Wichita eagle., 1889-07-12

lHeir secrets at 1olSC ETCly LlOt0 Oh OusU uaS
its story, from the pollen dust Of the wild
rose on the slopes of Chimborazo TO the star
dust left but yesterday in our atmosphere
by the great comet Hierophanta Here in
this room, there is dust from the ruins of an
Gent London, arthquake-swallowedf five CEN
turies ago Out Of the caves of the giant
cave bear Of Europe, out of the castles Of
robber barons on the Rhine, out Of the
depths of the ocean and tho heart Of the
earth, these dust notes come In our midst,
after myriad wanderings and our science can
now reveal the story of each ono of them ally
The professor bent, and looked through his
microscope There is fake Of dust here"
he said, which We viii examine. 1t foated
on the plate just now while | was speaking
He threw naagnifed reflection on screen,
till the fake Of dust seemed a hundred feet
across; he dropped chemicals upon it and
winnowed everything from the center
There was the atom at last; all the rest that
it had drawn to itself had disappeared.
Again the professor spoke: 1T Is evil, and
yet you shall see it." On the screen fell the
reflection of q vast drop Of blood, and in the
heart of the drop was picture Of strife on a
desert edge, near palm by an altar. and a
clock strlck the centuries backward in the
ears Of the audience, till they knew that the
blood was the first drop Of blood ever shed
in the world from men by his fellow man.
st is an atom," said the professor, 'that
makes disease wherever it goes. Now it shall
wander forth no longer" He put it into one
Of bis walls and fastened it up Then he
went on with dust mote after dust mote from
the air about him, and showed the audience
pictures Of the heart atoms of each, which
thrilled and convinced every man and woman
there. The assembly laughed and cried.
They yielded to his mighty spell; they ac-
copied the stupendous secret. The ultimate
atom was no more profound mystery, but
q creature to be captured, named, analysed
and imprisoned by star eyed science.
Then the professor was asked to cast the
magnifed reflection of an atom on the screen
without first examining it himself. He looked
at the audience again with that indescribably
sad expression.
Not yet; perhaps never" he said; ~ see
more than I am able to tell you, more than
any man, with the heart of man, could de-
scribe. l read your hearts, I know your
thoughts. I see the record Of your sins as I
look upon these atoms which float in your
atmosphere. Now my only happiness is that
each one of the diseased atoms can bind, by
so much lessen the folly, the falsehood, the
evil of all sorts that fills every atmosphere,
even here, even now. 1t is our heritage,
the sad heritage Of the whole human race,
through ages of wretchedness and crime.
will only show you what you can bear; the
rest will carry alone" He closed his labor
atory and left the stage.
The al ence rose with a great sigh and
went out; some few were rejoicing, but most
were oppressed with the vast and mysterious
forces thus newly given to the human race
The professor, wrapped in profound sad
ness, sat alone ii his study; and here the
president of the university found him some
hours later, with his head on his desk-dead.
He had written on piece Of paper;
After all, | think we were too ambitious.
The atoms viii make all of Us enemies to each
other. Ny old heart disease is coming back,
but tomorrow l shall ask the faculty to wait
another fifty years."-Charles Howard Shinn
In The Argonaut,