therefore, hardly attach
much weight to this theory.
We now come to the new theory
started under the powerful name of DR..
5 cmenS. It seems very probable that
the theory has been suggested by OBJ
setvation of the regenerative gas fur
mace Of which he and his brother Herr
Il. Siemcns, are the originatOrs, where
in the surplus heat which has not been
at first utilized for work. is returned
through a central regenerative chamber
to the gas and air about t. be burned,
be ore the waste products, with which
it was previously associated, are sent up
the chimney
DR. Siemens starts with the following
ASSUMPTION that all the space between
the planets, and even between the fixed
stars, is filed with something of a much
more substantial Cha aCter than inn
pon3erable ether. Many of our read
| ers will know that the phenomena of
planned by what is termed the undula-
tory theory of light, which presup-
| poses the presence of a very subtle fluid
terme3 ether, pervading all space; and
that the vibrations of this ether pro
duce all the phenomena of light includ-
inc the var ETY. OF cOlors in the rainbow,
| or as seen in q prism. But DIR. Sic
l men s new theory of the sun demands
? the presence of q much more substan-
l through all the considerations which
: have led him to his conclusions, but
? may briefly state that he considers that
I the materials thrown off from the sun
, by its energetic action are through the
z presence Of this gaseous medium - dis
l sOciated' or resolved into elementary
t substances; and, when so resolved,
5 burst into flame under the influence of
the heat; and are turned back into the
4 So
f verified into water upon earth W tn the
: evolution of flame. Then he assumes
4 that the matter so converted Is acted
S upon by the sun S attraction, and re-
f drawn into the mass Of the sun by its
! enormous gravitating power. Our
$ author is careful to guard his theory
+ from being looked upon as one involv-
r. inc the idea of perpetual notion" but
t it certainly presents an appearance of
1t such principle at first sight
Il We can but briefly discuss the great
n difficulties that bcset the reception o.
q this theory. In the first place, it is
Q needful to prove that this gas, upon
n the existence of which the whole
e theory rests has any existence at
q all. And there are these two main OBJ
n iect'ons to its presence If this vapOI
a be dense enough to arrest the heat-rays
V of the sun and to convert them by
Il which the suns attractive power can
n have the ordinary in uence of gravita-
n ton, then the flame, having the nature
OF n resisting medium, must have the
effect of producing a retardatiOn of the
r. planetary movements; a result which,
>, if it existed, would long since have
=; been detected. And if it be not dense
q enough to produce this resistance, it is
p, difficult to conceive thai. it can have
Il su Fcient Conference to enable it to ar
5 rest and deal with the heat emanatiOns
H. of the sun. Again, we observe in our
N own atmosphere that the smallest trace
q OF waterv vapOr IS sufficient to intercept
q the heat of the sun and, ny formation
= of oud, to shut the suns rays from
4 the earth Surely, therefore, if the
a whole of space is pervaded by n gas
: containing the least amount of vapOr,
y the suns rays while pass NO through
# that vapor for nearly ninety-three mill
q ions OF miles would be so intercepted
~ thatnone of the effect of the $ ms heat
h which we now enjoy could be felt upon
the surface of the earth.
e On the whole, then, we find it more
l.. easy to accept the doctrine of the grad
/ nal dissipation of the solar heat through
v the immensely of space, and the pro
/. gress We exhaustion of the sun as a cen
! trail power of light and heat than t
h adopt this new theory even though pro
= mulgated by so eminent a scientist n
, Dr. Siemens. - Chambers JOvTl5Ii.
" A VOLTS Dislike for Music.
Il II is well known that domestic doc,