Evening Star Newspaper, September 5, 1896, Page 15

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 15 BELL RADIOPHONE —_-+—_—— A Way to Telephone With a Sun- beam. = POSSIBLE T0 HEAR A SHADOW FALL Experiments to Utilize the X Rays in Transmitting Sound. A MARVELOUS INSTRUMENT > ROF. GRAHAM Bell ts devoting his attention this sum- mer to the commer- clal development of a wonderful invention of his which involves nothing less than telephoning by means of a ray of light. A few weeks ago I had an extended inter- view with the in- ventor regarding this marvelous instru- ment, the substance of which is here given. Perhaps not a single reader of this ar- ticle is aware of the fact that nearly twenty years ago Professor Bell made the discovery of a method by which he might hear a shadow fall. He found in following up the researches of Dr. Werner Siemens that the rare metal called selenium pos- sesses the peculiar quality of varying its electrical conductivity under the action of light. That fs te say, its resistance to the of a current of electricity differs y when it was exposed to the light or hid in the dark. It was from this discovery that the in- ventor devised an instrument as simple as its powers were astonishing. He found that by connecting a cell made of this metal, selenium, with the ear, by means of an ordinary telephone, and then directing upon this cell an Interrupted beam of light, that it produced sound. It was at first supposed that this rare metal was the only ene which possessed this quality of being scnorous, that is to say, of giving out s, under the action of light. but in a series Of beautiful experiments Prof. Bell fcund that all substances possess it more or less in the same way when made up in the form of thin dises or diaphragms. In # word, the great inventor laid bare for the first time a new principle of matter. The Transmitter. It was out of these researches that the wonderful instrument upon which Prof. Bell ts now again at work sprang. He gave it originally the name of the photophone. Put In the broadest way. {t aimed to sub- te for the ordinary telegraph or tele- one wire a ray of ight. Doubtless there many a man who would question the sanity of any one who would claim to be able to talk for a long distance over a sun- m. And yet this is exactly what Prof. I has suce in doing. The mechan- ism which he devised does not differ widely from the telephone in its general principles, > in the SA ray indicated that it subst- ight for the usual copper ation which accompanies a very fair idea of its atures. first of all a transmitt ich is MECHANISM OF to his practical miracle of telephoning by light. ~ Sunbeam Telephone. But to say that this is “telephoning by means of a sunbeam” is really a very crude and inaccurate description of what actual- ly takes place. This was what Professor Bell discovered by accident one day in the course of his experiments. It chanced that he thrust in the path of the ray a disc of India rubber, and he found that com- munication was not interrupted in the least. If you or I had been there we should have been both surprised and mystified. But the accident told Professor Bell that he had made a yet further step in his re- searches, that he had opened a new gate to further knowledge of the subject. He had discovered that the process of tele- phoning was not ccnducted by the visible rays of the sunbeam at all, but by the invisible rays, of which we know only by inference. If you split up a sunbeam by means of @ prism on each side of the spectrum there will be found to be certain rays which are not visible, but which still have the prop- erty, some of them of developing heat and others of affecting a galvanometer. Some of these are called actinic rays, and then again there 1s another class of which the world has heard a great deal of late, the so-called X rays which Professor Roentgen made use of in seeing the bones of the human body. The peculiar quality of these invisible rays is that they will paes through sub- stances which the visible rays of light will not pass through, and this is just what happened when Professor Bell thrust this Piece of India rubber into the sunbeam’s path, in his experiment. The phenomenon showed that it was these invisible rays which really took up the sound vibrations and carried them along. And so from this Professor Bell was led to change the names of his device from a photophone to a radiaphone. By this new phrase the in- ventor was able to give a clearer and more accurately descriptive name to his inven- tion. Use of Selenium. But Professor Bell's researches were only begun. As I have already indicated, the invention of the radiaphone was due to his discovery of the pecullar properties pos- sessed by selenium. The lattér Is an ex- ceedingly rare metal, so closely resembling telurium that the man who found it first gave it a name which would indicate its relationship; as telerium comes from tellus, the earth, he took its name from selene, the moon. It is as expensive as it is rare, and in his laboratory last spring Professor Bell showed me a little glass jar which contains probably the largest amount of selenium in the world. Furthermore, aside from its expense, it was a troublesome metal to deal with, and many a long night did Professor Bell spend—all his work is done at night—over ways and means for its practical use. It happened one day when Professor Bell wished to make some experiments that the selenium was all gone, and just by way of hazard a number of other substances were tried, to see if they would act in anything like the same way. It was just from this chance experiment that it was found that there are a great many substances that will do almost as well. One of these was ordinary black wool. And just to show you how large a part mere chance plays even in matters of pure science, Professor Bell goes on to tell of how one day he was out of black wool, as well as selenium. There was