Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-08-03
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL y. COLLINS

steam locomotives and greatly sup
plement automobiles. Men will fly
without motors in their machines by
the power of the wireless waves, un-
dreamed Of by Franklin.
Sometimes phenomena which ap-
pear to be but freaks. good only for
toys. are taken in hand by pure SCI
entists' and made marvels Of useful
ness. The telescope was discovered
by children playing with lenses. The
gyroscope has been known as a toy
a peculiar top which would spin, at
any angle, on a stretched cord and not
fall off
The gyroscope has long been talked
of as a possible stabilizer OF a rolling
ship: SO that seasick passengers
might have surcease of sorrow.
Within the last four or Ave years it
has performed greater wonders than
to steady the roll OF a ship. 1t has
caught the roll of the earth, so that,
no matter how the magnetic pole may
SHIFT and mislead the mariner. the
gyroscoplc compass will point directly
to the true pole of the revolving
earth. and when that is understood by
the worlds mariners there will be al
most as great a forward step in navi-
cation as was taken by the discovery
OF the magnetic compass. Clouds hid
ing the north star will then be no
longer a curtain for the pilot for his
gyroscopic compass points unerrinEly
parallel to the axis of the spinning
world, and magnetic storms or clouded
skies Will have no more terrors.
Moreover. the gyroscopic compass,
not being affected by magnetism,
works as infaIlibly on battleship
ore. as II does anywhere. The old
style magnetic compass is practically
useless when too close to masses or
steel or iron.
Has pure science" no practical
part in the progress Of civilization?
AT Bethlehem, Pa. an astronomer IL
planning to take a photograph of an
invisible star. Nobody has ever seen
it, but Prof Ogburn has had the
honor of having that spook star
named after him (although he mod
estly proposes to change the name).
He is going to have it look pleasant
while he takes it's picture for the
family album. BY three weeks Of
mathematics he will know where to
point his camera
But. no matter We have in the
bureau Of standards a scientist (Dr
CobientZ) who has measured the
temperature OF many stars WHICH no.
Cody has ever seen. Prof Ogburn
may get a real pleasant expression
on his private star but how will he
know whether 1T blows hot or cold.
until the electric star thermometer
Of the bureau OF standards tests it,
There are stars so far away that
light. which travels 10000 miles a
second. takes $4,000 years to come
from them TO the earth. vet no sooner
does that light arrive than DR.. Co.
feels its pulse and tells whether the
star II came from had a chill or fever
$4,000 years ago.
That does not affect the price Of
tors would pooh pooh it's Importance
but wait There had been lightning
many millions OF years before Frank
lin flew his kite. and the earth had
been turning on it's axis billions of
years before the gyroscopic compass
was discovered. Because We cannot
harness. now. the heat OF the stars
does not prove that the facts learned
are eternally useless Newton's laws
OF gravitatlon may be proved wrong
n Einstein ever applies what he
knows to the new knowledge about
stars. visible and invisible.
From sublime TO ridiculous The
inevitable has arrived, A few weeks
ago the -four millers sent abroad the
slogan: Eat an extra slice Of bread
daily and save the wheat raisers.'
Now comes the slogan from the
hog raisers: Eat more pork chops
daily"
Do the hogs need saving. with corn
80 per cent higher than last season?
There is going to be fine crop
OF fruit. If everybody will eat more
apple dumplings. that will consume
both -four and apples. and so kill two
birds with one stony diet-the con-
sumner OF the -four and the goraer OF
the apples. But don't be a pig
Copyright 1923. by p. V. ColIin.D