Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-06-23
ENERGY IN ATOMS
Likened to Infinite Power In an
lnfinitesinai Space.

Eikeiieu ~ IlililHlc IoWCt III all
.InfinitesiTnal Space. IS
EACH ONE is A TINY WORLD.
If All Should Burst Their, Walls at
/. o Once the Universe Would Dissolve
Z, La san, instant-A Magic force That
Science Is Seeking to cortrot.
) EDO you remember when Aladdin
abadifIt last got down into The cave
uuder The treeE What inxtrieSsible mar
'pels,he found around him: l;ut nnous
all the riches of tile rave there was
only one little dust covered Thin. that
was really worth the r,$k hr had RIM
because 1t alone was truly nuvel AMI
unlike anything else ~ HE world -the
necromantic lamp that had the genie
for its slave With that IN Els posses
sion the poor boy WAS more powerfn'
than all the munurclS III the world
provided that he knew nnw 10 haud'e
the lamp. and that knowledge came to
him by accident.
have just been pnndrrins over son"
statements hy lean I'rrGnrr"I. The
French physicist. about The contents
Of the atoms ot which matter Is com
posed. and they have rur"ily recn'irt.
Aladdin'S adventures tn my mind l'fi,
Interior Of in atom, IS II little world
Infinitely more marvellous than the
cave that confirmed the magic lamp.
and II cunrpaiS powers inrnnparab!y
greater than that of Aladdins gUOd
genie.
TO the scientific Imagination the In
side OF an atom is inversply as won
drous as the starry beavens II is in
finite power packed into intiniresfmai
space. That. or course. Is IN e3Hg
geration; bnt this is n case In which
one has to speak In imposing figures
because the facts surpaSs ak ordinary
experience.
'"rhe atom" says lean secqnere!
lis q closed world. or almost closed
and 1t Is that fact witch constitutes
its Individuality"
This "cluSed world" ct thu ntom' Is
so small that II We could Increase the
powers OF our microscopes II thou
isandfold we coIld not render II visible
and yet that minute speck OF nmttrr
to- NJ Iiu lr,r 4.
rs that of tip great SUI with IT,
planets. and keeps locked up there: an
energy SO colossal that The. pIainGSt
statements of fact thar can be made
about 1t seem like wild drcaIns.
1.-THE emnnation from radinm" "a
Substance whose atoms spontaneously
give out AZ least a part of their en-
ergy, lis capable of liberatinG 2.5O000C
lent chemical reaction known"
The world within the atom ordinarily
behaves rs If it had no concern with
the world outside. 1t Is sufficient unto
Itself. 1t is little medieval China
with closed ports and insurInountable
walls all round Still. very few atoms
like those Of radIun. have tendency
to communicate with the outer world
by q kind Of explosion.
If 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 COMPOUNDED
things lose their nature and shift into
other things; uranium gives birth t.
radium and to polonlum; radium brings
forth helium, and the last transforma
ton Of polonium that has thus far beer
observed is into plain lead! 1t is Ike a
transmigraton of atomic souls.
But this is not the only consequence
Of the opening Of the world Of the
atom. That opening releases energy ir
forms which we can recognize .ant
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 Aladdln'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 no,
thrown his lamp aside. He knows 1t Is
full Of magic. He IS sure that If ht
rubs It Alright the genie will appear be
fore him. bnt he has not yet learned
the right stroke. And perhaps after al
It will be with him as It WIS With the
other Aladdin-accident will teach hin
the secret.
When that day comes. If ever 1t does
there will hardly be any limit to The
transforming power or man over the
world be lives in.-Garrett P. SerYiss
In New York Journal.