white wool, however, and noth- ing daunted, the inventor proceeded to be- daub this with ordinary lamp black. And this worked better than ever. It was onl a little further step to experiment wit! lamp black itself, and finally with just plain soot. And ‘the last it was found was the best of all. So, one chance experiment after another, it finally fell out that Professor Bell de- vised a talking machine, literally, out of a sunbeam and a small ‘phial of soot. At first all the experiments were conducted in the laboratory between one room and another. One day Professor Bell's co- worker, Sumner Tainter, climbed up with a radiaphone transmitter, into the cupola of a school house, a considerable distance away. Professor Bell was at the receiver REFLECTOR | PARABOLIC SELENIUM CELL: THE RADIOPHONE made up of a thin diaphragm of mica or of some other substance, silvered at its back sr as to make of {!t a reflecting mirror. The diaphragm is connected with an ordi- nary speaking tube into which the operator talks just as exactly as he would talk into the transmitter of a telephone. Against this thin disc or diaphragm ts Projected a ray of light, preferably sun- light. The light ts caught by a mirror and directed through a concentrating lens whose focus is the transmitting diaphragm. ‘The latter In turn reflects the ray through a@ second lens, which again makes the com- ponents of the ray of light parallel, so that it may travel any distance without disper- sion. At the other station where the recetving operator {s located there is a parbolic re- flector. at the end of which fs fixed a se- lenium cel, The later in turn ts connected, telephonically, with the ear. Now when the ray of light is reflected from the transmit- ling diaphragm and the operator speaks into the tube joined with the latter, what he seys may be clearly and distinctly heard at the other end of the “line;” that is at the other end of the traveling ray of light. And that, practically speaking, is all there is to this wonderful affair. Light as a Carrier. ‘The. theory upon which this instrument ts built is that the ray of light may be im- pressed with sound vibrations tn exactly the same way that an electrically charged wire is impressed with the sound vibra- tions from the telephone. When you talk into the latter what takes place is simply this: The electrical circuit being brought Into connection with the carbon dia- phragm, against which your voice strikes, the wire or current Is set in vibration, or rather the sound vibrations or waves are impressed upon the electrical vibrations or waves, just as {f you were to start a series of ripples In a pond and then add to these a second serles of a different character, which would follow in the same direction but net the same line of vibration or wave motion. This of course is putting the mat- the crtdely, but it represents the notion of the scientific Idea which I have got into my cwn mind, and which I hope is suffi- ciently clear to the reader. It follows from the process here describ- ed, that if speaking against the carbon transmitter will set up such an agitation in an electrically charged wire, a mechanism which shall just reverse the action of the transmitter will reproduce a similar set of vibratio:s upon a diaphragm at the other end of the line and thus reproduce your speech. As the reader ts doubtless aware, all the trend of modern physical science is toward establishing the close relationship of the different forms of molecular mo- tion, which, for the purpose of distinction, are variously called light, heat, electricity and sound. So close, indeed, is this rela- tionship that the late Professor Tyndall, the very highest authority on the subject, wished to abolish some of these phrases, notably that of “light,” as simply confus- ing. And the farther science has gone the more it has come to see that the only dif- ference between these varying modes of motion, the only difference between light and heat and electricity and sound, ts the difference of form and rapidity. It has found that it Is not very difficult to con- vert the one into the other. The conver- sion of heat or electricity into ght 1s so familiar and commonplace a process that we do not wonder at {ft at all. But when Professor Bell went a step farther and demonstrated the possibility of converting light Into sound, or at least of causing a wave of light to produce a wave of sound which is practically tantamount to the same thing, he entered into a new field and welded a new link in the chain of re- lationship and interdependence. You will see that it was but a step farther than this by one of the laboratory windows, won- dering, just like Darius Green, “whether the fool thing would work.” Into the transmitter Mr. Tainter cried: It Worked. “Professor Bell! Professor Bell! If you hear what I say come to the window and ‘wave your hat!’ Professor Bell did not wait for his hat. With all the enthusiasm of a schoolboy he jumped to the window and waved his arms as frantically as he knew how. It did work! Latterly experiments were conducted of talking through a distance of a mile and a half. And here the progress of the inven- tion stopped. There were other things to engage the attention of the inventor's busy and restless brain, and not until the announcement of the wonderful things which Professor Roentgen was able to do with his X rays did the pith his X rays did the instrument receive Now, however, with the rapid pr which investigators have mado reais rection, Professor Bell has again taken up the work, with a view to making the radio- phone a practical and commercial inven- tion. It would never do, of course, t6 have an instrument which has to depend entire- ly upon sunlight for its working ability, and for a long time it looked as though the radiophone would be of no use to any one save men of sctence. But it is possible that with the advance of electric Nghting, and means of generat- ing the X