The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-10-27
its Tlodern Tendency Towards
anecendentalism.
TWO CURIOUS ELEMENTS
ARGoN AND HELIUM, THE LATTER
DISCOVERED ON THE sun.
Sensations Preceding Violent
Death-CuriOsities OF Dreams-ElN-
tension of the Decimal system
Origin of Greek Pantheism-
Measuring Starlight.
Cwritten for The sunday Herald0

written for The Sunday Herald)
The discovery of a rev gas, Argou,
as a compound with nitrogen has been
followed by the isolation of an element
that has long been noticed by spectro-
scopists as a constituent of the solar
atmosphere, but hitherto had eluded
the search IF the chemists.-Helium.
These discoveries, while they do not
foreshadow any immediate practical
result, are yet Of the highest import
ance in the evolution of problems in
chemical and physical dynamics hat
are bearing such prolific fruit in cleo
t~ical and other fields, where the
translation of matter and force are
effected as results of molecular vibra
ton.
It has long been suspected that the
phenomena of alotropism were due to
such various motions of the molecule
as it might be induced to receive, and
hence. that any alteration tof this mo-
ton would alter the characteristic of
the element itself
1t should be explained that the term
alotropism refers to that property Of
the same element by which it is
caused to assume radically differing
forms and characteristics. Thus, the
diamond. graphite and charcoal rep
resent substances differing radically
from each other, although composed Of
an identical characterization.
The phenomena of alotropism are in
~,
ena of polarization, that appear to
endow every element with species Of
dualism. which like sex, seem to en-
dow the molecules of the same element
with exactly opposite properties. BY
eiectrolysis oxygen is made to assume
this duaIistic property, and one Of its
nts-ozone-presents the III
tense chemical af1nities Of oxygen
highly anplified, while the other-an-
tozone-exerts a power Of preventing
chemical affinity of any kind. Thus
milk will become soured in few
minutes by the influence of ozone, and
will remain sweet for weeks under the
influence of antozone. ArgOn. there
fore. is reasonably considered to be an
aIotropic form of nitrogen, and Helium
az an alotropic form Of hydrogen, both
possibly exertipg subtle and yet power
full influences. upon organic nature
through the inductive forces of the
solar activity.
Helium. which has long been dis
closed by tue spectroscope as a con-
S+i+uent Of the solar atmosphere,
seemed ia be peculiarly associated with
hydrogen. That is the hydrogen lines
of the spectrum. at times when erup-
tions of such tremendous activity that
their effects were felt in the earth in
electrical and cyclonic storms, would
appear to vanish, to be replaced by a
new one. which, for want Of better
knowledge. was termed Helium. This
transn7utation, taken in connection
with much other evidence, afforded by
The phenomena Of electrical, magnetic
and light induction and chemical syn
thesis. has gradually led to a belief
that the various so-called dement's
NAV in their essence be but one sub
stance. and their various notifications
and characteristics be due to varia-
5ions in The atomic motions, and
that these motions under certain cir
c1mstances are altered by the activi-
ties of the induced force. With TnIs
theorgr many of the otherwise uneX-
s,iaineL~ reactions induced by electrical
and magnetic force, whether artificial
IL produced as by the dynamo or by
5he natural forces resident in the sun,
may be explained.
The gradual acceptance Of these con-
ceptions. and their gradual demonstra-
ton in such machines as the dynamo
7he phonograph, the telephone and the
spee5roscope. as well as by the chem
ical creation of many compounds, as
sugar. from their elemental constitu-
EMS. and their mental expansion by
such mathematical analysis as af-
fordei by William Thompson, Clerk
Maxwell and William Seimens, has
tended to demolish the materialistic
doctrine that for a century past has
dominated the scientific world, until
now the mental conceptions are tend
ing towards trancendentalism. Thus,
i5ypnotisn IS the induction of the
forces generated by the brain-forces
chat in turn are generated by the
chemical metamorphosis of oxygen,
hydrogen. carbon and others absorbed
through the lungs and stomach--forces
again that are set in motion by the
solar activities, that proceed on and on
sn an infinite series Of changes, but
-