104 THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 
RADIUM. 
Delivered before the Astronomical Section of the Hamilton Sctentific 
Association, February 16th, 1904. 
BY J. M. WILLIAMS. 
The museum of the public library building was the scene last 
evening of one of the most interesting lectures ever delivered in 
Hamilton—a lecture on the wonderful substance, Radium. It was 
the regular meeting of the Hamilton Astronomical Society, and 
the lecturer was J. M. Williams, well known in this city as an astro- 
nomical enthusiast. In point of interest, the lecture could not be 
equalled, as just at this time Radium is interesting all the civilized 
world. It was not a stereotyped lecture—one that was read mo- 
notonously from written document—but an address delivered in Mr. 
Williams’ own words and ideas. He went over each thought care- 
fully, repeating the idea twice when he considered that it was hardly 
understandable, and so lucid was the description, so interesting the 
subject, that those present departed with a better knowledge of 
Radium than they could have procured in reading innumerable 
books on the subject. 
Mr. Williams paid a well expressed tribute to Madame Curie 
and her work, and described it as woman’s triumph at the opening 
of the twentieth century. 
The lecturer dwelt some time on Radium’s great power of radio- 
activity, or its powers of inducing heat and light, saying that the 
rays of a small amount could penetrate through a foot of solid iron. 
He gave all its peculiar powers of penetration, the scope of its rays. 
These rays were entirely different from the rays of uranium or bar- 
ium, inasmuch as they were more powerful and unlimited. He went 
on to show how the scientists worked step by step in their search for 
Radium, until success crowned their efforts. In the laboratories, 
they saw that there were scintillating rays of light in water, in a 
phosphorescent sea. But these rays, as from no other metals, produced 
an effect on exposed photographic plates, and the scientists devoted 
their years of toil and patience in endeavoring to discover the hidden 
