The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-05
DIR. SELSAM'S CURE.
Lsan FRANCISCO Argonaut translation

friend, the illustrious DR.. Adrian Selsam,
Professor of general pathology, chief OF
clinics, family physician to the grand
duchess, ETC., etc l found him alone in
his magnificent apartments on the Borg
strasse. His elbow was resting on small
black table, while his eyes were plunged,
SO to speak, in crystal bowl, which APP
peared to me to contain perfectly limpid
water Notwithstanding the purple rays
Of twilight which effected an entrance
through the three high windows, which over
looked the palace garden, the thin lace,
sharp nose, and peaked chin OF my frlend
SelSam-as l now saw them IN the glass
bowl-aSsumsd CHASTITY hue. One might
readily imagined it a guillotlned head, an
illusion which was heightened by the scarlet
lining of the dressing gown.
Raising my voice, | asked:
what re you doing there, my friendl
Meditating. l should judge upon the doc
trine of SangradoP
But he met my railery with such an am
biguous expression of countenance that l
was completely surprised.
Theodore said he, after pause, "this is
not subject for jesting. l am studying
the malady Of your respected aunt Lady
Annah Wunderlich. Her symptoms, as you
described them yesterday, are very serious;
those exaltations, those ecstacieS, that ner-
vousness, and, above all. the exaggerated
expressions Of the venerable lady in abiding
to Haydn's creation, Handel's oratorios, and
the symphonies of Beethoven-all indicate a
very alarming disorder"
"And you pretend to have discovered this
in that bowl of fresh water'
Just SO; it was a most fortunate chance
that brought you here. | was wishing for
you"
Then, pointing to violin which hung
upon the wall:
"Wnl you play for me the Requiem by
Mozartfn
This request seemed so singular that
could not but wonder whether my friend
Selsam, like my poor aunt, was not becom
ing a little childish; but he, divining my
thoughts smiled ironically, saying:
"Reassure yourself, dear Theodore, my
intellectual faculties are unimpaired. am
on the eve of grand, sublime discovery
"Good That's all sufficient
And taking down the violin examined L
with a covetous eye. 1t was one of thost
famous Levenhaupt, dozen of which had
been made by order of Frederick II, where
with to accompany his flute-perfect, ire
proacbable instruments, which ara deemed
by certain connosseurs the equal of the
Stradivarius. Be that as it may, scarcely
had run the bow across the strings, thar
all that had heard in its praise fell shor
Of the reality. The elegance of the work
added to the exquisite purity of its tone
transported me to the seventh heaven.
~Oh, great, great masterp l Exclaimed
1Oh, sublime muscianl. Who could be in
sensible to such grace, strength, and inspi
rationn
My lat fell upon the floor, my eye
sparkled, my knees trembled, was besid
myself. Selsam, the crystal bowl and my
aunts illness no longer existed for me-
Finally. after the lapse of an hour, | arose
as from dream, from DIR. Adrian's lounge
upon which had been reclining, and asket
myself, wonderingly, what had transpired
saw Selsam holding a strong magnifyin
glass before the bowl; the waters in it wer
troubled; thousands of infusioria crosse
one another in every direction
"Well, Selsam, said | in feeble voice
Nare you satisfiedn
Then with beaming face he approache
me, and, taking both my hands in his in
pressively, he exclaimed:
"Thanks-thanks, my dear and worth
friend, you have rendered science valua
bic service"
] was wonder-struck. what! by playin
a piece of music have contributed aught t
science-Ip
Eyes, dear Theodore, will not leave 70
In ignorance of the glorious part which yo
hax FOL 4
lem. Come, follow me; you shall see all
understand all"
He lighted a candelabrum-night havin
fallen-then opened side door, and signe
TO me to follow him. l experienced I'll
most profound emotion while passin
through several successive apartments,
though my entire being were about |
undergo some subtle change, that woul
now receive the key to hitherto invisib
worlds. The candelabrum cast q lur
light over the sumptuous furniture of IL
elegant establishment; the ornaments, Il
pictures, the carpets faded away in IL
shadows; smiling faces peeped at us fro
out their frames as we passed by I'll
light crept in and out of the gliding, an
finally conducted us to the top of his
stair case, the baluster of which was
bronze. We descended into an interit
court, the sound Of our furtive footsteI
echoing in the distance like . mysteriol
whisper. Several doors opened upon tn
court; before one Of these Selsam stoppe
and turning toward me said:
"This is my amphitheatre It is here tbs
work, that / dissect Do not be alarmed
Nature parts with her secrets only throue
the hands Of the dead"
1t is useless to deny that ! was frightene,
would have receded, but Adrian havir
passed in without awaiting my reply, cou
not but follow him l therefore entere
pale with emotion, and on a large oak tab
saw corpse-the corpse of q young man
extended, the hands crossed upon his bosor
his head thrown back, his eyes open-as IN
tionless as cid Of earth He had a fiji
face. In his left side was deep wour
which penetrated the cavity of his ches
But it was not the sight of this wound, n
yet the sombre character of the head, viii,
most impressed me, but the immobilty
silence
"This, then, is mani" thought /; "inerti
enternal reposer
Twas bordering this overwhelming thong
when Selsam, placing the edge Of his scalI
on the resistless body, said
"All of this lives-all OF this will soon
vivel Thousands of beings, enslaved by
like force, will recover their independent
The only thing which absolutely ceases
be, in this body, is the power to clmman
the power which indicates a single direct
to all these individual lives-the will Tn
power is there"
He struck the head, which gave back
hollow sound, as though it were made
wood was shocked, even though Selsau
words treasured me somewhat
"All, then, is not annihilated," thought
$50 much the better. prefer to live in q
tail rather than not to live at ALL"
Yes" cried Selsam, who seemed to rel
in my face the thoughts which pass
through my mind; Eyes, man is immortal
detail; each of the molecules of which
is composed is imperishable; these live
ways and forever. But their lives, tn
sufferings, are transmitted to the sc
which governs them, consults their nee,
and holds them subject to will. We ha
sought the highest type of governmeI
we presume to have found it In hive
bees, III an ant-hill; the ideal mod@
government is-there
Thereupon he plunged his scalpel into I
corpse and opened it completely. dr.
back from it with horror; but he. appeari