Evening Star Newspaper, October 9, 1921, Page 64

wen! amilton Young Castner. I\ ;] O discovery in the history of American chemistry s more 2YN " brifiant ‘than that made by $2+3 Hamiiton Young Castner, by smeans of which the silver metal, inum, was made sufficiently cheap to.take the place of the scarcer and JWen less expensive mietal, tin. +Castner, was borp in Brooklyn, N. ., & sfudied chemistry under Chandler JaNe Columbla University ‘School of !n!’l O wqp!ellnt his ‘course he| tablis] himself as an analytical Ghemist in-the:downtown district of jw. York city.. His firat commerclal _muniyjly was,that of a fertilizer. He made three: determinations of the _fie'np‘ and they agreed exactly, but in opdér ,to verify his results he pdvmifted-a portion of his sample to he, pegt chemist in the city, whose feturns weére not within the limts of Caitnérs figures.” We met at luncheon #1d Castner was in doubt as to what to. da, but I reassured him and said: “Either you ‘are a competent chemist o5 §du are not. If you are, you should stand, by your results, and if.you are not_gorrect,'give up your business. He followed my advicq and his client turmed -over to him a lucrative prac- tice:because of his results were cor- rect; » But Castner was not content, for he*wduld succeed, and great suc- cesstwas his ambition. He turned his attention to the perfecting of .a con-| tinubus Process for the manufacture of carbon or bone black. He succeeded in'.nventing a new method, which yielded a product at lower price than previously:obtained, but the commer- clal conditions were such that the piocéss failed to attract capital and ‘was discarded. s “Then he tackléd the problem of cheaper.aluminum. He at once recog- niged that'the road to success was by a. method of- producing cheaper rdfum,'lnr, that .element offered the est’Thesns that would. take the oxy- gens from.. alumina, leaving the de- sirtd metal_bebind in all its silver beaiity. ‘Again Castner was’success- ful, Bt 'ficklé fortune failed to smile ong him., tor Hall, with his electro- Iydc’ methéa, won' the' field. " Castner. 1t. was. who first. reduced ‘the; price ,of metallic aluminum from ten'dollars.a'pound to less than a dol- . 7or the-same ‘amount. -Sir. Fred- -A.-Abel. sald in an address be- the British Assoclation ‘in 1890: ¢ zuccess which has culminated in ddnfitdble Castner- propess ‘con- tutes one of the most interesting -ecent {llustrations of the progress in ‘teehnalogical chemistty upon appy blénding of chemistry with avedhdnival science. through the labors &?_cheflfltll engineers.” This was _hig # e raige from a British scientist 'a ‘young’and unknown American .chemist., He then devoted his atten- t fo the manufacture of -sodium peroXide, .and that compound soon re- plfid' barium peroxide as a bleaching aghnt! . Thus turning failure into suc- ceas he achieved high reputation as a EJMIQ. but not satisfied. for he wagted something bigger, and he In- ted (‘:e Castner cell. which made poshibie 2 perfect process for the nranyfacture of caustic soda, and the Sreat seda fndustry was at his mercy. Castper was clever, able, persistent, and - saw- principles. He was not a great’ chemist. He was something better: He Tossessed that combina- tion.~of '.qualities that made him a geniuk, and,- gifted with an attractive personality, surceeded. He died in 1899°af the early uge of forty. L, E e E Edwarg Drinker Cope. ithe days before the civil war the rx‘fioimimém sent out varfous expe- @fdons to study the natural resources Zthe west,,and especially for the se of finding suitable routes for Wg’ggnig rallways. With éach * these expeditions some éminent seibntist ‘wis-detailed,-frequently as a |- physician, to adcompany the party for the purpose of recording such new faéts of a séientific nature as should present - themselves. These. expedi- tions. under different names. contin- sfter, ‘the war, and in_1879 were Seahoaatit ws the Unitéd Wiates g8~ e 'was ‘& ’Qu’nkolv by ‘descent. a native! of. Pjladelphia’” and: studied natural science at the University of Peansylvania, after which he con- tinued his studies under Prof. Baird iw the Smithsonian Institution. Then for a time he held