The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-05-09

sight of this wound, nor yet the sombre
character of the head, which most i'm
pressed me, but the immobihty-the
silence.
"This, then, is man !" thought I; "inertia,
eternal reposeW
1 was bordering this overwhelming
thought when Selsam, placing the edge Of
his scalpel on the resistless body, said:
''All of this lives-all of this will soon re-
vive! Thousands Of beings, ensiaved by
like force, will recover their Independence.
The only thing which absolutely ceases
to be, in this body, is the power to COM
mand; the power which indicates single
direction to all these individual lives-the
will! That power is there"
He struck the head, which gave back
hollow sound, as though it were made of
wood. [ was shocked, even though Sell
sans words treasured me somewhat.
"All, then is not annihilated," thought l;
$50 much the better. prefer to live in de-
tail rather than not live at all"
Eyes" cried Selsam, who seemed to read
in my face the thoughts which passed
through my mind; Eyes, man is immortal
in detail; each of the molecules of which
he is composed is imperishable; these live
always and forever! But their lives, their
suiferlngs are transmitted to the soul which
governs them, Consults their needs, and
holds them subject TO will. We haV6 sought
the highest type of governments; we pre-
sumo to have found it in a hive of bees, in
an ant-hill; the ideal model of government
is - there"
Thereupon he plunged his scalpel into
the corpse and opened it completely. l
drew back from it with horror; but he, APP
pearing not to have observed the move
ment, calmly continued:
LET us first observe the mode of action
and transmission of the soul. You see
these thousands of white fibers which
branch out all over the body; they are the
nerves, the highways of this vast country,
whereOu lnCoSsantly come and go, quicker
than lightning, dispatches carrying to the
eNtremities the orders of the central MOLE
Guile, or warning of one of the necessities
and dangers which affect or threaten its
innumerable subjects, Thus all move, all
act, all tend to the one end assigned by the
soul. Nevertheless, each moleCule has it's
own task and individual nature; thus:
here are the respiratory organs, the lungs;
here are those by which the blood is circu-
lated, the heart, veins and arteries; here
those OF the digestion, the stomach,
the intestines. Do not imagine that
they are composed of the same
elements, the same beings. By no
means. When decomposition takes place,
the lungs produce that class of insects
called dOurCS, or gOurd- worms, who fasten
themselves ON like the leech; their bodies
are long and fliform. The intestines pro-
duce the lOmbuct, or lob-wOrm, formed of
| utSHF rings JIey IRE CyllnuIICdl, Oh q reu
! color, thn at the eXtremitleS, and in no
particular do they resemble the gourd-
worms. The heart produces yet another
variety, and so on with each organ. The
living being is a whole universe subject to
a single will. And rest assured that each
of these intinitesimal creatures has an i'm
mortal soul. The Supreme Being shows
no preference in the gift of immortality,
| because, from the smallest atom to incOm-
measurable space, all are subject to abso-
| lutte justice; there is never mOlecule out
of the sphere assigned to its capacity.
That alone illustrates the admirable order
which prevails in the universe. Even as
mau-mere particle of humanity that he is
necessarily obeys God, even so does the
molecule act in compliance with the will of
! the living man. Can you now conceive,
Theodore, the infinite power of that Great
Being whose will acts upon US as our souls
act upon our flesh and blood? Nature, in
it's entirety, is the flesh and blood of God.
He suffers through it, sees, thinks, acts
through it; hence each of these atoms is
imperiShable, for God can not perish in the
least of His atoms.
But where, then, is Hberty?" 1 ex-
claimed. eff | am an enslaved mOlecule,
how can | be responsible for my actions?"
Liberty is intact,' replied SelSam, "for
the molecule of my flesh can revolt against
my soul; but when that comes to pass it
destroys itself, and my organism is elm
mated. 1t has found its liberty, it has also
paid the penalty; am also free. I can
revolt against the laws Of God; l can abuse
my power over the beings of which | am
composed, and so effect my dissolution.
| The molecules become again independent,
and my soul loses its power. The mere
fact that we suffer for our faults proves
that we are responsible for them, and con-
sequently are free.'
As | could offer no reply to this pause
ensued, during which we looked at each
other as though trying to fathom each the
others soul.
''All this, my dear Selsam,'' said I, final
ly, appears very logiCal-a superb theory;
but | fail to perceive its connection with
your bowl of water, my aunt's malady,
and the air of music which l played for
you"
Nothing more simple" said he, smiling;
you are certainly aware that vibration of
sound causes sand heaped upon a drum to
take the impress of rapid movements,
making it trace geometrical figures of mar
velous regularity"
"Certainly; but"- -
But" exclaimed he, impatiently, cal
low me to finish. Even thus does sound act
upon the molecules in liquids, whence re-
suit infinite combinations but always with
this difference, that the molecules being
| susceptible of motion, the figures resulting
from them are inanimate; that is what
| physicians call equivocal creation. Now,
sound acting upon the nervous system pro-
duceS an electric current which, in its turn,
acts upon the liquids contained within the
body, whence spring thousands and mil
! lions of insects which attack the organism
and produce a multitude of diseases, such
as deafness, dullness of sight, epilepsy,
| idiOcy, nightmare, commissions, whooping-
cough, ringing in ones ears, st. Vitus'
dance, nervous collie, and all those other
numerous ills to which women who are fond
of music are particularly subject, and the
cause of which has been an unsolved mys-
terry until this day. The insects in question
are-viz.: the milleped, the parasite, the
coleOpteran, the lepidopteran, the neurop-
teran, the hymenopter. All these gnawers
ravage the interior of the body until it re-
sembles piece of worm eaten furniture.
1t is the history of the Roman people, ener-
waited by Asiatic luxury, devoured by the
barbarians without resista2ce."
Selsam's description positively made my
hair stand on end.
And you believe" said l, ''that music is
the cause of these disasters"
"Unquestiouably. 1t is sufficient to see
old musicians who play the organ, piano,
or harp, to be convinced of it. Your un-
fortunate aunt is menaced with ruin.
know of but one remedy by which she can
be saved"
"And that remedy, Selsam? Inasmuch
as | AIN her heir-apparent it behooves me
to use every means to protract her exist