The morning news., 1892-01-21

and measured them as well as possible, con-
sidering their extreme smallness. not ex-
ceeding three or four one-hHndredths Of a
second-true, these are brilliant detached
points upon the dark background Of the sky
himself alluded TO the proposal of which
we have been speaking-that is, Of attempts
ing communication with the moon by the
aid Of geometrical fgures-and he concluded
with these words: "lt Is by 10 means a
chimerical project"
II the inhabitants Of Mars could observe
us by the aid OF methods giving results
analogous to ours we should then have to
trace by electric light geometrical figures
Of a rather large extent.
Let US forget, however, that in the his
tory OF progress the impossible Of yesterday
becomes the reality of tomorrow The
method OF interastral communication, il
ever one be discovered, will probably not
resemble any Of those that we eau think of
now.
May not interastral magnetism play
partl
EDIsON's NEW IDEA,
All are familiar with the new idea Of the
great American inventor, Edison. Expert
menting not long ago with telephone line
of great length supplied with a metallic
circuit, the inventor often noticed strange
sounds in the apparatus that could not have
arisen from anything but te: restrial magnet
ism. As at this period solar eruptions were
frequent and of great violence he did not
hesitate to correlate the two orders Of facts.
Later, making magnetic observations near
the Ogden mine. his property in New Jer.
sey, be verified as various times the shRrp
and relatively considerable deviations which
confirmed him in his former opinion.
That correlation does exist between the
solar phenomena and magnetic disturbance
upon the earth, is beyond all doubt to-day.
Nt.,= II Il.
apparatus will enable him to verify the
formidable movements of which the sun is
the theater. to judge Of their intensity, and,
adds the interviewer to whom he gave
these details, to hear the noise which accom-.
panies the tremendous solar tempests.
At first sight such an assertion seems ex-
traordinsry. 1t is, indeed, well established
that sound cannot be propagated in the en-
tire absence OF a material medium solid,
liquid or vaporous, and it Is not less well
established that between the earth and the
sun, beyond our atmosphere. such medium
does not exist. Furthermore, If Sound
could be propagated from the sun 30 the
earth, following known laws, It would take
at least thirteen years to traverse the
distance. We could not then make com
parisons between the sounds perceived aud
the sun spots without referring to observa,
tions made here about thirteen years ago.
But the sounds heard by Edison through
his telephone are due, according TO all ap-
pearance. to terrestrial magnetic disturb
ances. II we admit that these be no more
than the consequences Of phenomena Of the
same order that take place in the sun the
sound would be transmitted electrically in
a manner analogous to that that passes over
our telephone lines, the impossibility dis
appears.
A GREAT HOPE.
We must hope, then, that the arrange
ments at the Ogden mine are preparing us
for important revelations. Let US pray that
it will be so, and also that q servant will
arise capable of interpreting them.
Very surely the problem of interastral
communication win not be solved to day,
and centuries yet will doubtless pass before
we can think ofih as practicable. But per
haps it will come some day through new
and unexpected discovery. Even the idea
of discovering the chemical composition of
the stars declared absurd by ,Auguste
Compte and other great thinkers, a few
years only before the analysis Of the specs
trum suddenly caused this revelation to
fall from the sky The glass is marvel;
before it was known people had no idea
of anything in astronomy or micography.
The electric telegraph ID another mar vel
which has transformed the world, and may
there not exist between the planetary hu-
manities psyohia lives that we do not know
of yeti We stand but at the vestibuie Of
knowledge of thaiuni verso. 81 Let us not be-
lieve that thereis only an eternal Utopia in
the very sensible hope that some day we
may enter a littBiurthert Exoelsiarl
tu0dCAMILLE FIAMAfARION