the chair of nat-| ural science in Haverford College, but the lure of the open called him first to the Hayden survey and then to the Wheeler survey. and for more than a cade he Hevoted his life to the atudy of those many fassil forms, including | t saurians, that are so abun-if the grea dant in the west. It was said of Cuvier that, give him a bone, he could draw on the blackboard a representation of the,animal. But so great was Cope’s knowledge of anjmal anatomy that if he found a fossi] bone he was at once ahle to create a new genus and prop- erly describe the species before it was ever: seen. : Tt-is sald. that dyring these fruit- ¢ his career; he enriched than ‘a thousand _lite and with an equal number. of recent forms. He. far sur- passed.’ any “of _his predecessors, mot only by his “knowledge of morpho- logical ‘details manifept: in the ex- tinet a8 well in, living forms. but by His.keen philosophical instin taxogomic tact.” His home in Philadelphia was stored from. cellar to garret with his’ cbllec- tions. most_of which are now. in the American Museum in New York.:or in.the, National Museum, in Washing- fon , “His own room was niled waist- Rixgh with pamphlets foasils and alco- folic specimens, Occasionally an aged tortoise- would ‘'wander out from be- weath.a .uurl-‘x-."md;ona of ‘his'latest pets was a Gila monxter. which. 1‘:'%;- trary to.thie popular belief. was pér-| fectly harmless. and l6ved to be han- dled by jts owner.” Gill, his famous fopotary: compares ~ him with Vier,' Owen and Huxley. and savs that” be covered a fleld as extensive as any. abd his “knowledge of struc- tural ‘details of all the classes of ver- tebrates wan’ probably more svmmet- 1 than-that of anv’ of-these with T e s compared: hincommand of maferfal was greater than that of afy of the others: ‘his-industry was edual to Owen's; in the ‘clearners of his concaptions he was: equaled bv ley alone: in the skill with which Pweighied: discovered facts, in-the ess' of his nresentation of those facts. and jn the lurid methods by which the labor of the student was saved. and in the comception of: the Pwmercus ‘pronositions’ facilitated, wwx unequaled.” ; “His papers, more than four hun- dred In ‘number. constitute a system- atiG pecord of the develonment of paléontology in the United States, and oRe of hin reports was so large and Pulky that it was facetiously krown ““Cope’s Rihle” He dled in Phila- delphia’ in 1897 ‘at the comparatively young age of fiftv-seven, hut:recog- nized far and' wide 'asone _of tl;: gresiest mén of sclence ever-be * ok wE thix countty. - " éhemigt who died’in Parls in 1889 at’the; §9od old age of 103. | He was tha son of a physic and:made hjs| arly les In his‘native’ town. of; Zsgets "and fheh * trned®.to’ ‘Parls, wiiere _he studied éhemistey under In:1323 he published’ his Qrigin,” 1 ‘which he showed ofls” and fats, which’ until ‘then [Sleull: | furnishing 'stearic_acid, gave the manpfacture of stearine candles. Thege investigations led to the cre- ation ‘of 'new Industries and opened wider horizons to the theories of or- ganic’ chemistry. ‘YRey also so thor- oughly established his reputation that he became recognized as the worl greatest authority on animal fats. Later he became director of the dye works of the Gobelins factory, and thereafter he devoted his chief atten- tion to the study of color. He showed that the harmonies of color are due to immutable lawa, which he revealed, and the certalnty of which is demon- strated by caléulation. He also dis- covered the laws of the simultaneous or successive contrasts of color, the theory of coloréd shadows, and the art of defining, by means of a chro- matic circle, every shade by a figure. Like al] Frenchmen who, contribute to the welfare of their country, he re- celved many honors from his govern- ment, and indignant at the bombard- ment of Paris by the Prussians, he registered the following protest in the minutes of the Academy of Sci- "AROUND THE CITY || ries: “The garden, of. medicinal plants, founded at Paris by an edict of Louis XIIL, “in the month of January, 1626, became the Museum of Natutal His- tory, by a decree of the-convention June 10, 1793, was