rays, a simple and practicablo way will be found to praduce a light that will rival the sunbeam, at least for this Purpose. The conditions are that it shall be suffi- clently powerful, and at the same time steady. If it does not possess the latter quality, In trying to talk over a ray of light you would experience the same sort of con- fusion as when you tried to telephone over a wire that is vibrating at the sa: from some other source, eee No Limit. I asked Prof. Bell what would be the Umit as to distance throvgh which the radi- ophone might operate, and if by this means it would be possible to talk any farther than you may now signal with a heliograph, He replied that he saw no reason why if the right sort of a light were found it would not be possible to establish a series of re- flecting mirrors at convenient distances apart and reflect the ray in any desired di- rection. Provided the lenses employed are perfectly accurate, the ight would not lose its power, nor would the sound vibrations be disturbed by any number of such de- flections. Theoretically it is entirely conceivable that If a series of mirrors were set up at regular intervals, sufficient to overcome the ovrvature of the earth, it would be Possible to talk clear across the continent or for that matter, were the way clear, all around the world, with this single original beam of light. The only ccndition would be that there should be nothing in the way of an obstruction to cross the beam in its traveis. As to the practical use of the radiophone, it is easy to see that with its simple con- struction, it could be cheaply built and might be employed for long distances, where the cost of copper wire would be prohibi- tive. It is likewlse easy to see its utility in times of war, when It would be impos- stble to string a wire, or when a wire might be cut by the enemy. By this means free communication could be established between armies considerably distant from each other or from a lookout to the head- quarters of the commanding general. DANGER IN TALKING Managers Try to Keep Their Oandi- "dates in the Background. SOME HISTORICAL INSTANCES The Pitfalls That Forever Beset a Candidate. FROBLEM OF THE CAMPAIGN ee HE GREATBST danger in a cam- paign lies in the cand{date.” This political ep!- gram, uttered by ex- Senator Barnum several years ago, has much convino- ing history to back it, Not less than half a dozen nomi- nees for the prest- dency, since Wash- ington first assumed that honor, had their efforts defeated and hopes blasted by some unfortunate slip of the tongue or mistake of the pen. For that reason political managers al- most invariably prefer that the candidate stay at home. In advising Mr. McKinley not to go on the stump, Mr. Hanna is simply trying to profit by the experience of managers in previcus campaigns who have had the wreath of victory torn from their hands at the very hour they were about to Place it upon the candidate's brow. by some accidental utterance, misunderstood expression, unfertunate sentence or heed- less letter of the candidate himself. Great Stumpers. If Mr. Bryan is elected he will be the first successful candidate for the presi- dency who went on the stump in the in- terest of himself. Indeed, he has but four Predecessors among presidential nominees of all parties since the Constitution was enacted who have thought it wise to go before the public and plead their own cause. Those four were Stephen Douglas, Henry Clay, Horace Greeley and James G. Blaine. It may or may not be significant that all were defeated. It will also be remembered that Mr. Harrison said but little in his first campaign, and won, whereas he charmed the country by his “rear platform’ speeches in 1892, but lost. Yet it appeared then, as it appears now, that the course taken was the best that could be adopted. It certainly seemed the Part of wisdom for Douglas to take the stump in 1860 because of his great personal popularity, which seemed to promise that the more people he met the more votes he would win. Consequently he worked hard during the entire campaign and made speeches from Maine to California. Yet he was ingloriously defeated by Lincoln, who had remained at home and maintained a silence as profound as that now being ob- served by the gentleman at Canton. Campaign of 1860, As there were several tickets in the fleld for the campaign of 1860, just as there are tcday, and, as the present election promises surprises and confusion, it will be inter- erting to note the division of the vote in 1860. There were four candidates in the race, namely: Stephen Douglas, northern democrat; J.C. Breckinridge, southern democrat; John Bell, whig, and Abraham Lincoln, republican, Though Mr. Douglas almost monopolized the attention of the country by means of his frequent speeches and continuous oratory, he was almost the last man in the race at the finish. In re- epect to the popular wote he stood second, but in respect to the electoral vote he was found to be at the very bottom of the list when the returns were complete, hav- ing carried but one state, that state being Missouri. His popular vote, however, amounted to 1,400,000. Bell received a popular vote of 600,000 and carried Maryland, Kentucky, Tennes- see and Virginia. Breckinridge received a popular vote of 1,000,000, and the clectoral ycte of all the southern states not carried by Bell and Douglas. The popular vote for Lincoln was found to be 1,800,000, and he had the electoral vote of every northern ard western state, thus electing him. Lincoln's Silence. But note the course he pursued. It was one of silence and seclusion, as remarkable in that particular as the tactics pursued by Douglas were remarkable for their bril- lant aggressiveness. The managers of Lincoln's campaign were in a constant state of fear that their candidate would do or say something that would irretrievably wreck his fortunes. Gov. Morgan of New York was an active worker for Lincoln. He and