Woodville Republican. (Woodville, Miss.) 185?-current, 1889-09-07
Uses on pnoToeRAPHN
rhe Value OF the Art to Scientists, Me.
chanlcs and Military Men.

The uses to which photography is be-
ing put in this year 1889 can hardly be
told. It's value in illustration is we'll
known to all Here it has helped pop
ularize artistic work, and cheaper the
cost OF its production to a surprising |
extent. Now but few hours need pass
before the thought OF the artist is made
the joy Of the reader, drawing, photo |
graphic copy, relief plate, and printing
following one another with nineteenth
century speed. From the coarse outline
of the newspaper ''cut'' to the wonder
full reproduction of paintings by the
photogravure process we mount on
stepping-stones of victorious achieve
ments in photography, made to serve
with reliable accuracy the common and
the elevated, the political cartoon and
the edition de lure The reproductions
In color of the works of aquarellistes are
imitatively deceptive, and their educa-
tional influence of incalculable value
The uses to which science has put
photography are very numerous, from
records Of the infinitely little to the in
finitely great, from microscopy, which
deals with the invisible. to the vastness
OF astronomical wonders. The latest
contribution to our knowledge OF the
sun, moon and stars made by photo
graphs taken by the aid OF the power
full telescope at the Lick Observatory
strongly contrast with the researches
into the invisible world Of nature re-
vealed through the microscope. DR.
Draper made the first daguerreotype of
the moon in 1910; Foucault, OF Paris,
first succeeded in making a picture of
the sun in 1845; and it was 1850 before
Prof. Bond, of Harvard College
made the first daguerreotype OF star.
In 1851 DIR. Busch, OF Koenigsberg,
photographed q solar eclipse. Two
scientists, Prof. Schuster and Mr..
Lockyer, in 1882 obtained photograph
OF the spectrum of the eclipsed sun. In
1881 Dr. Henry Draper had successful
ly photographed a nebula, and later
the spectrum of star. Even the
aurora borealis has been photographed
this year.
In connection with the study OF spec
trum analysis, photography has played
a most import part, for it has recorded
lines not visible to the naked eye
lines revealed only by the photograph
in that part Of the spectrum in the vio-
let and lavender regions, and even be-
yond, where all is dark to us.
In the study of stars by this pro-
cedure we learn how some are like our
sun, others glowing masses of matter
just beginning to burn, and still others
nearly burnt out like Arcturus and AL
debaran. We marvel, when we think
how feeble seems the light OF the stars,
to learn that only as much light can
come through a slit 1850 of an inch as
is permitted to affect the sensitive
plate. Again, the movement of the
earth would in the two hours required
to form an image soon carry the light
off the plate were there not ingenious
mechanical apparatus by which the inn
age is always kept at the same place on
the plate.
And now photography is not only
used for mapping out the known heav-
ems, but the camera reveals to us the
presence of stars which the human eye
has not seen. For many years Miss
Maria Mitchell and her assistants have
photographed the changing sum
spots Astronomers from all over the
world have met in Paris and arranged
a plan for using photography to OBJ.
tain a picture of the entire heavens.
Cameras will be set up in numbers of
observatories in many countries, and
many negatives made of the entire con-
tents of the universe. 1t is proposed to
catalogue two millions Of the brightest
stars and note their position with great
precision as until such maps exist
many other astronomical problems car
not be solved. We know, for instance,
that our sun with its planetary system
is voyaging through space. These
charts will help determine the route
and circumstances of the journey.
In war photography has been used
since the English made pictures in the
Crimea. Balloon photography has be
come quite an art. Balloons are said
to be perfectly safe from rife or artillery
fire if seven hundred yards above the
ground. Electricity is made to play it'
part in exposingthe plate in the camera
attached to the balloon. During the
Franco-Prussian war and the siege
of Paris small Photographic copies
OF valuable documents and daily papers
were made and rolled up into quills
which were fastened to carrier-pigeons
and thas taken to their destination with
out tue lines.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris has beer
offered to Prof. Marcy to enable him t.
make studies in photography Of birds il
flight; and very instructive results are
anticipated.
Many will remember the picture o.
the experiment at Willett's Point wher
the donkey's head was blown off by the
use of dynamite, but the picture was
taken before the body fell.
Both in our army and navy photo
graphic outfits are furnished, and some
of our officers have become very expert.
Photography may be applied to survey
ing, as Lieutenant Reed. OF the United
States army, has described 1t may
also serve for studies in meteorology
Photographing riAe-bullets and cannon
balls in motion has become an every.
day matter, but a novel experiment is