Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-01

core, and at least as rigid as steel, while
they stood out for fluid interior. Hence
1t was to be expected that Prof. Dolbear's
suggestion based as 1t is on one specula-
ton of Lord Kelvn's. and tending. II sup
ported, to vitiate the force of one of his i'm
portant speculative calculations. should at
once interest the author of the vortex the
ory and the calculator of the earth'S age.
And so 1t did. He either had not CHANGED
to hear of the suggestion before. else
courteously feigned surprise over 1t. In
either case, 1t unquestionably interested
him intensely: but when ii came to the ex-
preston of an opinion as to the validity Of
Prof Dolbear's conclusions. that was quite
another matter.
at is interesting" he said ''most inter-
esting: but it is based solely upon the vor-
have said. is quite unproven, and itself can
prove nothing-nothing whatever. We
must not heap theory on theory, dream
upon dream. We must wait and see. If
there be an upper limit of temperature, ex-
pertinent may some time demonstrate It.
but the vortex theory cannot prove 1T in
advance. for the vortex theory is only o
dream. 1t can prove nothing"
Thus once more did the vortex theory,
which is the adopted darling of many n
scientific imagination of our day. receive
the cold shoulder from it's rightful sponsor.
The Absolute Zero Point.
Quite Of the same tenor were the great
physicists comments on the probable out
come of the experiments now being made
with low temperatures. Every one has
heard that Prof. Dewar and other investi-
gators have liquified the gases. and even
reduced many of them to a solid condition,
producing an almost unimaginable degree
of cold. 1t having been shown that the
same body changes from gaseous to liquid
and from liquid to solid states, simply In
virtue of changed temperature. the ques-
ton has naturally arisen as to what will
happen when body is reduced to a con-
ditlOn in which the vibration of its atoms
altogether ceases The particles OF a gas
are so active that they fly asunder, re-
duce their activity chat is to say, de-
crease their temperature). and they move
freely over one another and assume the
liquid condition, make them still more qui-
escent and solid results. Will there, then
be another change of state when they are
made absolutely quiescent at the absolute
zero point?
But, regarding this point also, Lord KEEL
wins scientific caution asserted itself.
1.-THE experiments now being made are
most interesting and most important" but
as to what they would show beyond the
range of present experiment he declared
himself utterly unable to surmise.
1--WE must wait and see.' he said.
1--WE must wait and see" If every sci
entifc worker would adopt that for his
maxim how much less there would be of
crude speculation in the world how much
less that We learn would have to be I'M
learned; how much more rapid would be
the real progress of every seeker after
truth! Speculation is easy, but the great
est mind attaches no Importance to its day
dreams unless they are surely built upon a
broad foundation of facts.
Dream May Come True.
And SO Lord kelvin's scientific caution
serves more almost than anything else
visible about him to impress one with the
orc atness Of his mind. The interviewer
left the famous physicist feeling an en-
HANGED appreciation Of his genius. That
freedom from prejudice which he had
shown throughout is perhaps the very
highest of mental endowments. One feels
glad that he answered just as he did about
all these half-visionary and half-scientific
speculations. But all the same there Is
pleasure and sometimes profit in the occa-
sional unleashing of the imagination, AMI
the scientific world is to be congratulated
that once upon a time Sir William Thorn
son permitted himself to dream the dream
of the vortex atom. Nor Is 1t at all GER
tain that future generations will decide
that 1t was "only dream" Certainly
the main body of scientists of our day
could by no means be persuaded to hold
the vortex theory as lightly as it is held
by its author. When genius dreams, they
say, there is always chance that 1t may
| dream true Despite Lord Kelvin's
modest estimate, therefore, the vortex
theory certainly will not be discarded until
some better theory shall have come to
take it's place, and of that there IS as yet
no sign of promise.