Thurlow Weed practically man- aged the republican campaign. Both men were familiar with Lincoln’s history, but they did not know the man. They knew that he was without experience in practi- cal politics, and they trembled lest he should make a fatal mistake in word or action. Gov. Morgan's anxiety on the sub- ject was so great that he induced Weed to go out to Springfield for the purpose of warning Lincoln against the dangers of presidential politics. ‘I thought,” said Weed, telling about the trip afterward, “that I was going to meet a simple, rustic lawyer, with merely @ little more talent than the average rus- tic lawyer, and I had a lot of things in my mind. which I intended to advise him to do. I expected to meet a man who had everything to learn and knew nothing to teach. But I hadn't talked to him half an hour before I was asking myself, in aston- ishment, ‘What manner of man ts this?’ I knew that during his whole life he had never entered into active, practical politics. I knew that he had never been consulted by local, state or national politicians for advice, and was consequently altogether devoid of practical experience. The knowl- edge of this had made me form an im- pression that I had a babe to teach, but I soon learned that he was giving me point- ers. In two hours’ conversation he had managed to learn everything I knew with- out telling me anything he knew.” Weed Confounded. As it is to be presumed that Mr. Weed had a pretty good idea of his own shrewd- ness and subtility, it 1s easy to beliove that he was astonished at Lincoln’s su- perior talents in that line, but he was tm- partial enough to admit to Governor Mor- gan, upon his return to New York, that Lincoln knew more than he did, and could be implicitly relied upon to do the right thing and to refrain from doing the wrong thing. The rest is history. The first presidential candidate to defeat himself by an unfortunate utterance was Herry Clay. That was in 1844. Previous to that time candidates had been allowed to do pretty much as they pleased, and according to custom Mr. Clay enjoyed that privilege. It was a fatal privilege for him. Despite the fact that he had used it freely from the beginning of the cam- Paign his chances were excellent, and his election almost conceded; until he wrote that famous ‘Alabama letter,” which con- tained an unfortunate allusion to the ad- micsion of Texas as a state. That was recetved very unfavorably everywhere, but with particular disfavor in New York, where its effect was so disastrous as to turn the state against him, and thus de- feat him. Since that time managers of presidential aspirants have tried to keep their candi- dates in the background. But certain cor ditions have occasionally operated to bring them into active participation, yet, whenever such a course was pursued, the result has been defeat. Success seems to He in silence. It is said to have had much to do with General Grant's popu- larity and success. Tilden’s Sagacity. Greeley appears to have been another victim of too much talk. His speeches were the most eloquent ever made in a political canvass in the history of the nation. They put him on a lofty pedestal of intellectuality, but fafled to push him through at the polls. He received a very large popular vote, but a very small elec- toral vote. Tilden was the most sagacious politician ever nominated for President. He had been a political manager himself in all sorts of elections, and, incidentally, it may be mentioned that he was the only man ever nominated for the presidency by any party who enjoyed practical experience ex- cept Martin Van Buren. Mr. Tilden sald as little as possible publicly, but he fre- quently gave advice to his managers, which never failed to strengthen the democratic lines and help the ticket. In the campaign of 1880 neither candi- date was seen or heard very much. Both Hancock and Garfield were closely watched by their respective managers, who feared their candidates’ activity for different rea- sons. Garfield was impulsive and Hancock inexperienced. Yet, with all the watching, Garfield took a trip to New York that was beset with dangers retrowly missed. ¢ Hancock’g Soup. Hancock, on the other hand, wrote a let- ter to a friend, which caused so much amusement over thécountry that it seri- ously belittled the dignity of the candidate. The letter began, “Your favor received just as I was partaking of a hasty plate of soup.” The mental picture of a dignified general of the army and presidential candidate par- taking of “a hasty plate of soup,” not to speak of the absurd suggestion that a plate of soup could be hasty, caused a veritable roar of laughter to echo from the Atlantic to the Pacific. What might have happened if Gen. Han- cock had not been regaling himself with soup at the time of the receipt of the let- ter is mere conjecture, but it is quite cer- tain that he would have received a larger vote. So they said, after the election, “he is in the soup.” Whence arose the expression. Although the unfortunate incident which defeated Blaine was unforeseen, and not in any sense his fault, his managers blamed themselves, nevertheless, for permitting him to appear so frequently in public, and especially anuthematized the stupidity of holding @ reception upon the very eve of the battle. Their candidate had spoken in many places, and his magnetism had cap- tured the country. He returned to New York with the golden apple virtually with- in his grasp. Republicans were jubilant and democrats were hopeless. Then came the luckless reception, when the Rev. Dr. Burchard, with his famous alliteration, turned the thundering tide of opinion and changed the policy, and perhaps the des- tiny—who shall say?