The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-27
LETTER FROM PDI)f. SMITH
COMMENT ON TOPICS OF RECENT
INTEREST TO CHICAGO EDU-
GATORS AND CITIZENS
REFERS TO SCHOOL MATTERS
"a Great System in Which the Pro-
fessor Finds a Great Deal to
COmmend-SOme Light for
the BeniShted.
Special correspondence of the Globe.

Special correspondence of the Globe
CHICAGO, Jan. 25-One by one the dull
days of January are passing away and
chicago is enjoying a season of quiet
almost unprecedented. The mighty
feeling of indignation that was reused by
the carnival of crime has spent its
force, ard we are compelled to tu- n our
attention to the valorous conduct of Mr..
Roosevelt in Colorado, the sp.rite1 and
effective work of Mrs. Nation in Wichi-
ia, ana to the oft-repeated announcement
that Mr.. Bryans paper will appear en-
Wednesday," in order that we may
find something to break the monotony.
Now that The CommOner'' is really
out it rests with Mrs. Nation and Mr.
Roosevelt to continue the struggle for
recognition by the public of heroic and
spirited undertaking, and the honOTs are
seemingly about even for, concerning the
conduct Of each, it may he said that
nothing like it was ever heard Of be
fore"
Nine. Bernhardt is at present attract
Ing large crowds, and ii is claimed for
her that her acting is better than UPON
the occasion of her former visit here.
However, the best thing that she has said
was not acting at all, nor was it ut
tered on the stage. An enterpr.sing re-
porter was admitted to her presence and
Immediately propOunded the question al
ways uppermost in the mind of Chi
Ca goan:
What do you think of Chicago?"
Madame started, assumed her most
tragic attitude cast up her eyes, and
her hands, and in her most awful man
ner exclaimed. despairingly. dramatical-
", explosively, Mon Dieu"
She could not be induced to say another
word on that or any other subject and
really I think she mad said quite enough.
There are some people, however, who
visit this city for the purpose of study
ing its life and conditions, and among
the latest arrivals Is Miss Halle Err
mimic Rives, who has been making spe-
ciaI investigation into the causes of the
great number of divorces. After most
carefully studying tie whole s.tuat on,
she "hoIds the club movement among
women responsible for the great number
of divorces in this city" I confess that
this discovery is rather comforting to
me. as I have for a long time fear,d that
the club" movement among men had
much to DO with the increase in divorce
proceedings. There are a great many
things that might be prohtably studied
here, but the G o b e s readers are
aware that I have attempted nothing OF
the kind, although CONFESS that l
have been deeply interested IN much that
has been brought to my attention espe-
Ciailv in certain scientific announcements
The ofticial(?) statement of one of the
professors of the Chicago university that
Holm D. Rockefeller is a greater genius
than Shakespeare has not as yet been
followed BY the further statement that
Mrs Fctty Green is greater woman
4han was the late Queen Victoria, but
those who knew the professor still believe
that he has something in reserve with
(which to startle the world. Prof. Loeb
has already been confronted with evil
dence that his "eliXir'' has been in use
IN ENGLAND since 1915, and he has been
compelled to accept from eminent Eng
fish medical authority the judgment that
his discovery us d fake and his elixir
"a hoax" It is not used in. England as
an elixir at ALL but * used simply 10
EuppIy the arteries with sufficient tuid
10 prevent them from collapsing. These
seeming drawbacks have in no wise
Caunted the enterprising spirits of other
professors who also desire that the pup
lie shall know of their existence Prof..
/ w. Howerth lecturing upon the SUBJ
,iect of Religion" stated that atheism
was not inconsistent with religion. That
to identify religion with belief in spiritual
beings was to relegate it to the realm or
superstition, and that We must discard
The old idea that religion IS bs1et ana
right conduct. This is progressive doc
frine. surely, in hearty accord with the
conditions of our "environmenf' ana
fully justified from the changed point
of view provided by sciencc(?)-as some
may claim. I trust, however, that your
readers VIII reserve judgment.
; Nor are the astronomers silent. They
are at present much interested in settling
definitely the question, never sauS-
factoriiy answered, WAT is it that fills
the tremendous space between the earth
and the sun? Father Sldgreaves, OF
Stonyhurst observatory, in accounting
for sun spots recently. held that they
were not caused by disturbances on the
surface of The sun, but were the shadows
of vast clouds of invisible corpuscleS be-
tween the earth and the sun. These cor
muscles smaller than atoms, are cleo
frified invisibilities," altogether too small
to reflect light waves, but cloud of
them may cast a shadow. Prof. Serviss
heartily welcomes this discovery and
awaits with profound COmposure further
DEVELOPMENTS. Here IS matter for re,
Election and the active exercise of the
Imagination the atom has always been
the despair of scientists and the an
nouncement that something smaller
has been discovered certainly comes as
shock Although the atomistic theory
IS plausible and seemingly logical it con
tradicts an unassailable law of physics,
viz. nothing can enter into matter that
does not occupy space, and anything
that occupies space. however small, is
Invisible, and must be divisible ad in
finitum. If, therefore, the atom is un-
Invisible as held, it cannot occupy space,
End it cnnot therefore ever be a part OF
thing electrified inyisibilities," smaller
than atoms. which, if they Go not occupy
space, at least form clouds and cast
shadows upon the surface of the sun
dark and dense enough to be seen at a
distance of ninety-three million miles.
Certainly science is making gigantic
strides in these opening days of a new
century. We can but wonder what will
be accomplished during the next hundred
years.
SCHOOL MATTERS.
The school question is always unde
consideration and there is always some
thing to say about it.
The teachers federatio scored an i'm
Tense success with their entertainment
on the 18th, realizing several thousan,
dollars with which to carry on the worl
of equalizing taxation. They have a sui
pending at Springfield against the stat
board of equaIiza ton to compel it to as
sess taxes equitably and legally agains
corporations The case will undoubtedly
go to the supreme court, and it will b
most vigorously fought. For a grea
Have Doc tors
gE TzE-,