Evening star., 1926-12-14

Last Sunday was the quarter-cen
turv anniversary of the first trans
mission OF wireless messages, when
Marconi in Cornwall, England, sent
the letter as" over the ocean to a sta
ton In Newfoundland.
That was not his first experiment
but previous efforts had been over
short ranges. 1t was his first demon
stration that. the curvature OF the
earth did not prevent the transmission
of wireless waves lover the top" from
one hemisphere to the other. Within
three months thereafter, while he was
en- route to the United States, he re-
ceived, on shipboard, complete ana
Ineligible message from England,
1900 miles away, and within one year
private messages were travelling be-
tween England and America. Three
years later, wireless messages gave
the news, across the $50 miles of ocean
to Weihaiwei, of the battle between
the Russians and Japanese wiping out
the Russian feet.
II 4 X X
I" In the romance of the coming OF
wireless to the world, there are out
standing the strange facts that the
Italian inventor made his first real
introduction between i. English-speak-
ing peoples, and that the first great,
practical use Of the invention came
from a major event on the other side
Of the'world, between two nations then
far from being recognized as In the
van of advancing civilization. and
from the initial experiment In long
range wireless until it's full adoption
by civilization only three years
elapsed. That quick acceptance was
itself a miracle. What other major
invention has ever come into use
with such a whirl? Not steam en-
gines. nor flying machines, both of
which required decades before accept
ance as of great practical value.
1t will surprise many readers to
learn that with some folks the
worlds rotundity is yet a matter of
dispute. not alone in Asia or Africa.
Here in the United States there Is a
sect which Is now sending out maps
of the fiat" world, based upon
proof brought by Lieut.. Comdr.
Byrd that the world is not globe
but Is as fiat as a pancake. and shap-
ed like a flapjack.
Lieut.. Comdr. Byrd few over the
North Pole. That proves that that
pole is the pivot of the world. and
"the sun circles around it"-"just as
the Bible says it does" But nobody
ever has flown over the South Pole.
and when Comdr. Byrd tries 1t ne
will find that the South Pole is not
the center but is the circumference
of the 'pancake"--it is in every direc-
ton from the North Pole, and as sure
as he flies over or around that rim
he Is going to fall off into abysmal
space-exactly as predicted Of Column
bus when he dared sail over the
horizon, nearly five centuries ago.
Last week the present writer was
halted within the sacred precincts of
the Nations Capital and buttonholed
held him as the Ancient Mariner
was held from the wedding feast
while the scientist announced that
there was a good story" in his dem.
onstration that space is not filled
with ether, and that light Is not vibra-
ton of ethereal molecules or atoms
or electrons or what not--light COM
ing on journeys of millions of years
from the starting point across space
lis matter in forward motion"
though flying at the rate Of 5000 900
million miles year, and some of its
courses have been measured by
astronomers and found to stretch out
from the Milky Way to earth, 100000
600 million years.
x* **
But IL there be no ether In space.
how does wireless vibration In q tiny