—of the nation. What may happen in this campaign no man can say. Past experience would seem to indicate that the course being fol- lowed by McKinley 1s the course least calculated to bring about trouble in the way of too much talk or im- prudent action, but it is contended by the managers of Mr. Bryan, and admitted by his opponents, that many things seem to make an active campaign on his part the most advisable. He himself is said to be- Neve that he will get all the votes in the country If he can just see all the voters. He puts great faith In the power of oratory, and not without reason, but, whether the speech that is “‘silver” or the silence that is “golden” shall win in this campaign, ee time, which reveals all things, can tell. ———— UNDERNEATH THE LAKE. How the King of Sianr Keeps Cool During the Summer. From the Chicago Chronicle. The King of Siam understands how to keep cool in warm weather, and having an abundance of means at his command he can indulge in the luxury of a cool re- treat that has never before had an equal in the world. Wheh a hot wave strikes Siam, and that every summer, his maj- esty devotes his entire energies to the task of keeping comfortable. There may be business to do, but it may wait. His palace is dark and epol and yet airy. And if the heat grows too burdensome, or per- haps only for a change, his majesty goes under water and remajng there until things ccol off. He dcesn’t don a bathing suit or a div- ing bell for the purpose, but goes under wa- ter in full atate, throge, bag and bag- gage, not forgetting a ran supply of wines. ‘The way he works.it is very simple. A pavilion, built, with the excep-ion of the iron and cement floor, entirely of sheets of bent glass, floats by Means of air cham- bers in the bottom of a large lake in the palece grounds. When the thermometer Teaches a certain height, as indicated by bis majesty’s degree. of discontent, the court moves to the glass pavilion. The air chambers are filled with water and the pavilion, with all on board, or rather tn- side, sinks gracefully to the bottom. There all hands remain until word is brought that ghowerg or east winds have cooled things above. This word comes by means of speaking tubes that, connect with the shore. A continuous supply of fresh air is also brought down from shore by flexible tubes. As for provisions, a plentl- ful supply 1s brought in before the pavilion 1s sunk, but it {s not infrequently the case that a trip has to be made to the surface to get more. There ts not much trouble in making the ascent. The air chambers are filled by means of connecting pipes frcm above, and soon the royal household is gliding upward with a gentle swaying motion. The King of Siam would not permit any subject, no matter how wealthy or influ- ential, to copy his method of keeping cool. He also tries to keep the matter a secret, s0 no other oriental potentate may imitate 1m, Wolf Hunting in South Dakota for Cnmpaign Money. From the Boston Globe. When the wolves howl in South Dakota the free silver farmers of that part of the country begin to whet their scalping knives and shove shells loaded with buckshot in- to the breech-loaders. A new scheme for raising campaign money has been evolved out that way, and every wolf kilied means so many dollars more toward placing Mr. Bryan in the presidential chair. People out in the Dakotas are poor, but intensely in earnest. They are in the sil- ver fight to stay, and they are putting in their best blows for what they think will be for theirs and the country’s interest. Wolves are plenty in most of the counties, and whenever their howls are heard that place is an exceptionally good spot to keep an eye on the sheep. In order to extermin- ate them the state offers a bounty of $2 per scalp. About ten days ago some genius who lay awake nights hatching plans for the pro- motion of the free silver crusade concelved the idea of wolf-hunting parties. The scheme caught on, and several hunts are said to have taken place. Whenever a wolf 1s killed the scalp skin with the ears at- tached is removed as proof that there is one wolf less in the stat A county wi rant issued in payment of the bounty money is turned over to the managers of the campaign. Those out in the Dakotas whose opinions carry weight believe that before election the howl of the wolf in South Dakota will have been hushed for- ever. ————_-+-___ Mica Fields of Nerth Carolina. From the St. Louis Globe Democrat. The wild and apparently worthless moun- tain region around Bakersville, N. C., is the main source of mica for the United States. Mica mining is one of the greatest industries in North Carolina and has yield- ed fortunes to those engaged in it. Mica is found in all sorts of blocks of various thicknesses and shapes, and can be split up and resplit until it becomes the thin, trarsparent, flexible wafer of commerce. The material ts by nature imbedded in or scattered through the feldspar in masses large or small, close together or far apart, and is blasted trom the rocks by means of dynamite, the purer veins being found between walls of slate. The average size is about 4 by 6 inches, although rare sheets of 24 by 28 inches are sometimes found. The electrical industries are large con- sumers of mica, {t being invariably used as an insulating material on all high volt- age armatures and for various other pur- Poses. —————————— Swam Twelve Miles. From the New York Herald. For the first time in the history of Nar- regansett Pier a man swam over from Newport this morning. The distance is twelve nautical miles. He arrived at the diving wharf anchored in front of the bathing pavilion during the bathing hour, and he was welcomed with loud cheers. The man who accomplished this wonderful feat was Peter S. McNally of Boston. He encountered quite heavy seas and a severe thunder storm, but did not pause on his way. A boat followed him in case of ac- cident. The swim was not made on a wager. PLANISPHERE FOR SEPTEMBER, Showing the principal stars which are abvve the horison September 6 at 9 @.m. STARS IN SEPTEMBER Some of the More Prominent Constel- lations and Their Locations. CHAT ABOUT THE HEAVENLY BODIES Favorable Time in the Year to Study