BLUE GLASS AND ITS EXTRAORDINARY PROPERTIES.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 149, 18 May 1877, Page 7

BLUE GLASS AND ITS EXTRAORDINARY PROPERTIES.

— ■»- ' WONDERFUI, DISCOVERIES. One of the latest things from America (says the Guardian) is the " blue glass " sensation. For many months past paragraphs have been continually appearing in the leading American newspapers on 'the subject of the "wonderful effects of associated blue lights and ordinary sun light upon animal and vegetable life, and not long ago the proprietors of the New York Weekly Mail, in order to satisfy the public curiosity on the matter, published a " blue glass extra," printed in blue ink, aiid placing before the world in a concise form all the facts that have been made known respecting what may fairly be termed one of the most wonderful discoveries of the a°*e. Less than a year ago General Augustus J. : Pleason ton, an officer who served in the United States army during the civil war, published a book entitled ■* Blue and Sun Light ; their Influence on Life, Disease, &c." The work attracted a great deal of attention, throughout the United States, and considerable discussion took place in the newspapers with reference to the discoveries alleged to have been made, and the theories advanced by the General. At first, the " blue light glass cure" was received by the public with the same incredulity with; \yhich most scientific discoveries are greeted, biit soon the corroborative evidence* given by persons of undoubted respectability and truthfulness with respect to the wonderful stimulating and curative, effects of "associated" blue and sun light " bade the sceptics hold their peace, and since that time General Pleasonton's theories have stood a practical test. . The. special correspondent of the Chicago Tribune describes General Pleasonton as a lawyer of prominence in Philadelphia, and a gentleman of culture, wealth, and refinement. Owning a farm outside the city, the" General in the year 1861 commenced to experiment upon his theory regarding the different colours in the sun's rays, and their effects upon animal and vegetable life. Experiments, made in Europe had already demonstrated that the blue rays in the sun's light had greater chemical powers than any of the othtrs, developed a greater amount of heat, and were especially stimulating to vegetation. | But these experiments had been barren of practical results, and the General was left to his own resources to cany out his ideas. He built a large grapery, covered with glass, every eighth row of which was blue. By this arrangement the. sun in making its rounds cast a ray of blue light upon every plant and leaf within the grapery. Cuttings of 20 varieties of grape vines one year old, about the size of a pipe- stem, were placed under the glass, and cut close to the ground. Five months after setting the vines had grown 45 feet in length, and were a foot in diameter at an inch above the- ground, and the next year they not only displayed the same vigorous growth, but, what is more astounding still, bore over 1200 pounds of luscious grapes of unusual size. From that day the vines have kept up the same vigorous growth, have borne fruit with proportionate prolificness, and have been entirely, free from disease aud destructive insects. How remarkable this result is will be appreciated when it is known that in grape-growing countries tbe vines do not bear fruit until the fifth or sixth year. The most remarkable phase of the . discovery, however, appears to be the effect of blue light upon animals. General PleasontohV first experiment was upon a litter of pigs, which he placed in a pen which was lighted by blue and plain glass inserted in the roof in equal proportions. -The litter gained wonderfully .in size and strength, and at the end of a few months were found to weigh very much more than a similar litter raised in the usual way. The next experiment was with an Alderney bull, which was so puny and weak at its birth that the manager of the farm said it could not live, it was put under blue glass, and in less than 24 hours it was able to stand up, and was taught to drink milk ; while in four months it was a perfectly, developed bull, strong* and vigorous; ano was turned out with the herd. of cows. The Tribune correspondent says that that bull has since fulfilled every expectation regarding him. Since that time all General Pleasonton's cattle have been raised under blue glass, and.it is stated, that they show great vigour and the most astonishing precocity. A heifer, it is said, "becomes a mother when 14; months old, and the cows and their progeny are healthy and strong, the" former beinggreat milkers." It is generally held that heifers should not bear young before they are four years old, but under the influence of l)lue glass they do so without injury when 18 months old, thus savirig-the expense of keeping them for two and a-half years. The facts we liave just : stafed are startling* in their nature, and will no doubt cause the farmers. of Tokomairiro and the Clutha to shake their, heads in- doubt and astonishment, . but the experiment is easily'tried, and. blue glass is comparatively cheap in Dunedin. The beneficial effect of the associated rays of blue and sun light upon animal arid vegetabhv life i> having* 'Jbeen demonstrated ■. to the; wonder and amazement of all -who observed the --experiments,' their effect was tried upon various sick persons.^ In Friday's Guardian we pub-