bombarded. under the reign of William I, King of Prusa- sia, Count Bismarck, chancellor, by the Prussian army on the night of January 8-9, 1871, up till when it had been 'respected by all parties and by all national and forelgn powers.” In the United States he was early chosen one of the foréign assoclates of the National Academy of Sciences, and he was made an honorary fellow of the American Assoclation for the Advancement of Science, which tinction, but twice conferred, wal given him on the celebration of his one hundredth birthday. From boy- hood he was a strict abstainer from | all alcoholic liquors and from tobacco. and he attributed his long life and vigorous h:alth to his simple and regular habits. It is told of him that when his only gon, Henrl,> who died at the age of seventy, a month be- fore his father, was mortally il friends of the venerable scientist feared to tell him of the younger man's ilness, but, when the end ‘cime and it became necessary to'make the fact known, the aged savant's only comment was, “I am sorty, but it was to be expected; for the boy was al- ways delicate and we never expected to raise him.” 5 § of which he was one of the' ADDY DISTRICT is worrled D and daugliter Columbla has lines between her eves. He . is fidgety: for fear his arma- ments party may not find him in ap- ple pie order, and she is fraszling her nerves ovér ‘the same problem that -once harassed' the lady ' who lived in a shoe. : Just one little walk around the city would sssure them:that this town is able to. accommodate. all four cor- ners of the earth——never mind about its being round—end when it comes to that other vital need—the one we nice folks call menus and the: other sort know as eats—pouf! - There Is al- ways more in the kitchen. Also, they would notice that all of us—except Gen.'Grant—are brighten- ing up our corners, so that when who- all's coming gets. here we will be as neat as that new pin that lends it- self so helpfully for comparison. The White House Is diked like a bride, with the grounds for a wed- ding bouquet—and they do be saying that Mrs. Harding means to keep the door ajar for all who want to go through. Which means the world and his wife and their in-laws. . Also, again, should dad be curious to get local opinioris’as to the out- come of the big. parley, he has only to ‘snoop around generally, in cars and cafes and stores, on street cor- ners and In homes to.learn that we re shuttlecocking arguments up and lown and around, with every- body in the game. And the big thrill of, it is th: nothing we can think up will be as dramatic as the thing that is going to be. If you doubt it, see the. history, of creation, from Adam to date. People happily ignorant of the fact that the world was going on before the day they were born, will assure you that when we have wound up the conference with a nice pageant we can go home to suppér secure in the knowledge. that .the weapon trade of this country will be limited strict- 1y to safety razors.. Shoulder chips wil go_ back to the woodpile and Mars wlill be given to understand that he needn’t come around. The dogs of war will be chloroformed and every- body will be happy except the mak- ers of battleships, war poetry and canned goods.. Others who profess to know their little book, figure it out that Youth fights, as’ it eats and sleeps and lives, because it is his na- ture to. And that man will never un- derstund peace until he attains the peace that-passeth understandi e EE R X 1 N0 descend. to us’ every-day hikers, it you -are addicted to ruts you might try wonderland for a change. For one trip, there is the Hall of . ¥You weuldn't. Know- it.un- 1ess_ypu were-told, -for,. to the naked eye, it 1s Just a lons} lons. wide, wide corridor, 'walled with drfawers of dark wood. And the skulls are in the drawers. There {s an overflow of bones in glass cas with labels attached, all of them gaunt and brown as the ribs of time, but: It is the long, wide and silent hail with no echoing footsteps and only a cloisterish light, that glves you a creepy certainty that some spirit-cuvier were to come along and rebuild one of the things packed away in a single drawer, you