South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-03-10

Men are not the only things that
lead a double life. All our insect
friends. for instance, lead triple
existences, each stage of which is
completely hidden from the other.
That fellow creature of the chorus
girl. the lobster, passes through a
dozen different mouths before he
reaches the Great White Way while
that distant poor relation Of ours,
the anglo worm. can be cut with the
scissors into as many sections as he
is inches long and grow a new head
and tail on each one.
But the most astounding mas
querading, in the most different and
contradictory Of guises upon the
world stage. is that of those limo
cent and passionless creatures-the
chemical elements. In one guise a
deadly poison, in the other a life
giving food; in one sort Of company
a soggy mush. in another a danger
Gus high explosive.
One great primitive element, nj
trogen, plays the leading role in
guano at one end Of it's repertoire
and gunpowder at the other. and
can pass itself off as lOaves or as
lyddite with equal facility.
What Hydrogen Can DO.
Another element, hydrogen, one
of the Big Four-carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen. nitrogen-which make and
control life and all its processes, is
the cause of all the wetness in the
world through its two-to-One COM
bination with oxygen 20 form water.
While in another case the same
two identical actors. supported by
the famous star. calcium. produce
the hottest fire and most brilliant
illumination known-the oxy-hydro-
gen blowpipe. or familiar limelight.
Whatever may be the fortune of
others, these two actors are always
in the limelght.
In recent years our attention has
been particularly attracted to an
other Jekyll-and-Hyde among the
elements-the widespread and inn
pOrtant elements. chlorine. This
substance, in various combinations,
was first discovered in sea water.
and AZ il goes everywhere where sea
water goes, with means over three
fourths of the surface of the whole
globe. while most OF the rocks of the
other or dry lend. one-fourth have
been laid down under sea water. it
is tolerably ubiquitous, or in the YER
nacular numerous"
AS we originally grew up and
lived for millions Of years in sea
water we have never yet been able
TO get completely soaked out and
"fresheneds up" yet. and chlorine in
a considerable amount still is found
in our books, particularly in the
fluids
We are all old salts. whether we
follow the sea fer a living or not.
Whether this is simply a bad old
deep sea or submarine habit which
we cannot at once shake of. like
the atavisms 10 shark and sea ser
pent form" Of the past few months.
or whether chlorine has become a
vital necessity would be hard to say.
\ Life Necessity.
Certainly its combination with
sodium. chloride OF sodium. the
common salt Of our tables and our
picking watts, has become a neces-
sity Of life. There is still some mys-
terry about il. because while com
mon salt is found in practically
every living animal tissue and most
vegetable it does not enter into in
innate combination with the life
stuff or protopiasm. but only seems
TO serve with water as a salt water
bath or warm ;nland sea in which
Il can swim and feed and carry
out its activities. II seems TO serve
as a kind OF battery fluid for our
life electrical processes. and the mo-
ment the supply Of salt is cut OF our
health suffers at once
With all our long. long dry land
and air breathing habits we are still
a walking aquarium, travelling ma
rine mcnageriss, miniature oceans