the Heavens. MOON AND PLANETS —__+___ A SEPTEM3ER EVEB- ning is especially fa- vorable for a study of the northern stars. If we will take a po- sition facing a point in the horizon be- tween north and northeast, at 9 o'clock at the begin- ning of the month, a couple of hours eari- ler at its close, we shall have before us six or eight of the Mest nutavie of the constellations—inter- esting, both classically and astronomically. We shall find them, too, nearly all in, their best positions for observing, right-side-up ard rot in the topsy-turvy attitudes which they sometimes assume. Directly in front of us may be seen the old hero, Perseus, standing erect with one foot below the horizon, brandishing in his right hand—as he is represented on the chart—an invisible sword, and holding in his left by its snaky locks the terrible Gor- gon’s head; above Perseus and in mid- heavens in the northeast is Cassiopeia, bet- ter known nowadays as the Lady in her Chair, or simply the Chair; to the right of Cassicpeia reclines her daughter, Andro- meda, bound to an imaginary rock, a dainty offering to the ferocious sea mon- ster, who, however, will be defrauded of his expected repast by Perseus and will be changed into a rock by means of the Me- dusa head; above, and to the left of Cas- ziopela, and nearly over the Pole star, s:ands Cepheus, the husband of Cassiopela, cf small account as a king and of hardly more account as a constellation; to the left cf Cepheus, in midheavens in the northeast, 1s the Dragon, the general shape of whose many coiled body is that of a reversed letter S; below the Dragon, be- tween west and northwest, is the well- kncwn Great Dipper, in the Ursa Major, or Great Bear; midway between the Great Dipper and Cepheus is the Little Dipper, known arciently as the Ursa Minor, or Lit- tle Bear; directly overhead 1s the Swan, or Nertkern Cross. The region we have just gone over is abundantly supplied with objects suited to an opera glass or small telescope. We will examine a few of them. We will begin with an opera glass study of Per- seus. This constellation contains two stars of the second magnitude, Alpha Per- sei, at the center of the constellation, and Beta, better known as Algol, which marks the Medusa head and is a remarkably va- riable star. The star Alpha is at the cen- ter of an elongated group of six or eight stars visible to the naked eye. Our opera glass will raise the number to about thirty, the group still retaining its elongated shape, forming the body of the constella- tion, and a very pretty group it is. : Some Faint Stars. Now raise the glass to a point about midway between Alpha Perse! and the cen- ter of Cassiopeia. A group of six or eight faint stars will be seen, all embraced with- in the field of the glass, and in the midst of them a large spot of a decidedly nebu- lous appearance. This is the famous star cluster in the handle of the sword of Per- sets. The cluster Is double, there being in {t two points about which the stars are particularly concentrated. It is next to the Pleiades, the most splendid star cluster in the heavens. It is an excedeing pret- ty object in the field of even a small tele- scope, although to see it in its full glory requires a six-inch instrument at the least. Cassiopeia, in view of her splendor as a constellation, will be a little disappointing when scanned with an opera glass; still there are several very pretty areas in this constellation. One of these is the head, which will be found to be quite thickly gemmed with tiny stars. The richest part of the coretellation Mes between the stars Alpha ai.d Gamma—the second and third of the five which form the “W" reckoned downward, as the constellation is now posed. At about one-third of the distance from Alphe to Gamma is the star Eta, of the third magnitude, a double star easily separated with a small telescope. The companion star is of a dull purple color. Between Eta and Gamma Cassiopeia is a “naked-eye double” star, which the opera glass brings out very prettily. The glass shows, too, that Gamma lies in a little semicircle of small stars, which resembles very closely the Northern Crown. It may be added that this star Gamma has a rep- utation among astronomers as one of the few stars whose spectra contain bright lines, which indicate that their light comes partly from glowing gases—that the stars ere partially nebulous. A Brilliant Ficld. Now raise the opera glass to the head of Cepheus, and you will begin to “see stars,” indeed. A region six or eight degrees across—a little larger than the “field” of the glass—directly below the pair of third magnitude stars which mark the head of Cepheus, is most profusely besprinkled with stars just below the limit of naked eye vision, but which sparkle like diamond dust in the fleld of an opera glass. You ara now fairly in the Milky Way, and if you have never enjoyed the privilege of survey- ing the Milky Way through a telescope this little vision through an opera glass will give you some idea of a pleasure that you have still in store. Move the glass still upward toward the Swan. You are still traveling in the Milky Way, and when you arrive in the neighborhood of the star De- neb Cygni--the bright star in the tail of the Swan, or the head of the Cross—you will reach a “field” of which the extraordi- nary richness will certainly call forth an exclamation of admiration, if you are view- ing such @ spectacle for the first time. You will wonder that you have never thought of using an opera glass upon the stars before. Sweep with the glass the whole constellation of the Swan. Travel farther; turn toward the south and follow the Milky Way down through the Eagle, through the tail of the Serpent, until it disappears below the horizon in the south- west, between Sagittarius and the Scor- pion. All the way along your course you will find stars, stars innumerable, and here and there a patch of exceptional richness, which you will pause to