The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-06-12
High School Notes.

Myra Place read her essay on Forms of
Water" Her treatment of this subject
proved to be very instructive. Air and
water, two of our greatest blessings, cost
nothing. Thales, the ancient Greek philos-
opher, made 1t the most important of all
that water is not simple element but
chemical compound consisting of two vol
umes of hydrogen and one volume Of oxy-
gen. 1t is the most useful compound in the
economy of nature. Being neither acid or
alkaline it is suited for the human body.
Water holds gases and solids in solution and
is never found pure, yet, 1t ministers in
countless ways to the needs Of humanity.
A man weighing 154 pounds consists of 116
pounds water and 3S pounds solid matter.
When heated to very high degree it
becomes gaseous and floats in the sky as
clouds, when frozen it expands and as ice
being lighter than water remains on the
surface. This certainly indicates the de-
sign of a creator because other bodies con.
tinue to contract with the lowering of the
temperature. Beautiful grottos are made
by water percolating through limestone
rock. In multitude of ways this simple
compound has been made to serve mankind
by the Chemist of the universe.
Miss Bertha Sturtevant discussed "Sun-
light" in an interesting manner. Students
are beginning to think that the many ele-
ments and their compounds are but varia-
tiOns in the arrangement of single atoms of
hydrogen. That when there was no sun
light the universe was filled with this gas
whose particles somehow gained the power
of attraction. These atoms came together;
the resulting contraction caused in heat
and the heat making the atoms incandes-
cent gives us the light of the sun. The sun
can only give out heat by contracting and
there must come time when 1t can contract
no more and when 1t will cease to give out
light and become as our earth. 1t is esti-
mated that the light-life of the sun will be
Is, 900, 600 years. Sunlight with the heat
which accompanies it is incomprehensible.
The sun shining upon an iron link will
lengthen it perceptibly while the force of
locomotives could not do so. Like Newton
we find that while we may have picked up
pebble from its shore the great ocean of
knowledge lies unexplored before us.
Miss Corda Roberts essay ON the lie
gend of William Tell" gave an excellent re-
view of Schiller's masterpiece. Schiller was
we'll known and loved by his fellow coun-
trymen and was an example of true nobili-
ty. He was great friend of Goethe who
contemplated making the story of William
Tell the basis of an epic poem. Goethe
never began the poem so Schiller took up
the theme but made 1t into one of the most
famous dramas of modern times. The leg
end itself is one of great antiquity but is not
founded on fact, as Gessler was not killed.
While Schiller had the interest of mankind
in general at heart, his purpose was to show
the right of the people to resist oppression
and that united action was necessary. His
greatest fame is that this drama, which has
been translated into so many different
tongues, helped to unite the German people
on the basis of a higher liberty. This play
will have high place as long as liberty is
thought of by men.
Miss Grace Woodlands essay was OIL
"Some Mysteries of Nature" which was in
structve and very well delivered. Wher
one thinks of it, the sun although an accus
toned feature in our life is great mystery
1t certainly had beginning and it mus
have an end. When was its beginning anC
when will its end be? The suns rays art
not lost; they do not warm all space be
cause they meet with no resistance. Ii
times past men had speculated as to the
real nature of the sun and outside Of wha
we really know we have right to speculate
as much as they did. May 1t not be since
heat, light and electricity seem to be mani
festations of one force, that the sun is al
electrical reservoir? The suns rays meet
ing with the resistance of the atmosphere
electrifes the atmosphere and world posi-
lively in the hemisphere nearest the sur
and the other hemisphere is negatively elec
triied. May not the restoration of equilib
rum explain the revolution of the eartf
making it sort of terrestrial motor, the su
perfuous electricity passing off at the poles
and causing the northern lights which WI
see and also making the magnetic needle
point northward? Speculation is grea
step in the requirement of positive know
edge.
Miss Florence Zimmerman's essay OF
"The Passion Play" was entertaining ant
instructive and contained much excellen
description. I'm the twelfth century religi
GUS plays were originated by monks VIII
were the actors, and who, at such times
turned the church into theatre with thre
stages representing earth, heaven and hell
Satan was the humorous character, and vul
gar language was mixed with the prose an
poetry of the play. In 1888 the inhabitant
Of Ober. .Ammergau little village In tn
Swiss German mountains vowed to perforr
play representing the cruci6xion II Gel