The daily Alaskan., 1911-05-15
MYSTERY OF LIGHT
Some Luminosity So Intense the
 Eyes Cannot See 1t,
THE RIDDLE OF THE FDREFLI
So Far lt Has Bamsd Science. but When Jt Is Solved, as It Eventually Win Be. We Shall Have Light With- ,,,t Hs,t and the Perfect Lamp.

The scientist set down small black box and impatjcnuy pushed aside ihe powerful microscope and the drliea.e haIomerer. 1t is most diseoura-tn-, he muucred "to have such a treasure before ones eyes and stil he unable Co grasp tt
 looked in tfc little box, surprised to find notmu- hrf few briH5m. hre- flies The scientist began to explain
 ,1u that box is thn most efficient t.. mmfnan. known ro mann Ih. ra."nI output from one "ut those insects cor. responds to nearly a.E w.'l~ !. cam. de. while our vnry best w.0..1.I..H miuauL the 1awu- an #. gives only two or three uHusln .Ho .Hr0.e The Hgb, from thase insects #s G. corded by rhe no'oue,er rda-"s H.'.n if any heat while thc very best m.an descent lamps waste more than ." per cont of Che electrical energy in u~n.a-s heat IT ! could read this sr."n, O. rre insect world and make lamp a. CT its pattern could produce "Nt can de power from the same current .Hal gives sixteen candle power today some day the secret win be read
 The source of all light teycept the light from dreffes and their kim Us a substance raised Co a temperature sui. frieng to set up waves in the sur rounding ether, which. when falling mon the eve. produce the sensation we know as light Light waves vary Tn langlh between one thir,y-thrae- thousand raur-huudrcdth and one six. rv-fva-trousaudtb og am inch. One first heinz extreme red and the second eN. treme violet. Rays of white light have a length of one fortytve-than- san1n of am inch. The sun Is.a great mass oF while hot matter. ltts.the at. masrnoro that enables us to see light and aufs.Ge. .af our atmosphere it is ah. saIute darkness. as dark as fine interior of Mammoth cave. In an arc lamp it Is the white hot particles of carbon floating between the two electrodes that produce light In the nc1ndos cent lamp it is the hafruin iI0mcut in side tae glass globe that when heated by electricity. gives of light waves. In Cas and oil lamps light Is produced by tha heated particles of carbon tn the flames above the wick or mantle
 The eye can stand without ttrIng a hrIHauce of about five candle power to the square inch of surface. The or dfuary candle flame gives only two or three candle power Go the square inch while the sun at zenith gives Gl1ooo The arc light ranks next to sunlight with 10000 candle power an inch, and the best tungsten fIament tneandes- cents give 1000 candle power This means thgtff Che sun could be chang ed into ball of tungsten it would throw uT only Loo0 candle power Of light from every square inch of its surface. when the world would be practically dark and we should freeze to death in a week
 The prism shows that white light Is composed of a happy blend nf a'l coI- ors ur .he. spectrum The sun gives the only pure white light. with Che arc lamps a close second and the metal GIament incandescants taking third place Sky light such as comes from Che north on a CIear day. is b'ulsb white Gas manUes give Erconish light. onen flame yellow light and kero- seue orange light
 By the laws of evolution Che human eye has become accustomed to sun light or sky light coming oh#guely from above and our eyes resent light comug from any other source Snow . blindness. distress from white sand or water. Is Che result of violating this rule. The upper oveHd is adapted Co shade Che eye from a strong light from above. The lower Id cannot per form this office. so when a strong light Is reflected mp into the eyes it blinds us
 Tho x ray has proved beyond doubt that there are light rays which move too fast for human eyes to register . This light neuct~otcs books. wood. ua per and even human flesh With Che ! fuorusconc Co Hssfst cur eyes we can ] see Che bones in our arm without both cr.ng to remove coat or shirt But a man with x ray eyes would be sadly handicapped in this world for he could see nothing but solids. such as oarths and metals, and would be un- able Co see a board fence at 0U Be yond doubt there is light SO bright
 Chat the eyes cannot soe. .it, and Co ms all is darkness beyond what our eyes will register
 Light rays themselves are invisible
 When they move through the ether " alone. our eyes cannot soc them. .couse oueruy an is total darkness But when they meet with the resistance of our atmosphere, producing heat they register on the rctna and-beho'8. we can see, As the atmosphere th.ns ranidIy as we go upward so in pro
 portion the air resistance dimioISbes . and consequently tbe heat of thc sun . seems to grow less. This explains why the tops of high mountains arc always covered with snow.
 Many wonderful discoveries have . been recorded in the Illuminating dell of late. and it Is safe to say that thls
 ,.-,-r, ,F s4Fa--n rrTo~l7e one of thE