The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-05-22
A New Theory Of Sun Light and
Sun Heat.
BY DIR. GEO. W. CROUCH, A. NJ, SHAFTS
BURG, MICH.

BY DIR. GEO. W. CROUCH, A. NJ, SHAFTS
BURG, MICH.
When the author of this paper was in
college and studying the natural sciences,
the 'Infnitesimal Theory" was the only
one taught and the one commonly accepted
as true. This theory assumed that light
was material and consisted of matter thrown
off from the suns photosphere in particles so
infnitesimal that they were not at all pom
derable. They had no weight. This finally
gave way to the theory now commonly ac-
cepted as the true one td est, that light is
force extended in space by undulations of
ether 0his ether filling all space not Occu-
pied by ponderable body.
In my short life, haye seen old science
theories abandoned for new, and supposedly
better ones. The day for abandoning
theories is not past; and the one now held,
as to light and heat, is surely to become
thing of the past. Science has been very
progressive i'm the last few decades. She is
not exhausted today, but is gathering energy
day by day. She is daily gathering into her
immortal bouquet gems of Divine thought.
Did you ever think, that to understand
particular thing? That is all. We study
the Divine mind when we study nature.
God spoke His will in nature when He
created her.
AS to the "Infinitesimal Scintillation"
theory of light, which theory is still adj
hered to in some parts of Europe, we have
this to say: 1t offers many ineXplicabilities
and impOssibilities to our credence. First,
If the particles of matter of which light is
composed are inconceivably small, or mi
mute, still their living force added to their
velocity would destroy everything with
which they might come in contact i'm their
transit from the sun to the earth. The de-
structive power of a single grain of matter
moving with the velocity of light would be
equal to $3.50 tons of matter moving at the
rate of 1900 feet per second.
Second: We find solid objection to the
first of these theories in the fact that light
has the same velocity in its initiative as its
terminus. This fact is, by that theory, op-
posed to reason. Reason suggests that the
force of gravity (attraction) of the body
emitting, or throwing off light would re-
tard its velocity in its initiative. Reason
also suggests that the emitting force would
heighten its velocity in the initiative and
that it would gradually slow up in distance.
But none of these phenomena are true of
light. Its velocity is the same from start to
finish. And this Is true of light from points
vastly different in distance. So far as we
know, light moves with the same and even
velocity throughout the entire universe. 1t
should be so. 1t is only the physical ex-
preston of Divine thought.
To the second Of these theories we find OBJ
jections also. 1t is highly proper for us to
object to accepted formulas, if the objection is
suggested by reason and the grounds of the
objections are stated. In this way only can
we be understood and of any account to
others. Like Thomas of old, we should
exact convincing data, then we can feel
within our inmOst souls the present thought
of my Lord and My God" Reason is
divine. Let us not dishonor or misuse the
gift.
Our objection to the second theory is
found in the absorbability of light. Light
falling upon body not absolutely translu-
cent (and few are) is to greater or less de-
gree absorbed. What is suggested in your
minds by the names of the various colors?
DO you know that between the earths at
mosphere and the sun the ETHEREAL interspace
is the blackness of darkness? Or in the in
tensifying plural of Greek, it is ddrknesses?
1t is! And there are, in round numbers,
90, 000,0 900 of miles of this terribly dark
interspace. Why doesn't light become en-
tirely absorbed, or exhausted in this vast
dark field? Why are we not in physical
darkness OH the face of the earth?
We will assume that this is fine, clear,
fourth of July day. The sun is at high
noon. You step into balloon and start
sunwards. Now, keep your eyes on the
sun. You see IL becomes more and still
more pale as you ascend. Soon you can
stare at 1t with no optical discomfort as you
would at hot griddle. Could you stand
the lack of atmospheric pressure and con-
tinue your ascent, ere long the sun would
disappear from vision and all would be
horrifying darkness! What has become of
sun and its light? With the intensity of a
lost soul, you feel that you are physically
lost.
DO you know how cold that region is? 1t
is said that man cannot construct con-
trivance which can measure or indicate its
terrible coldness. Could we be hurled there
with the velocity of cannon ball, we would
be frozen as hard as adamantine rock by
the time we reached ETHEREAL space. What
has become of heat? You don't find much
of it there. Do you not think there is some
thing wrong about our notion that light and
heat are from the sun as such? We will
reach direct consideration of this idea soon.
We are taught, and properly too, that the
auto-force of the earth, uninfiuenced by any
other force, would drive us off into space in
straight line. We are, also, taught that
the attractive force of the sun acting upon
the earth, uninfuenced by any other force,
would draw us straight into the sun. But
these forces acting conjointly do not allow
the earth to fly off into space, nor to be
drawn directly into the sun. An inter
mediate direction is taken, that of the
earth's orbit.
But we have been speaking of the suns
attractive forces. What is the real nature
of this force? Beyond a doubt it is mag
netic force. You all understand something
of magnetism. You have experimental
with magnet-the horseshoe magnet. You
know as the poles of the horseshoe magnet
near collection of iron filings that the
filings will leave their state of rest, inertia,
and fly up to and onto the arms of the mag
net. This and the suns attractive force for
the earth are undoubtedly the same, identi-
cal. Please remember this. We will use it
further on.
We might add, in passing, that weight,
cohesion, gravity and allied terms are names
signifying magnetic force.
AS to the physical condition of ETHEREAL