The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1914-09-04
ENERGY IN ATOMS
Likened to Infinite Power In an
lntinitesimaI Space.
EACH ONE Is A TINY WORLD.
If All Should Burst Their Walls at
Once the Universe Would Dissolve
I'm an lnstant-A Magic force That
Science Is Seeking to Control.


Do you remember when Aiaddiu
had, at last, got down into tile cave
under the tree, what inexpressible mar
vels he found around him? But among
all the riches of the cave there was
only one little dust covered thing that
was really worth the risk be had run.
because it alone was truly novel and
unlike anything else in the world-the
necromantic lamp that had the genie
for its slave With that in his posses
sion the poor boy was more powerful
than all the monarchs In the world
provided that be knew how TO handle
the lamp, and that knowledge came TO
him by accident.
| have just been pondering over some
statements by Jean Becquere. the
French physicist. about the contents
of the atoms Of which matter Is com
posed. and they have forcibly recalled
Aladdin's adventures to my mind The
interior of an atom is a little world
infinitely more marvellous than the
cave that contained the magic lamp.
and 1t conceals powers incomparably
greater than that of Aladdin's good
genie
To the scientific Imagination the In.
side of an atom is inversely as won.
drous as the starry heavens 1t is in
Unite power packed into infintesimal
space. That, of course. is an exag-
geration; but this is case in which
one has to speak In imposing figures.
because the facts surpass all ordinary
experience.
THE atom" says Jean Becquerel
rs a closed world, or almost closed
and II is that fact which CO.. situtes
its individuality"
This CLOSED world" of the atom is
so small that if we could increase the
powers of our microscopes thou.
sandfold we could not render 1t visible.
and yet that minute speck of matter
1ncloses a solar system" as elaborate
as that of the great sun with it's
planets. and keeps locked up there an
energy so colossal that the plainest
statements of fact that can be made
about it seem like wild dreams.
1.-THE emanation from radium" "a
substance whose atoms spontaneously
give out al least part of their en-
ergyl lis capable of liberating 2,500.OOO
times more energy than the most vio-
lent chemical reaction known"
The world within the atom ordinarily
behaves as if it had no concern with
the world outside. 1t is sufficient unto
itself 1t is a little medieval China
with closed ports and insurmountable
walls all round. Still. very few atoms.
like those of radium, have a tendency
to communicate with the outer world
by kind of explosion.
II all atoms should burst their walls
simultaneously the whole universe
would be dissolved in an instant.
The atoms that do disintegrate pass
from change to change. Within their
limits the foundations of matter are
broken up; the distinctions of the fun
damental elements are confounded.
things lose their nature and shift into
other things; uranium gives birth to
radium and to polonium; radium brings
forth helinm. and the last transforma.
ton of polonium that has thus far been
observed Is into plain lead 1t is like
transmigration of atomic souls.
But this is not the only consequence
of the opening of the world of the
atom. That opening releases energy i'm
forms which we can recognize and
which some day perhaps we may be
able to utilize.
Atomic energy is the magic lamp
that the Aladdin OF science has found
in natures secret cave.
One day Aladdin's mother found the
rusty lamp where he had cast it aside
as useless and thought that she would
polish it up. Instantly, at the first Wig
orous rub, the slave of the lamp stood
before her, ready to do her bidding!
The Aladdin OF science has not
thrown his lamp aside He knows 1t is
full Of magic. He is sure that If he
rubs it Alright the genie will appear be-
fore him. but be has not yet learned
the right stroke. And perhaps after all
1t will be with him as it was with the
other Aladdin-accident will teach him
the secret.
When that day comes, If ever it does,
there will hardly be any limit to the
Transforming power OF man over the
world he lives in.-Garrett P. Serviss
in New York Journal.