Evening star., 1923-03-22
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

They were the foserunner of Roent-'
gen rays.
X Ssse. X X
Later Lenard showed that the cleo
trified atoms in Crookes' vacuum tube
while throwing off the cathode
"sparks' were actually throwing OF
their component parts, now known as
"electrons." This revolutionized the
whole atomic theory. and an atom,
instead of being an ultimate and indi-
visible unit. was found to be uni
verse-a miniature of our solar uni
verse-with electrons it's planets.
about a center sun. The electrons
penetrated through Opaque substance.
Who the devil cares?"
X X x X n
In 1895, Roentgen, experimenting
with the cathode rays of Crookes',
found that the salts of uranium un-
der their influence not only photo
graphed through opaqueness, but
actually carried visibility through
"impenetrable walls" of stone and
flesh. He found the Roentgen rays.
and there is no limit to their practical
use in studying the human organs and
their physical processes. With them
disease ceases to battle and life is
prolonged.
"Who the devil caresg'-if there is
a political convention or social scan
dal crowding newspaper space.
Uranium aglow! Roentgen rays.
The shining uranium aroused other
scientists to investigate whether the
emissions OF light came from the
uranium itself or from something as
sociated with it. Prof. Curie and his
scientific wife made many analyses of
minerals and at last hit upon a kind
Of pitchblend which gave sub
stance that glowed all the time--a
million times more radiant than
uranium. They called it radium.
X x
1t would be superfiuous to expatiate
upon the wonders and value OF ra-
dium. The greatest of all marvels
of the Curie discovery is that not
only radium but many other sub
stances are found to be radioactive.
which means. that necessarily they
are giving off particles. infinitely
small which are known as electrons,
for their atoms are breaking up and
shooting these electrons with the
speed almost as great as that OF light
By this radio activity the depths
of the sea are Illuminated and id
parts of the ocean ships plow at nights
through fiery pillows like motion
gold. Every arc lamp is spreading
electrons; every flash of lightning is
an explosion of eleCtrons; every star
is flooding the universe with cleo
irons. Perhaps this accounts for the
undiminishing radiance and heat of
the sun. 1t may prove that. not gravi-
tation, but electrified electrons hold
the universes together and maintain
all life.
1t has been discovered recently that
radium breaks up spontaneously into
helium, that mysterious metal which
was first found in the gases OF the
corona of the sun and twenty-seven
years later in the metals of the earth
| Through continued radio-activity
| uranium, radium and helium break
down from one to the other, and fin-
ally into lead. So, at last, transmul 4
tation of one elemental metal into
another takes place and the key of
the ancient alchemist is discovered.
He tried to make lead into the higher
metals; our scientists have learned
how the higher metals may be made
into lead. When will they find the
way to reverse the process and makeA
gold out of lead, since the two metals
are the extreme Of the same chain?
who the devil cares?" When that
is accomplished gold will be as com
mon as lead and no more precious
The romance of science. What is
more thrilling?
Copyright 1923. by T Y. Collins)