examine more par- ticularly. As you approach the constelli tion Sagittarius you will come across sev- eral nebulous patches, which a larger in- strument would resolve into beautiful star clusters; but nowhere will an opera glass bring out the richness of the Milky Way more strikingly than in the neighborhood of the Swan. Now direct the glass to some region of the heavens at a distance from the Milky Way, say upon the bowl of the Dipper, and note the contrast. You will tind in the bowl of the Dipper ten or dozen stars not visible to the naked ey but in an equal area of the Swan the stars, as you see them through an opera glass, might be counted by the hundred, and the background is still milky with the light of stars far beyond the reach of an opera glass. It has been estimated that the num- ber of the stars down to the fourteenth magnitude, tnclusive, is somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000,000, and that of these about 18,000,000 lie in and along the Milky Way. The Blinking Demon. The variable star Algol, the “Blinking Demon” of the Arab astronomers, is now in an excellent position for observing, and it wiil continue to be visible at a seasonable hour for several months to come. This is @ particularly interesting object for the naked-eye star-gazer. Ordinarily it 1s of the second magnitude, as will be the case at 8 o'clock tomorrow night. After shining thus for @ period of two anda alf days, it begins to lose its brilliancy, and in the course of about four hours it declines to the fourth magnitude. In this condition it re- mains fifteen or twenty minetes, and then begins to brighten. In four hours it has be- ccme again a star of the second magni- tude, thus to remain for another jeriod of two and a half days. The explauacion of this singular behavior of the star is that it is attended by a dark satellite which per- fodicelly eclipses it partially by passing be- tween it and us, thus cutting off a portion of its light. On the sth of this month Al- gol will be at a “ imum” at 6 p.m., and by 9 o'clock it will very nearly have re- covered its usual splendor. The next ob- servable minima will occur on the 25th at 11 p.m., and on the 28th at 8 p.m. With the and of the planisphere the star should ve found easily. Observe that it forms with Alpha Perset and the star in the left foot = Andromeda a nearly right-angled trian- gle. On the 21st of the month we shall have a full moon. At that time the sun will very nearly have reached the autumnal equinox in its passage from the northern to the southern hemisphere, and the moon, being at a point in the heavens opposi.e, will be near the vernal equinox, where :he sun’s path and her own cross the celestial equa- tor from south to north. This position of the full moon gives rise to what is known, par- ticularly in the north of England, as the “Harvest Moon.” For several consecutive days the September moon, when full, or nearly full, rises just before or just after sunset, the interval between the time of its rising from night to night being, in our lat- tude, less than half an hour. The reason of this—for most persons are prone to seek the “causes of things”—is that the moon's path at that time, running obliquely across the celestial equator, has so great an incli- nation toward the horizon, cuts it at so sharp an angle, that, although the moon travels its usual daily distance of about 12 degrees, it succeeds in getting below the herizon from evening to evening, so to nay, but a comparatively short distan @ homely illustration, a pole twelve fe long may be conceived to be thrust into the earth its whole length, but at such an an- gle that the end of the poie is no more than six or seven feet below the surface. The inclination of this pole would very fairly represent the inclination of the moon's path to the horizon when the moon rises with the vernal equinox. The phenomenon really happens every month, but it is only in September that the moon is full at the time, and that the fact is noticeable. The Planets, Mercury is now an evening star and makes its appearance low in the west a half or three-quarters of an hour after sun- set. It will be at its greatest eastern elon- gation from the sun—26 degrees 43 minutes —on the 13th. After that date it will draw in rapidly toward the sun, and before the close of the month it will be too near the sun to be visible. Venus also is an evening star, being an hour east of the sun, and before the close of the month she, too, will become visible on a clear evening in the fading twilight. Mars, in the constellation Taurus, about five degrees northwest of the star Alde- baran, now rises at about 10:30 p.m., and by midnight is well above the eastern hori- zon. During the month he will advance nearly an hour further along the ecliptic, and at the end of the month will be near the more southerly of the two stars which tip the Bull's horns. His distance from us now is almost precisely the same as our distance from the sun, and is not quite twice that which he will have at the time of his “opposition” on the 10th of Decem- ber next. Already astronomers have begun their attack upon Mars, and we ought soon to receive some reports from the skirmish parties. Jupiter is now about two hours west of the sun, in the constellation Leo, close be- side the star Regulus. Saturn is still visible in the early even- ing, but sets at about 9 o'clock. Uranus, invisible to the naked eye, is about six degrees to the east of Saturn. Neptune, likewise invisible, is still plodding his slow way through Taurus and has nearly reached the tip of the southern hern. The Moon, New moon occurs on the 7th at 8:43 a.m.; full moon on the 2ist at 5:40 p.m. The moon will be in “perigee” on the 11th; in “apogee” on the 27th. At 8 a.m. on the 224, Washington time, mois will enter Libra and autumn will in. —___ + e+ ___ A Hygienic Restaurant. From the London Graphic. A suggestion worthy of all praise is put forward by a