The sun., 1900-12-30

vibrations OF light or OF heat The ncrope-
ter has plnye the part that the mariners
compass did In the age Of discoveries. The
parallax Of star has been measured ana
the speed at which II moves. and the sire
and velocity Of molecue Of gas have been
computed
The first years Of the century we're eI-
| trsordinarily fruitful Young. by mean
! Of the spectrum, gave the first convincing
proof OF the undulatory theory OF llRht anN
| conceived the idea Of a luminous ether. IN
which the vibrations occur. Since then
| heat. electricity. magnetism. chemical amin
| ity, have all been shown TO be likewise merely
forms OF vibrating motion In the ether. whose
| existence as an elastic, rigid incompressible'
fictlonless solid filling all space Is now gem
| orally accepted by physicists. pal'ons
| theory Of angeable atoms and MS nrs'
| table Of atomic weights provided that basis
| Of exactness on which modern chemistry
| has been built, and the properties OF ths
atoms were rapidly defined. thus opening
| the path for experiment In countless com
| binations.
Volta. pile appeared In the last year OF
| the eighteenth century, and with IL DaVs
| reduced chemical substances so Thoroughly
| that none Of the elements he obtained h's
| been decomposed since. and also produced
| the electric lieht Soon after Oersted nis-
| covered electro-nagnetism. which quickly
| gave the Ideas Of the telegraph and the motor
| Willie Fresrcl discovered the polarHanoh
! Of light, and the first asteroids were detected
! by astronomers
NATURAL LAWS STATED.
! The middle OF the century was narkeu
bv a great mathematical feat, the discover.
! Of the planet Neptune by Crouch Adams ana
Leverrier INDEPENDENTLY. The invention OF
photograph, later emnoy ed Systematically
! in as,ronomN made IL possible to detect
! celestial objects too faint for human eyes
| to see, while KirchoT and Bunsen's spectro-
| SCOPE and the methods of spectrum ANALYSIS
beside. the services they have rendered 70
chemistry and physiCs enabled the chehh'
cal composition OF the celestial bodies 10 oo
| determined and proved the Identity IN SUD-
stance of the earth with the sun ana s'N'"'
b. their aid. too. the distance Of the stars
can be determined. and the presence ana
course Of invisible stars have been found
To the middle Of the century belongs tho
enunciation OF the most important law os
matter ince SeHtons law Of gravitatoh'
the law of the conservation OF energy. the
doctrine namely, that 90 create OF annihilate
energy is a. impossible a. to create e ami
hilate matter. and that all the phenomena
of the material universe consist IN trahsiof-
nations Of energy alone. Almost discovered
more than once earlier In the century II was
arrived at independently by several expert
menters, chief among whom were Jonle.
who had previous demonstrated the law
of the mechanical equivalent OF heat, and
Julius MAY er, the originator OF the meteorio
hypothesis.
Later have come Clerk -MsNwelrs kinetic
Theory OF gases. the liQuefaction oil all gases
by intense cold and the approach To the abso-
lutte zero: IIertas interrupted electric waves
which have yielded wireless tecgraphy:
Eontsen's discovery OF the cathode rays
which have rendered the interior Of opaque
objects visible and the wholly periodic law
In chemistry.
A curious trait In all the sciences has been
the expectation or hope Of the discovery
Of some first cause. like the idea In chemistry
Tint the elements may yet be d'comrosed
and some one element at the root OF all be
found or in biology the search for tho first
common element OF life.
THE GIoRE EXPLORED.
The achievements in geographical eS-
rlorations would alone have given glory to
n century less wonderful The ore nautical
rroblem that Capt Cook did not live to solve.
Wv ,-,,a.l = a. -
by Mc' rir"' ana 'e'"'"'""''' W "e In '
Irac,icarle a. 'ooh N"'f"H'u y w i"o
Northeht' hSsase' 'oo' mas Wv" 'auo os
NordensRlou' VINO III ,ne '-sa 7" "ou,"- m
naNea'ed lne iM'oI~HN,"n ,''',''e",' '"'
search 'or Slr Jon" rra'h'n ''n '" '"e "a
ploration Of the frozen archipelago north OF
America ana IN" u'Sco'e'' "l 'ns No''n
Magnetic foie' shhce ,n'h we po'e reen
has been the goal OF Atc'ic explorers Nsheen
has traversed "re'nlahd' iehry mas ionho
ont that II II an Island "h'le Nahsen ana
Cngni have come "i'hm less 'han fo"r de-
greeS OF the o,e fseH'
Beyond the line To whlch COOKS circnm-
navigation restricted the possible Antarctic
continent several nave p'h'ua'en' Hhu i"I
the nrs' the ii'' nav I, '.u "nu "'''''.u
on ~. 10. hoar tolloued an soon bv se,,Ieman,
49,, ,ho ,aro,y bos ouiclIy ds.nneorad
a,,I a,.on ,ha ,smarLobIe tourney Of Lewis
"ma C,a,r rr ,hs Nis.orri into Oregon is
~ .so,,o, Thasor,ois ~ Ars,-a-
a. u.asa g., ,.rio, deserts have heer crossed
80. a' ,-,,, ox,,o,ors ,rdor ,e,,ibla ba,d.h;ns
a." nood nar, of Asia
~ ,,; 80, =, .,,ioo bor.r.- IL
,..-.a.. a. - .-