The National tribune., 1908-01-02

1t may relieve the minds of some to
know that Mrs. Reyburn. the wife of
Pniiadelphia's Mayor, will be able to
appear at the orchestra concerts in a
box and also probably at the opera.
Mr.. Alexander Van Rensselaer, offered
his box to Mrs. Reyburn for the last
concert. and it is said that other men,
beTs of the Orchestra Association have
agreed to give up their boxes for the
other concerts, and that similar ar
rangements have been made to provide
the Mayors wife with a box during the
opera season. The welcome calm after
the storm therefore pervades Philadel-
phia's 400 just at present. tho Col.
DreXel has rufiled ii somewhat by de-
claring that as the wife of the Mayor
per Sc Mrs. Reyburn is entitled to no
special social recognition, and certainly
not to a particular boz at concert or
opera. AS Col. DreXel is supposed to
be quite au fait on social usages, his
word will add great weight to this not
very vital subject.
Mrs. Eddy, the founder of Christian
Science and one Of the most remark
able characters OF this or any other
age, is about to establish an institution
for the special benefit of the poor and
the general good of all mankind. which
will cost at least $1,000,000. The pub
lie is not told any of the particulars
about this Christian Science project,
save that its principal object will be the
helping of the poor. Christian Scien-
lists may be exceedingly active in good
works and give freely of their time and
money to relieve the bodily as well as
the mental suffering of unfortunate hu-
manity, but, somehow. the majority of
people, not of their faith, regard their
religion as a rather selfish one, and its
followers as somewhat Indifferent to
what goes on in the world outside their
church. A real, live religion takes no
notice of creeds; a suffering man or
woman is a brother or sister to be
helped, no matter of what faith or of
no faith at all, and the charity which
commends itself most is that which
does good irrespective of religion. How
ever, Mrs. Eddy says her institution is
for the general good of all mankind"
and if SO many people will be obliged
to change their opinion of the self
centerednesS and rather narrow view
point of the Christian Science faith.
The scientific world has met with a
serious loss in the recent death of Lord
Kelvin, who was the Nestor of Eng
lands physicists and one of the most
active, Garnet and versatile scientific
men of the 18th century. Lord Kelvin,
or Sir William Thompson, was born in
Belfast, ireland, in 1924, and was the
son of Prof. James Thompson, distin-
guished principally for his ability in
mathematics. For 53 years Lord Kel-
vim occupied the chair of natural phil
osophy at the University at Glasgow,
where he laid the foundation of his
own education, and where his father
for many years filled the chair of
mathematics. Lord Kelvin's ability for
work was prodigious and his versatility
remarkable. He was an acute mathe-
matician, an untiring investigator Of
physical problems, a reSourceful engi-
neer, and was especially noted for his
discoveries in electricity. He was the
engineer for the Atlantic Gable Com
panies in the sos and SOS, and more
recently for other cable companies in
other parts of the world. He solved
several of the problems of submarine
telegraphy by his own inventions, his
galvanometer, mirror hung by a
thread, making submarine signaling a
possibility. SO many were the hOnors
which his valuable services to science
brought him that it is difficult to emu
merate them all. He was knighted in
1866, and a few years after.ard a bar
ony was created for him. He was a
member of all the leading organiza-
tions of the world which only open
their doors to distinguished ability and
achievement. He was made foreign
honorary member of our own Ameri-
can Academy of Arts anG Sciences in
1872 He visited America several times