The Mountaineer. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1859-1861, 1861-03-16
THE ROMANCE. OF MODERN
! :| .*G.s EG I. j l., SCIENCE.

E THEold aicheniists wasted their lives in
tde pursuit OF two ilBattaifiable.o objects
the philosophers stone and the elixir oflife,
the former to.turn all metals into gold,
and the hitter TO hestow perpetual soutlt
1T is now known that the turning Of all
metals into gold wonid have greatly di:
.niinished; instead Of adding to the wealth
of mankind; for ii gold were so abundant,
it would no longer answer the purpose for
money, and for use in the arts it is less
valuable than iron. II may be that men
will some time be brought to the belief
that 1nfading youth would be no blessing.
but with our light, it would be received
as the greatest boon which II is possible
to imagine, , s is-. :. Z ::.s.%
Modern science does not expend its ef.
forts in the pursuit Of these chimeras
but while it is familiar with maTyels Of
which the ancient alchemiSt could form
no conception, its own future Is not
wholly unaaorned with the dreams Of ro.
nance :: Had some observation-disclosures
appeared to one of the long bearded old
| Arabs, among his retOrts aud crucibles,
and prophesied the achievements which
the human race were destined to make
within few hundred years, how utterly
incredible would have been the prophecy!
Looking down the fatarei no would
| haze said: ut shall DO ascertaiIcd
that Arabia, the Red Sea, aiI The eoun-
tries that you have ever heard Of, are not
at rest, hut are constantly rushing away
toward the East more swiftly tbRn the
flight Of an arrow from a bow. Tie dis.
| lance IRON US to the sun is such that a
horse. running 20 miles IN hour, without
| rest day or night, would require more
| than 500 years 10 make the Journey, and
vet this distance shalt be measured with
u rod and Rue Though this fiery orb i
/ as large as ! ,400,00D globes the size o.
/ this Garth, man shall measure its mighty
1 span. lie shall weigh IFS yast mass witt
In balance, aud the of its tuus shall
he told Hidden from the eyes Of al
who have ever lived. deep sunk III thl
depths Of space, lie shall behold counties
mFriads Of other suns, aud shall approx
fuiutely cOmpHte the Uncomfortable dis
/ tanets which separate them, from rs
4 SWaIHhhH w NtltE NusS- bcutttlb UuFA tttt
in The air we breathe, il, tbs interior o
! our wu7bodieS, in every stagHant pool
J he; shall discover Ihuititudes OF iivinj
beings, Of strange aHd cGrions structure
whose numbers cast those Of the yisflii
; Ein6s bi(anss Of the earth iato iasjgniRcaIcC
E.iFe shall put iroA iato condition i
which il shall become rs intorrupttbic q
fguid, aud thus shall your ie1g-sorgt
3, l1,hilosophcr's stone be discovered T.
: irnIulpaiile yapor which rises from watt
& he shall harin.Ss 10 his chariot wheels; b
{ shalt nuke it dig his sniifeS, grind his cor
Il saw hlB &oud, meuvc his clothes, an
1 drtye his loHderoas irdn ships over q
q STORMY sta ~ grtl.t continents nos u
= discovered. At his easy command, Il
J rock shah leap from lis firm bed and IN
s hendlOug through the air. lie. shall !;
z his hand apon the solid mountains, ri
/. they shall yawn open To his passage;
E. shall be borae through them i'll ease a
d comfort with velocity 1nattainable
ir tie fieetest steed. The sunbeam 81,
Z, become his most faithful Inner, aud (
re thunderbolt OF heaven the obedient s