contemporary journal for ladies. It is to the effect that somebody should start a restaurant in which the walters should be instructed to refuse to serve any sequence of dishes which obvi- ously make for indigestion. One can easi- ly believe that the world would be the bet- ter, the healthier and the happier if this proposal were widely carried out. Men have been known, for instance, to wash oysters down with brandy and water, but they have always been sorry for it after- ward. Students at the British Museum have been observed to drink tea with veal and ham pie, and their studies have suf- fered from the combination. The world, in short, is full of middle-aged men who would enjoy their middie age ever so much better if in their youth they had found their way to restaurants where such delicacies as veal and ham pie, dressed crab, lobster mayonnaise and cucumbers were only to be procured upon production of a medical certificate of fitness to receive them. $3 A MONTH Dr. McCoy Waives All Per sonal Fees DURING MONTH OF SEPTEMBER Those Who Have Felt That They Could Not Be Treated, Know! Dector McCoy's Fees, May Not Be Deprived of the Benefits of the W. derfal Treatment That is Attract- ing the Attention of ‘the Whole N tion. MANY WHO HAVE VISITED THE OFFICES OF DOCTORS McOOY AND COWDEN DURING THB FAST FEW MONTHS HAVE FELT THEY COULD NOT AFFORD THE MONEY NBCESSARY FOR THE TREATMENT. MANY ALSO HAVE BEEN KEPT AWAY BECAUSE OF TUR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE THAT DOCTOR McOOY'S FERS APS HIGH—NECESSARILY MADE SO BY THE GREAT DEMANDS UPON HIS TIME AND SKTUa WHEN DOCTOR McOOY ESTARLISHED A Na TIONAL PRACTICE IN WASHINGTON IT WAS HIS PLAN. TO GIVE EVERYBODY AN OPPOR- IfY TO OBTAIN THE BENEFITS OF HIB TREATMENT WHICH HAS DONE SO MUCH FOR TRE THOUSANDS AND TENS OF THOUSANDS OF THE SICK AND THE DEAF IN OPHIR CITIES. IT IS STILL DOCTOR McCox’S PUR- POSE TO DO THIS, AND WEILE HE DOES NOT PROPOSE TO REDUCE HIS FEE-WILL NOT DO IT IN FACT—HE WILL FOR THE TIME REING ABOLISH IT ALTOGETHER, AND GIVE FOR THE MONTH OF SUPTEMBER BIS SURVICES VEE, CHARGING ONLY FOR THE MEDICINES, MAKING A UNIFORM RATE OF $3 A MONTH. THIS RATB WILL ONLY RE GIVEN DURING SEPTEMBER, AND WILL APPLY TO OLD AND NEW PATIENTS ALIKE, AND WILL Bi MAIN- TAINED UNTIL A CURE IS EFFECTED; THAT 8, ALL NEW PATIENTS WHO APPLY BEFORE OCTOBER 1, AND ALL OLD PATIENTS WHO RENEW BEFORE OCTOBER 1, WILL BE TREATED U) TIL CURED AT THE UNIFORM RATE OF $3 A MONT: THIS APPLIES TO THOSE WHO ARE DEAF AND THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING FROM ALL Dis WITHOUT EPTION. IT Arians MBER, AND THOSE APPLYING AFTER OCTOBER 1 WILL P CHARGED TBE REGU: ‘W. H. Coleman, 723 6th st. ae. testifies to Dr. McCoy's skill in cur- ing deafness. William H. Colema: Southeast: “For thirty years I had been dont. Terrible rumbling, hissing and buxzing sounds in my ears prevented me from clearly understanding ordinary conversation. I was constantly compelled to ask people to repeat. ‘I tried many doctors patiently and often, bat found only @ little temporary relief. Under the treatment of Doctors McCoy and Cowden the dis trewsing noises have all ceased, and I Can Hear Again Perfectly. “Because of my cure I have induced a friend of mine, who bad been deaf for thirty-five years, to take their treatment. “Besides being deaf, I was @ constant sufferer from chronic bronchitis and stomach trouble. I Was never without a cough, and the spells would often lust for hours at a time. My breath would suddenly seem to stop, and I would full down Completely Helpless from exhaustion. My stomach was so bad that I would vomit almost everything I ate. “Drs. MeQoy and Cowden have cured my cough, and I can eat and digest my food without vomiting. My improvement is simply wonderful.” Dr. J. Cresap McCoy, Dr. J. M. Cowden, Consulting Physicians. 715 13th Street Northwest. Office Hours, 9 to 12 a.m.,1 to 5 p.m. 6 to 8 p.m.,datly. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m Geographical Tin Cans, From the ww York Post. Capt. H. H. P. Deasy, a cavalry officer im the British army, left England some time ago for a journey across Thibet from west to east. He intends on the way to throw soldered-up tin cans containing parchment notices in English and French into the tributaries of the Tsanpo and into the other large rivers which he may meet with, in the hope that some of them may be picked up far down stream, posslbly in the Brahmaputra, Salween and Mekong, and thus nelp to solve the vexed problem of the origin and connections of these riv- ers. The notices will be numbered con- secutively, and the tins in which they will be inclosed will have a brass label soldesed on the outsidt, “Please open this,” in glish and French, with Capt. Deasy’s name attached. The parchment inside bears the request that it be forwarded without de- lay to the Royal Geographical Society,Lon- don, with as accurate a statement as. pos- sible as to the spot where It was picked up. Capt. Deasy is trying to render an important service to geographical know! edge, and it is hoped that the officials, En- glish and French, in the neighborhood of the rivers alluded to may be able to ar- range for a lookout, so that the tins may be secured and the parchment delivered te the proper quarter. soe How It Happened. From the Cleveland Leader. “Too bad about Shelby, wasn't it?” “What's the matter with him?” “He had a terrible shock -lay before yes. terday, and may not recover. Hadn't you heard about it?” “No. How did it happen?” - “Well, he had an engagement to meet his wife at a certain place down town at 12:20 o'clock.” es “And he burried up with his work, and started out for the rendezvous.” es.” ‘got there at exactly the appointed see. Well?” ‘His wife had been there twelve sco- onds!” — Her Opinion. From Chips. Mr. Bashful (after years of steady call- ing)—If-if I should pro-propose to—to—te any one, what would you think? Miss Longwalit—i'd think the world was coming to an end.