The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-02-02
SCIENCE.
GLACIAL xpocns ON THE EARTH


The explanation Of glacial epochs prooovs
by Crol. 1. e.. that Ice ages are consequent
on changes In the eccentricity Of the orbit
OF the earth was developed by Sir Rober,
Ball and Is summed up In the following two
propositions: a. or the total amount @,
heat received from the sun on one hemi.
sphere of the earth In the course Of q year,
es per cent. Is received during the summer
(March-Septcmber) and 81 per cent. dur.
ing the winter (September-Marchl, III Ths
only agent that alters the climatic conditions
OF the seasons Extraordinarily speaking
Ia the difference between the lengths Of thu
sumner and winter half-years. Dr. Charter
of Sweden has lately developed Prof Balls
thesis in a series OF propositions, some OF
which are mentioned below.
In the last SOC. 900 years there have been
thirteen maxima and the same number Of
minima OF the difference mentioned In IL.
above. Therefore. there have been. In
that period. the same number OF Ice ages
extraordinarily speaking). The dinereLcs
Of tho winter and summer half-years was not
the same In amount at the different minima.
The influence Of the variations In the length
OF the seasons Is most pronounced between
the years 24O.0 900 and 10000 preceding ths
present time. The greatest difference be-
tween the length OF the summer and winter
occurred 100000 and 100000 years ago. It
thcn amounted TO nearly Twenty-Five DAYS.
The difference betwecn tho Two. seasons can
never amount 10 more than az days
At the present time the winter Is ! 2-9 days
elhorter than The sHmIqGr IN me S noW : Ga1
oreasing and will become zero after 500
years. In 5000 years we, shall approach
the summer being then six days shorter thpn
the winter. About ll.SOO years ago the
northern winter was nlne Gays longer 'nan
Ice age about the time when the falls Of Nj
agara began to be worn away Ahothen
period OF i9ns S bep about H'S e9i 600 and another
about "a, 900 years. AZ this last epoch the
northern winters we're seventeen days longer
further investigation We cannot enter here,
IN IL sufficient 10 direct those interested 70
his paper published by the University OF
Lund. In sweden
pryRors IN ENGLISH TECHNICAL EDUCATION.
The dean OF tbs Armour Technical School
in Chicago has recently reported on me
technical high schools OF Chariottenours'
Karlsruhe, Munich. Hanover and other Ger
man cities ana compared them with English
sohools OF the same character. In the city
OF London, he says, where there II a populs-
ton of Z. 1000, 900, barely 900 students q year
are provided with engineering instruction
of an advanced character. Any one oil ths
German schools has a larger equipment, Z
greater income, a wider curriculum than tina
are the few schools in the Geld inadeaua,e
Inc educntlon are entirely bare. Absolutely
no provision Is made for teaching marine
engineering, naval architecture, railway 81
cheering. municipal en- cheering or archi-
lecture. London allows her young men 70
nick no their training In the old-fashioned
way. and when a really competent man IL
needed he is imported from germany OF
London has received no greater shock
recently thar TO wake up to find that ths
eoutpment of the new electric railway 'was
almost entirely American Tho error that
Tnelishmen make throughout. the, whole
feld OF technical education Ia the failure 70
recognize a difference between the ssnIen
gincer, ENGLAND has been competing GGl,h
many and America by simply educating. oy
training artisans-not engineers.
cIENrfNo B~ALLooSIHo.
Prof Assmann Of Berlin gives the follow
ing table showing the rate at which thetem-
perature tCentigradel falls as the height
fmetresl Increases according TO the balloon
ascents OF Glaisher and Of Berson-