Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-01

the death OF Sir William Ramsay, sci.
ence loses one OF her most striking
figures and one OF her keenest minds
He stood at the meeting point OF the
science OF the nineteenth century and
that of the twentieth, and his epoch
making discoveries are among the
greatest achievements of either period.
He was selected by Wilhelm OSWALD,
the world famous physicist and philos-
opher, as perfect type OF the man OF
genius.
Tho most daring and radical OF the
conclusions whose truth he proved by
brilliant and patient experiment was
that transmutation .of the clements Is
no mere dream OF the alchemists, but
an actual process that is continually
going on about us. The half-mystical
scientists OF the middle ages, men who
hardly deserve the name, with their
methods chaotic mixture Of expert
ment and hocus- pocus. spent years In
trying to turn lead into gold. The
skcptical investigators of later CEN
turtles, the men who laid the founda-
tons Of modern science and tho
achievements that have transformed
the world exploded the old dream as
an impossible folly. Lead and gold
are elements they said, and the very
meaning OF the term element" is some
thing that cannot he turned into some
thing else. Lead or gold can he COM
bncd with other elements. but they
Will always remain lead and gold.
'rhcn came Sir William Ramsay and
Showed that perhaps the theory at
least Of the old alchemists was sound.
Radiun and helium are elements, Just
as are lead and gold; yet radium turns
OF it's own accord into helum. And,
in 1907. lie went farther and Il was
announced that he had obtained a COM
pound of copper from sodium lithium
and potassium, three other elements,
by the use Of radium.
The whole scientific world was
thrown into excitement by this an
nounccmcnt, and indeed every think
ing man. scientist or layman, was stag
gcrcd by its Importance. The great
possibilities that it opened up fur
nShcd rich and endless field for
speculation as 10 the changes that
might he wrought in the human life
of the future by an understanding and
control OF the process, which seemed
10 point not only 10 the chance Of
changing any substance into any other,
but also to release iuinitc stores Of
energy, the energy locked up in the
molecnle. which would do the work
OF the world and render possible al
most any achievement dependent on
power.
Would Not Speculate.
Sir William himself. with tho true
scientific viewpoint. refused to spccu-
late on the possible consequences Of
his discoveries, and even mininizcd
their practical Importance. He recog-
niZed the immense amount of work
and investigation that would have to
be done before the smallest Industrial
nGf IL fro, Ia i
ton OF tho hidden properties OF mat
ter. and lie realized that the results
which imaginative minds unhampered
by n scientific knowledge Of the diff
ficulties involved predicted, lay at best
so far in the future that any theoriz-
ing as tn their Importance was idle
and unscientific. lie admitted that a
ton OF radium breaking down of it's
own accord would do the work Of
millions OF tons OF coal. but he pointed
out that the worlds production OF ra-
dunn would probably never exceed a
few ounces a year. He admitted that
81 might be possible, In consequences Of
his discoveries and those of his COL
leagues. to turn lead into gold. but
he reminded enthusiastic auestioners
that the cost Of the process would be
prohihitive.
He recognized however, that his dis
cOyeries were of the first Importance
lney oneheu new uopT W oSiShti'i'
progress. and the possibilities they
brought up for industrial achievement
and the bettermcnt of the lot OF hui
manity were none the less real for
being very remote. lie was one of
the men TO take the first steps on
path that may yet lead to unimagned
heights
This work OF Sir Williams on the
ultimate nature of matter, this prob
ing into the fundamental qualities of
all existence. belongs peculiarly to the
science Of the twentieth century,
which abandons the old idea that
that can be weighed and measured,
and plunges boldly with its methods
Of exactitude into the realm form
erly given over to metaphysics and
philosophy. The other achievements
for which Sir william Is world-famous,
however, belongs rather to the old
school Of dlsoovery-Drobably it will
be the last of its kind that the last
century was so rich In.
Knew Truth About Air.
Sir william Ramsey may be called
the air we breathe. Ever since the
dawn of time. humanity has lived in
this familiar atmosphere, for the last
century and more, the air has been
the object OF the keenest expert study.
1T was liquefed, analysed. the laws
or it's expansion determined, the pro-
portions OF its constituents calcu-
lated to the third decimal place Then.
In the year 1896 came Sir william
ramsay and his colleague. Lord Ray
leigh, and announced the discovery of
new gas In the atmosphere-a gas
present In the proportion OF one part
In, afI