would find yoursélf keeping com- pany with your eldest brother, pre- historic man—though like as not it might be a sister. - ‘Thén, if you were born lucky, a gentle scientist will Tead you to a way-off door ‘that you never in this world could go through, except for some magic ‘that- turned the open- sesame trick and there you are in a world inhabited by fossils that used to own sall the real estate in this country before dear Noah's flood. Also, there is a living, breathing paleontologist, who makes-you feel that you have rushed in where angels d [ fear to tread. -Naturally, you couldn’t xpect-a paleo, etc., who can go, say. 1o .Wyoming. dig up tons of petrified misfits and then build them into ante- diluvian terrors as big as street cars, would take time to bother with a plain soul who didn’t know bones from beans, but you never.can tell. He was as helpfully kind as if he were only an ordinary man with a good disposition. Which is how one plain. Alice found out how giant verte- brata and teeth, yard-lang tails and hogshead ribs can be fitted together lifle Jig-saw puzzles. And to realize, in a dased way, that if ‘you travel to the right spots You cam come across bones sticking out of the ground like nuts in a slab of taffy. - And that never no more will you ‘doubt the honesty of the upstairs dinosaur even if he is the length of & city block with his tail around the corner. And always, ;:;i" n‘hlv;:’wou kv'vl“ know that nto! aré kind. have found -out. Decauso you * ok x x WBAT is home without a paradox? i With the hushing cry still keep- ing up its banshee wail, a walk in the way of government buildings shows he |that we: gre 'wrekcking -hotels ‘where our swarms' of war workers used to hive. . And though you woulld think t Treasury would be taking its wnll‘: band after banting out of its system all the mohey we have been using at home and ‘abroad. the old dedr is llel;g qut::k on another story! 80— ~emo! 1 A " m- ls enough for one B A e IF you ' shoul- pass a newspaper R & m!lh!l_n: at a certain minute of a 3 - certain hour; you would find its busi- ous, Frenchl, ., office-so crowded with men and [women' that “your dramatic imagina- tion .would ‘jump to the thrill ‘that something ‘awfyl had happened and they, were walting for an extra. Noth- ing ke ft- As an elevator .engineer ;;lrdv‘:m_ ‘m::un ‘whd had to nudge ay’ to” the Counter to. '-B'cm'm-: renew her the. want 2&—-&1 es, qon;—-.m ing . a. ’Mng may . want 3 Been regarded .ay pure inter-ton the spot—aso thi rush off and “principles; were . in r.{-collar the pi ition.”"And & nd sybatances containin qu-"- ,ul':lnlc to 3‘."”% haives et tearine. . d” substance: that,"- by| cer ey e s t was!in tside: e ‘where. 1 go -into” the mis- | o slonary business to tell people who take their time answering ads why they always find the “place is filled.” * ok ok ok GHE might have stepped out.of an Anne Rittenhouse fashion - sheet into the car. A silver cloth wrap rip- pled down to her silver silk knees and on her cinnamon buns was an exotic turban with side-dangles of coral and jet. But you can't ever tell what im- pression you are going to make on the sister-mind: Two women in cross-seats—one in a suit of the style that is forever mark- ed down for this day onmly, and the other coated in a weave began in New England as Perslan lamb—felt called upon to pass judgment in undertones that showed for excellent lungs: “Say, Suse, if I was to go out with my earrings on my hat "steader in.my years, I'd want my folks to lock me up for safe keepin'—" ; “Sh—she'll hear you. ‘I guess its a new style an' you gotta foller fash'ns if you got the spons. Looks like she made good money. I bet M'rie will be sportin’ ear-bobs on her hat first thing you know.” - “She's nothin' to go by. I could ress as good as her any day in the year, ‘cept'n that I pay my debts an' keep a little handy in caser sickness.” “M'rie’s all right. 