The Washington times., 1921-09-10

among them soldiers, stripped to
tne waist to show their muscles,
a. slaves used to strip, were
put up at public auction. The
highest bidder was to get the men
and their labor, but there was
not bid. Toward the end Of
tne proceedings a small dog sold
for SIS. -.
The failure was not complete.
1t Is not new. Henry Ward
Beecher. to help along abolition,
sold a good-looking young mu-
latto girl at auction in Plymouth
Church. There was good bid
ding there; Beecher was q good
auctioneer. And in those earlier
days there was more excitement
about "human liberty, equality"
and such things.
The chemists. gathered in
convention far more important
to the world than any disarma-
ment conference, are talking Of
REAL things, Harvesting the
suns power and the energy Of
our revolving earth. What they
talk Of this year they will DO
another year. To harness the
sun that men once worshiped
viii be no more remarkable than
Harvesting the lightning that
men once dreaded.
II We saw microbes, living on
the rim Of q great driving wheel,
building little engines on the
rim. instead Of Harvesting the
wheel. we'd pity them. We are
living on q driving wheel, the
earth, and, instead Of Harvesting
that wheel, we build little wind
mills to catch the breeze.
The moon 10 the donkey en-
gins Of our earth ship. It puts.
forth its power In the tides. We
might at least harness that force.
We live on the sun, since It
creates all the food We eat.
But, except In making photo
graphs, we utilize none Of its
vast power, sufficient to provide
with energy a million planets
like ours.
You could make millions Of
dollars . year II you could M
vents way to recover the petro-
leun that becomes mixed with
water in wells. And you could
make hundreds Of millions a
year II you could find an eco
nomical, commercial method Of
extracting the unlimited oil sup
ply in shale- But please do not
write to this column about it.
The chemists daily tell Of prob
lens that need solving--fame
and fortune In every solution
and all the problems will be
solved by somebody some day.
In New York, twenty-five years
ago, 1t. "Old Delmonico's,"
Twenty-sixth street and Fifth
avenue, Nicola Tesla, holding up
his elaret glass, said to this
writer: -.. - >,.s... -
eff you could release the force
that holds together the atone Of
this glass 1t would run any fac
tory IN the world for . long
time" ~
That sounded like dreaming.
Now every educated child knows
that Tesla was right, and chem
lists are seeking the method Of
unchaining that atomic force.
That matter is made Of atoms,
atoms made Of electrons, and those
electrons Of pure electricity, chem
lists now know and prove. So in
an iron bridge or steel rail there
II nothing more substantial than
electricity. And what that Is we
don't know. But we shall know.
How much power has the sun?
Plenty. It eliminates and heats
all within our solar system. For
ty-five years ago John Ericsson,
who built the Monitor, calculated
that on strip Of earth &, 900 miles
long and one mile broad the suns
heat would operate for nine hours
every day 22,S0O, 900 solar engines,
each Of 100 horsepower. More
than two thousand million horse
power--which means that some
day power win be as free as air.
Il would be Q bad thing now;
men are not ready or fit to be set
free from hard labor. They will
need its wholesome discipline for
centuries longer.
DR.. Charles Avery Doremus, in
n learned AND human (rare COM