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Literary
October 29, 1872
The Daily State Register
Carson City, Ormsby County, Carson City County, Nevada
What is this article about?
An essay speculating on the celestial origin of diamonds, contrasting poetic dreams with philosophical realizations. It proposes that diamonds form from carbon in meteors crystallized by intense space cold, falling to Earth like aerolites, better explaining surface finds at the Cape than terrestrial processes.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
THE ORIGIN OF DIAMONDS.
Apparent extremes that sometimes meet are the dreams of the poet and the realizations of the philosopher. The stars, says the former, are diamonds in the sky; diamonds, says one who in 1870 may claim the latter title, are stars upon the earth. Who will deny that they have too many virtues to be of worldly origin. And to no mundane process within our knowledge can their birth be assigned. None can do more than speculate upon their source, and suggest what it might have been. The theorist who claims a celestial origin for them deserves praise for his boldness at all events; and his deserts for the validity of his suggestion are perhaps as great as those of the many who have sought to explain their formation by suppositional terrestrial actions. The sky-birth of the diamond is suggested by a continental experimentalist, who upon the strength of some preliminary researches, declares that intense cold dissociates chemical elements in combination. The "pure carbon" of the diamond he holds to have once been mingled with other matters, in masses of meteoric nature coursing through space; and he argues that the intense cold which reigns in stellar space (something like 200° below zero) has been the means of isolating and crystallizing the carbon, and that diamonds have fallen from the sky, like the aerolites whose celestial source is well known. Laugh who will; disprove who can! We are but chroniclers and offer no opinion; but we can tell this much, that the location of diamonds upon the earth will agree much better with the hypothesis of a sky-source than an earth-source. These Cape specimens that are now attracting attention are found on the surface of the ground only: it is no use to dig for them: this looks as though they came down rather than up.
Apparent extremes that sometimes meet are the dreams of the poet and the realizations of the philosopher. The stars, says the former, are diamonds in the sky; diamonds, says one who in 1870 may claim the latter title, are stars upon the earth. Who will deny that they have too many virtues to be of worldly origin. And to no mundane process within our knowledge can their birth be assigned. None can do more than speculate upon their source, and suggest what it might have been. The theorist who claims a celestial origin for them deserves praise for his boldness at all events; and his deserts for the validity of his suggestion are perhaps as great as those of the many who have sought to explain their formation by suppositional terrestrial actions. The sky-birth of the diamond is suggested by a continental experimentalist, who upon the strength of some preliminary researches, declares that intense cold dissociates chemical elements in combination. The "pure carbon" of the diamond he holds to have once been mingled with other matters, in masses of meteoric nature coursing through space; and he argues that the intense cold which reigns in stellar space (something like 200° below zero) has been the means of isolating and crystallizing the carbon, and that diamonds have fallen from the sky, like the aerolites whose celestial source is well known. Laugh who will; disprove who can! We are but chroniclers and offer no opinion; but we can tell this much, that the location of diamonds upon the earth will agree much better with the hypothesis of a sky-source than an earth-source. These Cape specimens that are now attracting attention are found on the surface of the ground only: it is no use to dig for them: this looks as though they came down rather than up.
What sub-type of article is it?
Essay
What themes does it cover?
Nature
What keywords are associated?
Diamonds
Celestial Origin
Meteoric Carbon
Intense Cold
Cape Specimens
Aerolites
Diamond Theory
Literary Details
Title
The Origin Of Diamonds.
Subject
Celestial Origin Of Diamonds
Key Lines
The Stars, Says The Former, Are Diamonds In The Sky; Diamonds, Says One Who In 1870 May Claim The Latter Title, Are Stars Upon The Earth.
The Sky Birth Of The Diamond Is Suggested By A Continental Experimentalist, Who Upon The Strength Of Some Preliminary Researches, Declares That Intense Cold Dissociates Chemical Elements In Combination.
Diamonds Have Fallen From The Sky, Like The Aerolites Whose Celestial Source Is Well Known.
These Cape Specimens That Are Now Attracting Attention Are Found On The Surface Of The Ground Only: It Is No Use To Dig For Them: This Looks As Though They Came Down Rather Than Up.