lished in the local columns an account of the remarkable cure of General Pleasonton himself from injuries received through a railway accident. By, taking " blue glass baths " — that is, by simply exposing the injured parts of his person to the associated rays of blue and sun light— -the General soon recovered from his hurts • in fact, became better than he was before the accident. In the New York Weekly Mail appear a number of accounts of marvellous cures, in one, Commodore Goidsborough states that a lady prematurely gave birth to a child, avhich was weak and puny, weighing- about three pounds audVhalf at its birth. There were blue curtains to the windows of the room in which the child was reared, and these were so arranged that the light that entered the room came about equally through the Mue curtains and the plain glass of the window. The child, we are told, " began to thrive, developed a tremendous appetite, while the lacteal system of the mother was greatly excited, and her supply of milk greatly increased. The child grew rapidly in health, strength, and size, and at the end of four months weighed 23 pounds." Then we have, on the testimony of "a gentleman of high standing, who is in the habit of carefully weighing his words," an account of the cure of thes wife of a Philadelphia physician who had been suffering from a complication of disorders, She was in a very bad state from nervous irritation and exhaustion, which resulted in severe neuralgic and rheumatic pains, depriving her of sleep and appetite for food, and producing great debility and wasting away of the body. All the New York medical men could do nothing for her ; but Dr Beckwith arranged one of the sashes of her window with alternate panes of blue and plain glass, exposing to the rays of blue and associated light those pares of the patient's boiby which were affected by neuralgia. In less than three minutes she began to experience relief, with each application of the associated lights her pain became less, her appetite and strength returned, and in less than three weeks she was happiiy restored to her normal healthy condition. But still more in connection with the cure of this lady remains to be told. She had also suffered from loss of hair, but -- under the stimulating effects of blue glass the hair began to grow vigorously, and the bald places were soon cover' d with a luxuriant growth." What joyful news is this ! The fair ones who desire to bewitch us with the luxuriance of their golden and sable tresses need no longer rely upon the hairdresser; for by the expenditure of a few shillings on blue glass' they will be able to throw their chignons and plaits on the dust-heap, cast Beissel's " Centharides fluids" to the dogs, and appear in all the glory of their own hair. To proceed with our account of the wonderful cures effected through the agency of blue glass, we may state that two friends of General Pleasonton's, major-generals, were cured of rheumatism by exposing the affected parts of their persons in the associated blue and sun light for about 30 minutes each day for a few months ; by sitting* daily in tha associated, lights, " allowing the \ blue rays especially to fall upon the nerves about the back of the neck," a young, lady was cured of violent hoemorrhage of the lungs; and by the same means a girl who had been the victim ot indescribable suffering from au attack of spinal meningitis was restored to health. The last mentioned patient asserted that upon entering the rocm into which the blue light was directed, "her pains almost immediately ceased." As we do not wish to tire our readers with a long list of miraculous .cures, we will now go on to other mutters of interest connected with General Pleasonton's great discovery. The New York Mail saj r s there is *' hope for the baldheaded," and mentions the cure of a young lady whose hair came out until she became "as bald as an a^A H fir physician examined the scalp with a microscope, and declared that there was no roots of hair remaining, and that consequently the unhappy girl would never again have a natural head of hair. " This announcement," justly observes the Mail, "to a young lad}' was worse than would have been the reading of a death-warrant." It *was in fact more than she could bear, and covering* her face with her hands to j conceal her fast-flowing tears, she exclaimed, ** Better the grave with its attendant worms than go through life