The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1885-09-11
A SECRET OF LIVING.

Light and life are inseparable, that is,
such was the generally received opinion
many years ago, and in accordance with
it, houses were built, literally supplied
with windows and as literally now-but
go along any one of the fashionable
streets Of New York, and you will find
not less than three, and often six con-
trivances to keep out the sunshine and
gladness. First, the venetian shutter
on the outside; second, the close shutter
on the inside; third, the blind which is
moved by rollers; then, fo1rthly, there
are the lace curtains fifth, the damask
or other material
In the same train come the exclusion
of external air by means of double sash,
and variety of patent contrivances to
keep any little stray Whit of air from
entering at the bottom, sides and tops of
windows. At this rate, we will, in due
time, dwindle into Lilliputs, if indeed
we do not die off sooner, with all science
and art, and leave the world to begin
anew, from the few sons O: the forest,
who persisted in eschewing civilization.
We lay it down as health axiom-the
more outdoor air and CHEEKY sunshine
man can use, the longer he will live.
But the preserved sunshine! What
about it? That very same sunshine
which so lavishly beamed upon our con-
tinent with all its tropical fervor in the
earlier ages of creation, what has become
t,f it? A casual reader of the Journal
will exclaim What fool of q ques-
ton that is! !" Let us leisurely inquire
into it but in doing so we must take it
for granted that the reader knows some
hing In Central Anne RIGA where the
sun shines with all it's brilliancy and
ferceness, vegetation is of fabulous
growth, of aluxuriancea almost incredible.
But how does tree grow? Without
light no wood is made in any vegetable
growth the woody fibre is from carbonic
acid gas being absorbed by the leaves
and through the bark of any growth.
But light separates the two constituents
which compose this carbonic acid gas,
carbon and oxygen, and two different
usages are made of it the oxygen is
liberated, thrown out and breathed by
animals and men, while the carbon or
"coal' goes to form the woody fibre of
the plant which presents kind of ring,
plainly seen in saving through any tree,
the number of rings indicating the age
of the tree in years some OF these rings
are broader, some narrower, indicating
most probably the more OF less sunshine
of that year, for a plant will not grow as
much in a cold summer as in o warm
one.
In a section of California tree, part
of which we have seen, more than two
thousand such rings were counted, show
ing that these trees must have lived in
the times of David, and perhaps of Abra-
ham. In the earlier ages of the world,
some great flood of floods swept over the
immense growths of the warmer climes,
which then, no doubt, included what is
now called Ohio and Pennsylvania. In
process of time this growth was covered
with earth and stones, and eventually
became coal, the anthracite an bitumi-
nous, with which we are so familiar; and
the very identical carbon which the sun
light of ages ago separated for the pur-
pose of vegetation is now, by it's COM
bination with its old associate, oxygen,
returning to its original condition of
carbonic acid gas, and in making that
change of what we call "burning,"
warns our houses, lights up our streets,
and in preparing to grease our rail cars,
by the oil which it is capable ofyielding