The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-11-07
THE .LIFE-GIyING SUN.
ITS VAST EFFECT ON THE AZ
FAIRS OF THIS WORLD.
Tbcro Does the Heat Como From and
How Long win IL Lasts-The
Power OF an Enormous
French Burning Glass


Whatever one eats, the material of
which goes 10 compose the body. says
the Washington Star in an article on
tho suns energy. is made to grow by
the light and heat of that heavenly
orb. Upon its effulgence the plants
depend for their development and up
on things vegetable all animals must
rely for food. Thus 1t may be said
that every man or woman represents
certain quantity OF stored solar en-
ergy.
The force OF gravitation constantly
summons attention, because the whole
scheme OF existence depends upon it,
but, while the power that pulls things
down Is 30 evident how many people
ever consider the mysterious potency
OF the sunbeams to lift things upP 1t
is not the soil that upraises the plant
Ph9bus, as the ancients called him.
builds'up all the trees OF the forests.
Not only does no set one particle of
matter on top Of another in the pro-
cess OF construction, but in each tree he
locks up a store OF energy thousands
OF times greater than that which was
expended in merely erecting the trunk.
Professor S. p. Langley, secretary
OF the Smithsonian Institution. calls at
tention to the fact that the human race
is maintaining existence by keeping
itself warm at this great fire OF the
sun. When it goes out mankind will
vanish also. The question is there
fore OF absorbing interest how long
the combustion has lasted. for what
length Of time 1t will continue to en-
dure, and OF what nature it is.
Respecting its intensity, maIy com
parsons might serve for the purpose
of conveying vivid notion to the
mind. For example, suppose that all
the ice and snow at the Arctic and
Antarctic poles could be swept to-
gether and a tower made OF the mate
rial fifteen miles in diameter Imag-
inc that it could be preserved I'M
touched by melting while the accumu-
lations OF successive winters were
heaped upon it until it should be 240,-
900 miles high and stretching to the
moon. Then conceive that there should
be concentrated upon it the suns en-
u.
brief time the whole would be gone
melted, boiled and dissipated in vapor.
How is this heat maintained 1t is
readily proved that II the sun itself
were one solid block of coal it woulL
burn out altogether within few CEN
turtles. But it is known absolutely
that during historic times there has
been no noticeable diminution of the
suns heat for the olive and the vine
grow just MS they did and where they
did 5000 years ago. Thus it is evil
dent that the process concerned is not
one of ordinary burning. Only one
theory would account for the phenom-
enon, and that is unquestionably the
tue one. namely that the suns own
slow contraction develops the heat it
gives out
OF course. there must be an ulti-
mate limit to the shrinking of that
wondrous sphere Of flaming gas. and
science. looking into the future. de-
clares that the heat supply is enough
to last four or five million years longer
before it sensibly fails. Within TO-
600, 900 1t will have ceased TO give out
any warmth worth mentioning, but
before that period arrives man will
have discontinued his interest in the
sub. ect inasmuch as he will long pre-
viously have passed off the face OF the
earth. which will then be reduced to
the condition of dead planet like the
moon. Obviously it is possible that
somo wandering star may fall into the
sun. and in this way restore the wasted
energy OF ages by the collision, bat
such an event seems hardly likely.
A very striking illustration OF the
power OF the suns rays is afforded by
a simple lens used rs II burning glass.
No very great burning lens has been
constructed for a long time. During
the last century an enormous one was
made in France, all the heat falling
upon it being concentrated upon
smaller ono. and the smaller concen-
trating it in turn, until at the very
focus it is said that iron, gold and
other metals ran like melted butter.
In England the biggest burning
glass on record Tas made about the
same time for the 3r.. m government
which designed it as present for tho
Emperor of China 1t was three feet
in diameter. and beneath it even the
diamond was reduced to vapor. The
Emperor. when he got his lens, was
much alarmed lest possibly it was sent
by the English for the purpose Of in
juring him. BY way OF test n smith
was ordered to strike 1t with his ham
NOR, but the hammer rebounded from
the solid glass, and this was taken to
be conclusive evidence OF magic in the
thing, which was Immediately buried,
and probably is still reposing under
the soil OF tho Celestial kingdom.
Says Physician.
| ..If is hast says n Toledn nhvaician