1 like to see girls dress. I'd do it m'self If I wasn't always to close strapped.” “I don’t think them ornyments is 80 extra fine. I got a coupla jet rings set with rhinestones I could put on my hat if I wanted to.” “Say, Mag, why don’t you? I think you'd look awful good in 'em. And I :Set Jim would like 'em—go on an’ do t. wear because they ain’t nobody carin’, an’ b'sides, I got no jools—but you got a husb’n to dress for.” . And you can bet anything you have a mind to, from -gold mines to. but- tons, that Mag is wearing hat-dangles this minute—and that Suse, who owns no jewel—unless you -coeunt honest friendliness a precious stone—Iis some- where admiringly on the side. Women are that way. * % ¥ X% i s i The old ballad, “The Carrier Dove." | which was asked for some time ago, ! and a verse of which was kindly sent ! in by Mrs. B, is now completed by | a friend of the column whose mem- ory is a treasury of old-time songs. Fly away to my native land, sweet dove, Fly away to my native land, these lines to my lady love, ve traced with a feebig hand She murmurs much at my logg del Or & rumor of death she has Or she thtnks, perhaps, I false Don’'t make no difference what I t 8y to'her bower, sweet bird. Fly away to her bower and say the chain Of the tyrant is over me now, 1 never shall mount my steed &gain, With helmet upon my prow. I could bear in a dungeon to waste away, Or fall by the conquerot’s swerd, s But I cannot endure she d doubt my truth, Then fly to her bower, sweet bird. I shall miss thy vislt at ddwn, sweet bird, 1l miss thy visit at eve, - . But Bear these lines to my ‘lady ‘love, * - l And then I shall cease to grieve. That no friend to my-lattice swe#t solace'btinks, Except when thy voice s heard, As you beat the bars with-your snowy wings, Then 0y to her bower, sweet bird. “I learned this ballad when I was 2 girl of eleven years, and have never| ceased to love it, | “MRS. AMANDA PATTON MOCK." It is a dear song and was worth waiting for. NANNIE LANCASTER. The Height of Man. THERB,!; no evidence tkat men have ever had a greater average height than th have now. For a long time there- existed in France, near the junction of the Isere and Rhone rivers, a deposit of gigantic| bones known as the “giants’ field.” In recent times bones have been ex- humed there which were belleved to be human and were said to be those of Teutobodus, the king of the Teu- tons, who was overcome near the spot by Marius, the Roman géneral. The researches of Cuvier proved, however, that these bones, together with all the others exhumed in the same place, where thosé of an extinct animal of the tapir species which measured about twenty feet in iength. The myth of a race of glants has its counterpart in those other crea- tures of the imagination, the anclent pygmies. These fabled. people, who were so small that a stalk of grain vas a tree to them, which they chop- ped down with tiny hatchets and brushhooks, were sald to inhabit Ethiopia. They were always at war with the cranes, but lived on such excel- lent terms with the partridges that they were able to harness them into their carriages. They lived at first, according to the fable, In Thrace, but were driven out of Europe by the cranes and took refuge in Ethiopia. The stories of the pygmies go with the fables of the giants. The men of ancient times were of the same, or nearly the same, height. as those of the present day. The doors of an- cient houses, ancient armor, the Egyp- tian mummies, as well as the fossil bones of men, prove that there has been little or no variation. Among famous tall- men' was the Roman Emperor Maximin, whose stature was seven and three-quarter feet. Maximin was a young barba- rian, the son of a Gothic father, who first attracted the attention of the Romans by overcoming sixteen of the strongest men, one after another, in a wrestling match, and, having been made a centurion, he fought and in- trigued his way to the -imperial throne. The normal stature of men and women ranges between five feet and six feet four inches. - Luminous -Bait. TINY electric lamps, ‘operating from little Dbatteries, have been de- veloped remarkably, .50 that. there are now pocket lamps ' which are about the size and shape of fountain pens, but the oddest .development of all is luminous bait. This luminous bait {s really a ves small lamp made in the -h:no otr= bait fish. A little battery sends a cutrent through a tiny electric lamp and the