with a wig." But this young lady had faith — a. great thing in connection with the blue glass treatment — and she called on General Pleasonton. Under his directions she exoosed her head to the blue rays of light, and in a few months her hair was completely restored. The following is General Pleasonton's explanation — ''Sunlight passesthrough plain transparent glass with very slight obstruction, as it does through the atmosphere and ether of space ; it produces no heat; for the glass remains as cold as the outside atmosphere while the sun light passes through it. When, however, the adjoining sunlight, moving with the same volocity as the first mentioned, falls upon the blue panes of glass, six of the seven primary rays of sunlight are suddenly arrested by it, only the blue ray being supposed to pass through it into the the apartment. The sudden stoppage of these six rays of light with this en-

ormous velocity produces friction, this friction evolves: a negative electricity, which is the electricity of un'ight passing through tlie cold eth.;r of space and our cold atmosphere, b nil of which being npgatively electrified impart- that electricity by induction to the rays of sunlight as they pass. The blue glass is oppositely electrified. When these opposite electricities, thus brought together meet on the surface of the glass, their conjunction evolves heat and magnetism, . the heat expands the molecules of the glass, and a current of electro-magnetism passes into the room, imparting vitality and strength to any animal or vegetable life within it. When the atmosphere of the room becomes thus electro -magnetised its inhabitants cannot fail to derive the greatest benefit from being in it." General Pleasonton'-- book is devoted to the scientific proof of his theory and to tbe recital of proof to sustain him. Ha boldly combats many theories that have been accepted as established principles, and ably puts t forward his own as a substitute.. For instance, he denies the Newtonian theory of gravitation, affirming* that there is no such thing. He holds that electricity is the all controlling force of Nature, that by and through it we live and have our being*, the earth revolves, and the planets are sustained in their several places. He further denies the accepted theory that the sun is an incandescent .body throwing off heated rays, and that there is any heat in the sunlight. He ai'gues that the earth is surrounded by an envelope of atmosphere and ether which has been proved to be of a temperature minus 142 degrees Centigrade, and that it would be absolutely impossible for the sun's rays to penetrate this cold envelope for a distance of 92,000,000 of miles and preserve any heat whatever. According to General Pleasonton, writes the correspondent, " all our heat is evolved from the earth, and the heat and cold of our atmosphere are regulated by the distance of this cold envelope from the -partli. Not being a I scientist, and not having much time or ) space at my disposal, I shall not; pretend to explain General Pleasonton's ideas. Let those who wish to read his book send to Scribner for it, enclosing 2d015., and they will get it. But ■ the proof of the pudding* is in the. eating.' While I cannot explain scientifically the operation, I know that the blue light, in conjunction with the "plain light, has produced wonderful effects, both in curing diseases aod otherwise. Tt costs nothing to try it, for, although a pa'ent has been issued to General Pleasonton for his discovery, he bas not sought to profit by it. Let whoever desires to experiment with it, whether upon vegetable or animal life, go ahead. If upon vegetable life, the proportion of blue glass to transparent should be about one-eighth - if upon animal life let it he about equal — one-half blue and one-half transparent. The glass used is a dark purplish blue, and can be obtained almost anywhere. Get a few panes of it cut to the size of your window panes, and insert them alternately in the sas>h, and then let the lame, the halt, and the blind, sit within its influence. It is soon tested, and at a trifling cost. The results already obtained, and certified to by men of known character and standing, are sufficient to make ridiculous the ona who would cry l humbug*.' Facts are facts, and cannot be wiped out. 'Whatever one may think of General Pleasonton's theories, or his explanations of results obtained by his experiments, no one who reads his book can doubt bufc these results have been obtained In France his book attracted the attention of the best scientists, who are now experimenting with the blue glass. What results. have been obtained is not known. All scientists admit that electricity is a power regarding which very little is known. They are all striving to learn more regarding it, and to make it more subservient to the will of man. Perhaps General Pleasonton has got a step in advance of all of them, and holds the key of the puzzle in his grasp."