CIVIC RECEPTION

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2247, 5 September 1914, Page 3

CIVIC RECEPTION

MEN OF SCIENCE WELCOMED

DISTINGUISHED VISITORS. A civic , reception to the visitinc -scientists was tendered by the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke).in the Town Hall last niglvt. There was a large attendance of the public. The visitors' present at the reception were Sir Ernest Rutherford, F.R.S., i Lγ. Thornton, Newcastte-on-Tsne, an\ authority on refrigeration and elertrican engineering; Dr. Davenport, Professor of Experimental Biology at the Carnegie Institute; Dr. Ely, Professor of Economics at the Wisconsin University; and Dr. Franklyn, Professor of Chemistry, Stanford University, California. The Mayor extended a welcome to f.lie distinguished visitors, and cheers were given for them at his call. In regard to Sir Ernest Rutherford, a New Zealander, ,the Mayor spoke in glowing terms of that scientist's important discoveries in radio-activity, which had done so much for humanity. In replying, Sir Ernest Rutherford thanked the Mayor for the very kind j words ho had said. It was a great pleas : 1 we for him to agoin visit Kew Zealand. He regretted that deplorable events had happened to stop the members of Iho British Association, some three hundred, who arrived in Australia, from' coming on to New Zealand. Although they were small in numbers, they thoroughly appreciated the hearty welcome given them by the citizens of Wellington. Dr. Thornton briefly replied in similar terms. ;Dr. Davenport said that his heart was warmed with the kind welcome- they had received.: Although not a Britisher, he belonged to a country surrounded by the British Empire. There was no doubt as to the friendly feelings existing on both sides, and he trusted it wouJd persist for ever. Ho thanked the citizens on behalf of the American.visitors. ■ ' Dr. Ely said that'the things which . separated tho Americans from the English were' foir and insignificant, whilo the things which united them were strong;and important. (Applause.) He spoke in appreciative terms of Sir Ernest Rutherford, who had been honoured by ■. the University of- : Wisconsin.'ten years ago. .. Dr. Franklyn,also thanked tho public for., the welcome. TRANSFORMATION OF MATTER. LECTURE BY SIR ERNEST ■ ;V ■•'■:'. RUTHERFORD. ' ':. ■ Mr. G. Hog'ben, Inspector-General of Schools, presided at the meeting after the civic reception, when. Sir TSijnost Rutherford delivered a lecture entitled "The.Transformation of Matter and tho (structure of-the,Atom." , ' Sir Ernest Rutherford said that . he would assume that all were more or less familiar with tho general ideas of the constitution of matter, such as wero held during the last century. ' H© intended to deal with the -progress made in later 1 years. He explained how the idea rose that the atoms of any elements were permanent and indestructible things. A , great advance was made when it was found that .there did exist in matter something' which was much smaller and lighter than the' lightest atom known, namely, hydrogen. This was the electron which was endowedwith an electric charge. Ono thousand eight hundred electrons went-to mako tho'mass of a single hydrogen, atom, and. the importance of the discovery lay in the fact that it showed the relation between electricity and. matter. The discovery of radio-aotivity ' had brought indisputable evidence that, the atoms 1 , of some kinds of rpatter .were not; indestructible, and were pot unchangeable.', -The atoms of■; gold did not change, but with' radium, a chemical element in all the accepted sensos of -the word, it was .different. Atoms of radium were not permanently etable. As a" result. of. tho there occurred an atomic explosion, and the emanation thrown. oS. 'was .tho.atom' of- a new gas, known as helium. The whole radium family was thrown off by similar atomic explosions, and each, substance was produced from the one. before it. All of them had tho property of unstability, and it was cleor, therefore, that radium itself must have been produced from something else, in the earth. It was now known that radium _was an emanation of ionium, which originated from uranium. Although those changes could be followed with a. degreo of accuracy, ' they could not bo ' altered in any way.' In concluding, Professor Rutherford dealt with tho structure of atoms, and said that'if they understood the -structure of the atom they understood 'the structure of. all the-'material things of the .earth. ' '■.•'. ■•" Professor Laby assisted the. lecturer witb a number of interesting experiments, and lantern slides were used for illustration purposes. ■■■.'• On the motion of Professor Easterfield a hearty vote of thanks . was accorded Sir Ernest Rutherford for-his lecture.