San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-08

"What we have done is to conquer the ul-
innate atom, and discover whether it Is
healthy or not If it is diseased, it will pro-
duce disease-mental, moral or physical, as
the case may be. Every one of us has dis
eased atoms in his system. That is what
makes us die too soon; sometimes that is
what makes us do wrong. When we find the
diseased atom, we cannot destroy it. Moth
ing can. But we can now isolate it so that it
can do no harm-at least, not for ages to !
come, perhaps never again. We can force !
each atom-each dust mote which floats
about the world-to tell its story; can dis .
cover where it has been, and what it has
done, and whether it is helpful or hurtful !
Since the number of atoms in the atmosphere
of the earth is now definitely ascertained, it
only remains for the human race to isolate
from further evil the diseased atoms as fast
as possible. Then, a few centuries from now,
only healthy atoms will remain. This as I
need not explain to you, must mean perfect
health, and great many other things which
the newspapers will tell you about"
A great hush fell on the audience, as they
understood~this stupendous claim. Then muir
murs and cries began to break forth, as peo-
pie suddenly spoke to each other, forgetting
all else in the presence of the fact. The ulti-
mate atom had been conquered. That was
what science and theology for thousands of
years had said could never be done Did it
mean wiping out the secret sins, taking away
the daily temptation from each onei A wo-
man, rich, beautiful, fashionable, rose in the
audience and reached out her hands to Pro-
fesscr Carey. Take away my selfishneSs!"
she cried A man in tho prime of life,
famous over the continent, rose end called
with deep voice OF passion, Take away that
which oIve made me false to my oath" The
professor reached his hands out, and sid in
tone which stillel the tempest: -
~ cannot. No one can. You live and die
In the race. If the atoms which work you
evil come to me, | Will bind them fast.
cannot draw them from you. Cast them out
SO that humanity may put them in chains.
Help others to cast them out. Help me in
my work. 1t is atom by atom that we re-
build the human temple"
The man and 3 e woman sank back in their
places and a great pent up sigh swept over
the audience, but no one spoke again.
The professor went on: "All things tell
their secrets at last. Every mote of dust has
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, hquake-swallowed five CEN
turtles 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 the heart of the
earth, these dust notes come in our midst,
after myriad wanderings, and our science can
now reveal the story of each one of them ALL"
The professor bent, and looked through his
microscope. There is flake of dust here"
he said, (which we will examine. 1t foated
on the plate just now while l was speaking",
He threw magnified reflection on a screen,
till the fake of dust seemed a hundred feet
across, he dropped chemicals upon it andI
winnowed everything from the center
There was the atom at last; all the rest thati
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 a vast drop of blood, and III the
heart of the drop was picture of strife on a
desert edge, near a palm by an altar, and a
clock struck the centuries backward in the
ears of the audience, till they knew that the
blood was the first drop of blood ever SIZED
in the world from man by his fellow man.
1t is All atom" said the professor, that
makes disease wherever it goes Now it shall
wander forth no longer" He put it into one
of his 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-
ceptsd the stupcndous secret. The ultimate
atom was no more profound mystery, but
creature to be ca!tured, named. analysed
and imprisoned by star eyed science
Then the professor WAS asked to cast the
magniied reflection OF an atom Oh the screen
without first examining it himself He looked
at the audience again with that indescribably
sad expression.
Not yet; perhaps never" he said; Il see
more than am able to tell you, more than
any man, with the heart of a man, could de-
scribe. | read your hearts, | know your
thoughts, see the record of your sins as
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,1
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 audience 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 q profound sad