THEORIES OF THE RED SUNSETS.

A large number of theories have been advanced as to the reason of these remarkable sunsets. The exact cause will probably never be known, but it is interesting to hear the various ways in which the phenomenon is explained. Electricity is one theory for no apparent reason, except that it seems to be the custom of the present age when anything in nature is entirely unaccountable to attribute it to electricity. Another startling theory is that our planet is passing through the tail of a comet, but this does not seem to be plausible as no nucleus to it has as yet been descried in any direction. Some scientists pretend that the redness is due to frozen moisture through which the sun refracts its rays, and Professor Proctor states that we may possibly be passing through a stratum of meteoric dust, or in other words pulverized meteors. The theory which has attracted most attention is that the Java earthquakes of last autumn raised such a cloud of mica dust that it ascended to a great height in the air and has been suspended there ever since. This theory is supported by Prof. Shaler. These and many other explanations have been advanced, but whatever the cause of this phenomenon, we all can admire its beauty and not trouble ourselves about a subject that will never be satisfactorily explained.

W. A.