The sun., 1901-10-06
u a in Danger FROM the attest Disco, ertes

theory or h"Hi ~ CLOSELY bound up. and the
THEORY ~ an ether. also. lsvc not served
their purpo-". and whether the limo has
not cunf" ~ reconsider ihcm ~" address
"f rruf huck"r. President - th,, British
Association Tor IN" Advancement 90 Scieuoe
~ H. r'c'iI' Glasgow m,-ilug deals with
his pressing question. Hi- conclusion J.
'hn'. ia State ot M" tcutatlV" uaiut. of
-u'Ilr r",ctN,si theories, iu -pito II many
Outstanding difiuIlll.-. thr atomic theory
Nc' ift"- - many facts, supplies ~ much
thai II complicated "" have u right io
inss- th,l the main siruciui" oi the ih"prv u
true. and that atoms are not merely helps
io puzzled mathcuiat ician-, but physical
realities
Ia hi- extended address the President ~
the British Association was uoi able 90 cover
10" Who'll" ground. or oven any great part Of
o. Ia this abstract oulv tI. parts .-p.CtallV
pertinent iu novel ami pressing points of
dp"triu" can u" touched upon
III" phcuum"ua displayed by the newly
discovered adio-aCiiN" substances have
pf-cip'at'd th" dlsCu-siun They invulV"
uues lions that frst aTu-a when ~" wonder.
ful rays Ncr" discovered. and finally
"all IN question th" aioinic theory itself
Ia dealing with the constitution of matter
u mus b- granted a. th" ou' fs' tha, the
ultimate mature of things j., and must r"-
main. unkuuNu, but % dos~ not follow that
Immediately below ia. cumpl.Ni'i.,- Of
uDoriiclai phenomena there may not h"
simple machinery. 81 whose existence
~ can obtain "vidcnC" thai j. conclusive,
az """''' ~ '' 'NaihP'. -
" il'N'"'" 'i '"' ,'"- s"N' "NNs'u' ny -
E'Ht "'E"'h ''''"l''' "''H "''' w ~
mrni- carbon .xygcn. a. Chemists can
actually produce the elementary Consiiiu-
"nts into which they have resolved COIN
l"'ihN az '>'l', wv ',' v. IL
'hu Prr,' "nrV,,N ''", i 20" " 81" ''"''
'"s ~" P"c, ihu-' w 'I''i''
wa. '"I ih nuh aPl-'.'S ,p ~, ,ru,,
wafer Hiu ei hPIF"i W u" ""',h w ~
'heu paIt- T"l more 90 roIds lw
mas 81 s"'u p' P'ar'sl uIo,, 4" ~ ',' ~ ..ii -
aver Few war u" ~ VII ''''',' l''''''
% d'-,ah'' uI ',l,'.,,,' eI1 y, ~
la' ''i'u,"i 'Np'' 'I'. ,, ,n' ~. ~. -
the l"Sh :" NAV a'tei iou' Ncss nv ku'u k
was pr"-'h' IN Norhanle pnah.H",s !, tI.
pIop'Illoh "' "N'I al '~,'n'' ~ ~ ~ ;
VT 'i'h - NV 'au'''ou' " ~, y, 4,
'"'-' ''"' h'' n!,'H o. ~ '' ~, ,,..i, -
SoU'' ulHg h"' GH"" Ue,'u kia"",a'
~" pi"h"ueha ~ '',''-"" 10
,h"t" h'" ihu' IA az l,I's W. .,.,
u" d,'''''' '"''"t P'"'',' ", ~, -,
~ - ih" constitution 'i u" = a'h' '"'''-
-rlN"- ,
u h"'.a'"s ma ''"'N ~ 'l''- "P W
iupi'~ ul''- lh" inp'"'il" ha~ never
l"'n i.olai"u' hu' - 'Nl-''h'' 'H>
lS"n proved ~ h"inE' 81 NaNS 'in'l,
"t~i"ii'r can - -h""h "N 'r"u' l"'
.aD"ial"iN "Nprlhh"h' N"in'Nhh' a ''''"N-
when water Napot l- alt"N'Ni 10 az"
INTO damp AT, ho log - lfu'n ~ '''N
over, dust l. pr".''h' 'h" NaIoi i"lihN N''
drup- around each lat'l'i" "' d'I-' t'''
7 iritisi molecules oI ga WI du - W" a.
dust. and ih" t"~ul'Ing log can "" sen
wuh 10" eve ghS can "" 'uIhrh nv" "
conductor - electricity hN exposing U 'o
ia" N-fay- ur =" tadiu-scllN" rHN- AMI
these rlr'' fiti"d ga--psruch.s i"ts pr
duc.d II ~" cannot handle iudiNidual
molecules ~ least "" can isnlal" il"m
and wrap each ou" IN mahtl" ~ ing
Atoms can t' -pli into parts IL" IONS ar
such parts and the parts ~" carrier. "'
"i-,fIiciiV u atoms are ihu- C"npleN
b. - hkelv that elementary -uh~tan'r's
iron. carl,on and the lik" are a." not
simple The grand ourr To" itaiisinu-
latiun u fal- into gold -'.-m- No inor"
unlikely io th" modern cheinisi han 4" ~"
alrh"ml-i ~ old. the sizes ~ ~" mole
Cul,'s have been measiiftsi Nh"i" soap
hubhl" breaks II he'Nin''- hardy thicker
than ih.. distance between ~" molecules
amt the dinul.i.r Of ihe molecules - thus
shown tu i- about four cone mllliuuths ~
an ia,h
\ yuuplrt" theory ~ matter mus NOT
only explain all ia" phenomena hu' must
u" UNIQUE. and the more phenomena iNai
ar,. rNIl..n.d bv aiv single hypothc~Is fho
more likely i' i- tha' this hypothesis j. ir'i"
y Nv. - much - already explained Nv 'h"
a'unic theory thai IT. very "umpt"lf'u-
-i,ru'>- l-ndS great wright to u Ou"
uf ih, chief ohi,-tIou- io u - brought tor
wart by jhe biologists " deals only wuh
flr rirppu"na 81 phN -lc~, not with ihH-''
of life th"v -av nul ~ l. shown 'hh
living matter dos not IsoS-''-- the N'fv
'hrTuA. Rud mechanical properties oi d'ti
matter the ohJc'tinu can l." put to one -ioi'
l. b. uu'pIiuuS that up such proof hn~. -
iar. been gwen licp' j. tu" grave
iptltt 50 n. Ler IN" can In auV way ru'"T.
i.Tf,r, With ii" 49, .ou of "a" law- of u,Hi l'f
ia buik u the domains of me, 'haUic-, phN-
si,- ui CHEMISTRY is,kel has r'rrntv
dc, Iar'-! 'hai matter ard ether AZ" nui dead
and ppIV mpy,sl bV "Ntuu~'D foIv". un 'h"
spnfrats. hey are endowed With ~''n~H'tu
and ~ Il' thcv experience an in"ltuEItu'l
fo, cuudrf.a. iuu. a di-iik" for STRAIN ii"N
strive after the one and a. rttgi- agaiust l'i'
other Inc President Of tho Biti-h
AsSspta' IAN aup"di-, 80 CONSIDER Hs'k".
naNelrit. uf 'iu' Love- of the Atoms 'u be-
matter 90 totfp~. "a Inc SANE ~s'tis'' stream