rays shine out through lenses on the side of the bait. Severil hooks are attached to capture ‘the fish, which is supposed to be attracted by the marvel. - —— < 5 The Hecht - TthatF 7th at F : Where prices are guaranteed ' . -Meeting .the demand for low priced i Living room furniture - This cane - back suite, 3265 Velour and tapestry covered - Large, and comfortable living room suite well upholstered in fine grade velour and tapestry. Made with ‘spring seats, ~ with values like these Everything here is bought-and sold on & cash basis—no overhead for ex- tended credit; no bad losses to make up. Each piece of .furniture stands on its rock-bottom cash price; everyone pays that price with no discounts or “ex- tras” for cash. ) loose spring cushions and 2 sofa cushions. Those who pay within ninety days do so without charge; those who wish credit beyond that period pay 69, for that privilege. This living room suite, %95 " Upholstered in rich tapestry = 3-piece mahogany finished suite in artistic design. Settee, chair and rocker . have ’ spring seats and back upholstered in tapestry. This handsome orstued suite. 195 \ Here’s one of the best furniture offerings we have seen for many a day. $195 is the price, but it is no criterion of their real worth. There are three pieces—setiee, armchair and rocker with spring back and g;‘s‘.fl f!p;:g bze.nt construction and loose spring cushions — as inviting and Thl s ¢ ane‘b aCk Slllte, 167 All pieces upholstered in high quality tapestry. Seats upholstered in tapestry J 3 An outstanding furniture value—3-piece suite . comprising settee, armchair and rocker in Queen Anne design. Mahogany finished frame. This bed-davenport "suite, $59 Covered with imitation Spanish leather Kroehler davenport—advertised in the leading magazines—quickly converted into bed. Also rocker and chair, either golden or fumed oak finish, One big sale o 9x12 rugs _‘Standard makes from some of the best mills in America. Patterns. to harmonize with any decorative scheme.” All 9x12 and 8.3x10.6 ft. sizes. All to go at one price. $49.75 Marlboro Axminsters $45.00 Empire Axminster rugs $48.75 Roxbury Axminsters $49.75 Hightown Axminster rugs $53.25 Axminster rugs $ 3 7 $47.50 Alex. Smith Axminsters N $53.50 Levonia Axminsters £46.50 Pennsylvania Axminsters For the first time in years - Inlaid Linoleum Genuine Linoleum, plmse;not a felt-base This living room suite, $58.75 Covered with durable chased leather 3-piece mahogany-finished suite in artistic mahogany. Made with comfortable spring ' seats and restful back. product, nor a printed linoleum, but the real burlap lincleum with colors thru to the hack. Yes, the designs will last as long as the. fabric, and linoleum lasts for a long, long time. Six attractive patterns; $1 the-square yard. Bring room measurements with you. Over 2,000 Huck Towels 18x36 inchesé all wl).it'e, hemmed ends. About enough for one day’s selling.. (Third flcor.) Art silk portiers $14.95. Beautiful two- tone effects — blue with blue; brown and rose; green and brown; blue and green. Drapery velour H andsome 50- inch velour to n.mke . New velour portieres : Rich Quality with silky luster, \524.95' | Magnificent reversi- ble Portieres that give the room that warm and cozy ap- pearance. - All are made with open French edge; 45 inches wide and 214 yards long. Overstuffed rocker This fancy rocker Upholstered in brown Spanish —quartered oak in golden leather, blue or black 30,75 finish Saddle §5.75 nu[akin with wing back seat 27 A R ’—m DI Y Sy ) U. S. blankets $2.95 Medium and dark gray blankets bought by the U. S. government but never ' Laundry bags 29¢ The best “Uncle Sam's” experts could devise for camping, laundry, utility, etc. - Sturdy, white canvas Sineiigns T cots, $1.39 Extra-strong _folding * your own ags. In the most favored color wmfi::flou—blne and rose, bed cots with Simmons L P i . im; infe d_with Contain 75% Rose, blue, brown, blue and tupe, green and green, bipe and gold, blue and, P2tentsd, A E:nf-'" ;',elr'ez."n?fi’ newwy wodl: &%, dotp bodied and . % ) e 3 ‘warm. -inch size — green, mulberry. - il (Thid fioor.) sf.glmy marred. wide, with round bottom.. ~ weigh 3 to 4 pounds.