The sun., 1908-08-09

pass quickly over the incidents OF Thon-
sons private life-that his first wife, who
had been long an invalid, died in 1870, and
that four years later Thomson, now Sir
William, was married to Miss Frances
Blandy, who survives him as Lady Kelvin.
In 1907 Sir William Thomson, while presi-
dent Of the Royal Society, was raised to
the peerage, and more lately he was created
a member Of the Order Of Merit and
q. C. v. o. His foreign distinctions were
very numerous. For example, he was
knight Of the Order Pour le Merite OF
Prussia, q foreign associate Of the Institute
Of France and Grand Officer Of the Legion
Of Honor.
It 10 impossible In the compass Of this
notice to give IN adequate idea Of William
Thomson's achievements In the domain
OF theoretical and practical science. His
work In the theory Of heat and In the
science Of energy generally would have
given him o title TO Immortality. even II
It had stood alone. Here he was pioneer,
and yet his papers, written one after
another In pencil and despatched, rough
as they were, to be printed by the Royal
Society Of Edinburgh, form a. they have
been collected In some respects the best
treatise on thermo-dynemios that exists
at the present time In hydro-dynamios
Lord Kelvin never lost sight Of practical
applications. oven while pursuing the most
intensely theoretical researches In the
action Of vortioes or the propagation Of
waves. In his later years he worked out
the theory Of ship waves with q power
which has made more than one skilful
and successful oultfvator OF this branch
"a - kA L.
natioian, but q man who like the prophets
Of old could divine what is hid from the
eyes Of ordinary mortals. Although ge-
ology was not one OF his special subjects
OF study. he took from his student days
keen interest In geological questions.
and It may be recalled that In 1858 he de-
liverei TO the Geological Society at Glas-
gov an address entitled .On Geological
Time In which his insistenoe on the ne
cessity for limiting geological and other
changes to but fraction Of the vast periods
at that time demanded gave rise to much
discussion. Thomson was firmly convinced
that although the data arc uncertain
they oan at most extend the age Of the
earth to some value between twenty million
and two hundred million Of years and that
the enormously long periods which were
wont to be asked for by geologists and
biologists for the changes Of tho eerth's
surface and tho development Of It's fora
and fauna cannot possibly be conceded.
Although. however, Lord Kelvin's scien-
tific accomplishments were many sided and
his discoveries manifold, It is, OF course,
with electricity and Its uses that his name
win be most memorably associated. he
was born four years after oersted made his
famous discovery Of the action Of an cleo
trio current on . magnet and two years
before Ampere, founding on this expert
,ment, brought forth the first great memoir
on electro-magnetism. Thus Thomsons
life had seem the growth Of modern electrical
science from its infancy to It's now vigorous
youth. The discoveries OF Faraday In
electrical induction were given TO the world
when Lord Kelvin was boy. and one Of the
great tasks which the latter accomplished
was to weave these discoveries together in
O uniform web Of mathematical theory.
This theory suggested new problems to be
solved by experiments which he successfully
attacked. 1t was his happy lot to live to
see his presentations Of theory lead to new
developments IN his own hands and the
hands Of other men Of genius and to survive
until these developments had led TO praot
tcal applications throughout the worlds
field Of industries and in all the affairs Of
present day life and activity. His true
monument win be his work and tn results
In tho domain Of electrical science. and to
only few men In the worlds history has
such q majestic memorial been reared.
He understood, for he had felt, the fasoina-
ton OF knowledge, apart from its application
to mechanical devices; yet he did not disdain
to devote his great powers to the service Of
mankind. His objects Of daily oontempla-
ton were the play Of forces, the actions Of
bodies In all thsir varied manifestations, or.
as he preferred to sum up the realm Of
physics. the observation and discussion Of
Of matter. All the time, how.
ever, his eyes were open 10 the bearing Of
all he saw on the Improvement Of industrial
appliances and to the possibility Of using
1t to increase the comfort and safety Of
men and so to augment the sum total Of
human happiness. ..,
FJRST AID FOR THE DROWNING.