The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-06-05
Preserved Sunshine.

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 of the fashionable
streets of New York, and you will find
not less than three, and often six, dis
tinct contrivances to keep out the sun
shine 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, fourth
ly, there are the lace curtains; fifth the
damask or other material. In the same
train come the exclusion of external air
by means of a double sash, and a variety
of patent c%ontrivances to keep any little
stray Whit of air from entering at the
bottom, sides and tops of doors and
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 of the
forest, who persisted in eschewing
civilization. We lay it down as
a health axiom-thc moro out
door air and CHEEKY sunshine a man can
use, the longer he will live. But the
Preserved Sunshine! What about it2
That very same sunshine which so Law
ishly beamed upon our continent with
all its tropical fervor in the earlier ages
of creation, what has become of it2 A
casual reader of the JUrndL will eXclaim,
''What a fool of a question that isv'
Let us leisurely inquire into it; but in
doing SO We must take it for granted that
the reader knows something. In Central
America, where the sun shines with all
its brilliancy and ierccness, vegetation is
of fabulous growth, of a luxuriance
almost incredible. But how does a 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 uses 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 a kind of
ring, plainly seen in saving through a
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 or less sunshine
of the year, for a plant will not grow as
much in q cold summer as in a warm
one. In q section of a California tree, a
part of which we have seen, more than
two thousand such rings were counted,
showing that these trees must have lived
in the times of David and perhaps of
Abraham. In the earlier ages of the
world, some great flood or floods swept
over the immense growths of the warme
chimes, which then, no doubt, included
what is now called Ohio and Pennsyl-
vania. In process of time, this growth
was covered with earth and stones, and
eventually became %''coal." the anthracite
and bituminous, with which we are so
familiar; and the very identical carbon
which the sunlight of ages ago separated
for the purpose of vegetation, is now, by
its combination with its old associate
oxygen, returning to its original condi-
ton of carbonic acid gas, and in making
that change by what we call burning"
warns our houses, lights up our streets,
and is preparing to grease our rail cars,
by the oil which it is capable of yielding.
-LaAps Jouraal Of Health.