Q. Why does hoar-frost remain on tombstones, long after it has melted from the grass and gravel-walks of a church-yard?
A. Tomb-stones being white, will not absorb heat, like the darker grass and gravel; and, therefore, the white tombstones (being so much colder) retain the hoar-frost after it has melted from other things.
Q. If black absorbs heat, why have those who live in hot climates black skins, and not white skins (which would not absorb heat at all)?
A. Though the black skin of the negro absorbs heat more plentifully than the white skin of a European, yet the blackness prevents the sun from blistering or scorching it.
Q. How is it known that the black colour prevents the sun from either blistering or scorching the skin?
A. If you put a white glove on one hand, and a black glove on the other (when the sun is burning hot), the hand with the white glove will be scorched, but not the other.
Q. Which hand will feel the hotter?
A. The hand with the black glove will feel the hotter, but it will not be scorched by the sun; whereas the hand with the white glove (though much cooler) will be severely scorched.
Q. Why does the black skin of a negro never scorch or blister with the hot sun?