The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-04-26
eighty years ofage among those who
despised him. 1t was Lear facing
the Storm.--SavannaA Courier.
A Dream.
Translated from the German Of
G. Gu. L1cHTENDERa.
by TIIOs. NJ. LOGAN, NJ. D.

i III I1OS. nj. LOGAN, Nj. u.
[ was, as it we're, lowering far a.
bove the earth in the presence of a
venerable old man, whose supernatu
raj appearance filled me with some
thing more than nero respect. AS
often as I raised my eyes towards
him, an irresistible feeling of dcYo-
ton and confidence penetrated me,
and [ was just about to PROSTATE my
self before him, when he accosted
me with a voice of indiscribable mild
ness: "Thou lowest the scrutiny Gun.
tersuc chung) of nature, my son;
here wilt thou find something that
can be useful to thee" In saving
these words he handed to me ball Of
a bluish-green color, here and there
changing, (spicleude) into grey,
which he held between his first fin.
ger and thumb. 1t appeared to me
to be about an inch in diameter.
"Take this mineral" said he, "cx-
anime it, and then tell me what thou
discoverest. There, behind thee,
thou wilt find in the greatest perfcc-
ton all that is necessary for such
researches. | will now retire, and
return to thee in due time.''
On turning round, I behcld a
complete laboratory full of all kinds
of instruments, which did not ap-
pear to me so strange in my dream
as afterward when T awoke. 1t
seemed to me as if I had often been
there, for I found every thing 1
wanted as readily as if 1 had previous
ly arranged them myself. I nov re.
garded, touched and smelt the ball. /
si1s.tl .ii,,ied it "a. ss rs
it it was an eaglestone (etites.) I
touched it with my tonguc-I wiped
away the dust on its surface and
removed, with clean cloth, an al
most impelceptiblc mould. I warm
ed it and rubbed it against my coat
sleeve, to elicit electricity. I tried
it against steel, glass and the mag.
net, and determined its specific gray
ity. From all these experiments l
became satisfied that the mineral was
Of no special value; it being just such
a marble as I had often bought du-
ring my childhood, at Frankfort
fair, at the rate Of three for half q
cent (krcutzer.) Notwithstanding, l
proceeded to its chemical analysis in
hundredth parts cf the whole. From
this, also, nothing remarkable re-
suited. | found some argilla, as
much calcareous earth, but greater
proportion of silcx: besides these,
show of iron, some rock salt, and
an unknown substance-at least a
substance which, tho it has many
properties Of the known substances,
still possessed peculiar ones. |
was sorry I did not know the
name Of the old man, or 1 certainly
would have published it to the world
by complimenting him i'll calling
this new substance after him. The
exactncss of my analysis was proved
by the synthesis, in which l found
precisely the hundred parts.
No sooner had | completed the
last stroke in my reckoning, than
the old man stepped before me. He
took my memorandum and after rea-
ding it with a sweet smile scarcely
observable upon his countcnancc,
turned to me, and with a glance
fnll of heavenly goodness mingled
with carncstness, asked, "knowcst
thou well, mortal, what that was
which thou hast just analyzcd?" The
whole tone and bearing with which
he spoke these words now announced
to me unmistakably the superhu-
man. "No! immortal being" cried
|, prostrating myself before him, 81
know not" for felt no longer dis
posed to refor to the memorandum of
my analysis.
THE Spirit. "Know, then, it was
IN miniature proportion nothing less
than - the whole carth!"
NyseF. "The earth? indeed! and
the ocean with all its inhabitants,
where arc they?"
Me Spirit. "Therc thoy are,
hanging on the towel thou hast wi.
ped them off,
MyscF. "Ah! and the atmosphere
and all the splcndors Of the landY
The Spirit. "Iho atmosphere?
there it is dcpositedin yonder yes
sci of distilled water; and for the
glories of the land, how canst thou
thus ask? Why, these arc now an
Jmpalpable dust-here on thu coat