Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-01-13
PROF. HENDERSON
OF HARVARD BEFORE
lAYMAN'S LEAGUE

"Water and it's importance to the
structure of, and the life in the
world" was the subject of a most
able talk given Friday evening be-
fore the members of All Souls Chap
ter of the Unitarian Laymen's
League at their regular monthly
meeting. The speaker was DIR. Law
renee j. Henderson, professor OF
biological chemistry at Harvard.
Although DR.. Henderson was de-
layed in his arrival in the city and
did not reach the meeting until some
time after the banquet had been fin
ished, his talk was well worth wait
ing to hear
He began by pointing out that
there were certain general princi-
pies which governed the majority
CT things on this earth, and that all
the time there was a change taking
place on the planet, in many differ
Cnt ways. This change ' said was
due almost wholly to water. Early
scientists said that water was the
origin of all things and the motive
power behind every movement ana
DIR. Henderson, showed ;hat in
sense this was true.
He showed how the plants take
from the ground those ,i,incnts
which they need to build up their
structure and then how Animals cat
these plants, to be eaten in turn by
others or to die and go back into
the soil from which its constituent
parts originally came. This cycle
of elements is just such one as
the cycle of carbon dIoX;de aud va
ter. The speaker told cf the '.ompli-
Gated processes by which carbon
diOXide given off by the burning Of
coal. the explosion of gasofne n an
automobile or the burning Of food
to form energy in the human body,
was taken up by tho plants and
formed into sugar by the action of
the sunshine. During this change
into sugar, energy is again stored
up in the plant and in time with
the death of the plant this energy
may again he utilized.
But water is needed for this vcik
and if VIC did not have our hound
less supplies of water it would rot
be possible for the plants 10 live
and turn the carbon dioXile into sig
ar and bottle up the energy IN This
manner.
He quoted figures as to-the great
amount OF water which the rivers
turn back to the sea every year and
showed how through the evaporation
of water from the ocean, and the pre-
cipitation of this evapOrated water
parts of the earth which would not
otherwise receive this are made fer
tile and if it were not for this cycle
of the water the earth would soon
become a desert. But this water does
something else. it washes into the
sea many different elements, some of
which are very rare and cannot other
wise befound 1t takes many years
for this to happen and the amounts
may be very small but they may be
utilized by certain animals. One
peculiar thing that he brought out
was that sea water properly diluted
Icscmblcd much the saline part of
blood.
Water as great solvent, has one
great use in dissolving the food which
we cat and in extracting from ii the
clements which, in this way are then
absorbed through the tissues of the
stomach. Ii it We're not for this fact
the food would not reach the body to
nourish it.
Our body is made ND of these ele-
'mcntS and water the latter being the
greater part Of it. Now water re-
quires a great deal Of heat to raise its
temperature approximately. in fact
more than almost any other liquid.
SO it keeps the body cool in time of
cXertion, and for the same reason the
evaporation OF rivers and ponds cools
off the surrounding air. making it
more comfortable to live in.
After this instructive talk the
members of the Chapter asked many
questions of DR.. Henderson, all Of
which ne answered in such a manner
that the ordinary layman could un-
ders:and. The meeting was we'll at
tended and all enjoyed the fina ban
quet which was served. Some time
was taken up with the singing Of
songs until the speaker arrived and
he eNGnincr NaS most oniONlhlC.