The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-08-23
GARRETT P. SERVISS ON DUST
PARTICLES AND LIGHT
Atmosphere of Earth Causes Suns Rays tx
GLOW" and Secures General Illumination.

~ ELOW is a letter which
shows observation, intellect
~ ual curiosity and the appli-
cation of a mans richest posses.
sion-the power of thinking. II
the writer goes slightly astray in
some respects it is owing simply
to lack Of special knowledge:
II am employed as a sprayer,
and have noticed that in my
spray booth there Is a small
opening through which the
suns rays stream In the morn
ing. AS l spray, and dust flies
in this booth. the ray Is
clearly visible, but as soon as
the spraying ceases the ray
disappears, due to the absence
of the dust. mentioned. Taking
this as the atmosphere Of the
= earth. is 1t not possible that the
sun would not give US light If
1t were not for the particles of
dust which carry the light for
us? II the air was free of all
matter would not the sun be
nothing but a dull glow, end
the universe otherwise pitch
black? Also, is 1t not so that
nothing can exist of itself
alone. but only with the aid Of
something else, a dependent?
v. c. N. Chicago"
There is a brighter light in
that spray booth than the sun.
beam which traverses it whcl it's
air is filled with floating parti-
cles that reflect the impinging
light.waves. Thought radiates
more brilliantly than the sun,
and every thinker is himself q
sun, Illuminating the mysteries
around him.
The man in the booth has cor.
rectly interpreted the meaning Of
the apparition of the shaft Of
sunlight crossing the spray and
dust filled air, and its subsequent
becomes free from floating par.
ticles. Every drifting particle
catches and reflects tiny wave
let of light. But the light is1not
created by the floating particles;
even its nature is not changed
by them. They only change it's
course of reflection. But in thus
altering its course they send 1t
directly into his eyes, where the
etheric waves produce upon the
optic nerves the effect which we
call light.
Our thinker has also correctly
inferred that reflecting particles
distributed through the atmos.
phere Of the earth must produce
scattering of the light of the
suns rays, thus causing the gen.
eral illumination of daylight.
But he is in error when he sug.
gests that the sun would rot
give us light II there were no re.
fleeing matter in the air, but
would anrear only as "a dull
glow" The state of affairs on
the earth. in that case. would
resemble what actually exists on
the moon, where there is an
abundance of sunlight due t. the
direct solar beams falling eve v.
where upon the lunar surface,
but where there is no general, or
diffused, illumination on acc ount
of the absence OF perceptible
atmosphere.
In fact, it appears that the at.
mosphere itself Is capable of DIFF.
fusing sunlight, for light is re.
Elected from layers Of air many
miles high, where we cannot SUI.
pose any vapor particles or dust
to exist But above the levels
where clouds Of floating particlts
are to be found. the atmosphere
is exceedingly transparent as com
pared with its condition nearer the
ground.
The great practical advantage
that we derive from the presence
Of light scattering matter in the
cir is that it throws light into