The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-08-29
TRANSMITTING METALS.
ALcHEMISTS LIVED IN THE
MOST ANCIENT TIMES.
A Frugal German wifs Gave Death
Blow to Alchemy Ia Germany
Roger Bacon's Firm Belief
In the Eiixer OF Life.

| thrice greatest--an ancient Egyptian
king. Pliny says that the Emperor
Caligula was the first to prepare arsenic
in order to make gold. but '.left of be-
cause the charge exceeded the profit;"
and many rulers since Caligula's
days, might have profitted by his ex-
perience.
The Arabians cultivated the knowl-
edge of alchemy; and the Moors and
returning Crusaders brought it back
with them to the western Europe.
Geber, the Arabian. whose Sum
NIT OF Perfection" written in the
eighth century is the oldest book on
| chemistry in the world, has provided
our language with the word 'gibber-
ish," in allusion. says DR.. johnson. to
this authors style. Another word,
not by any means complimentary to
alchemy. is derived from professor
| of this art. We get ".bOmbast" from
| the real surname OF celebrated al
| chemist, known to fame as Paracelsus.
& Overspreading the nations OF West
| ern Europe, alchemy found its great
est disciple in Roger Bacon. Born in
| III iHi1t ouuohCu GU
| Oxford, and became Franciscan
friar. Bacon was man long before
his time. He held firmly, however to
the alchemic faith Of Geber respecting
aqua regia, the elixir vitae. the trans.
mutation OF metals. and the philoso-
| piers stone. But this forms only a
very small part OF the philosophy of
this great man, who was at last, when
nearly seventy years old. poisoned by
his brethren.
Most OF the alchemists OF the Mid
die Ages were Churchmen, says the
Saturday Evening Post as was Albertus
Magnus, Dominican, and afterwards
Bishop OF Ratisbon. Strange, weird
scenes must some of the old monks
cells have witnessed, and queer jargon
must their walls have echoed. Silver
was called Diana, gold Apollo iron
Mars, Their language was farrago
Of nonsense and mysterious metaphors,
full of .red bridegrooms, lily brides,
green dragons ruby lions, royal baths,
and waters of life" The seven met
ais correspondent to the seven planets,
and the seven cosmical angels to the
seven openings of the head.
Kings and emperors have been the
chief dupes OF the alchemist advent
urer. Raymond Lully being the first to
distinguish himself at the cost OF King
Edward /. The king probably thought
that the transmutation OF base metals
into gold, was even better way OF
providing for his war expenses than
| AZ % ~,
heads Of wealthy Israelites.
That strangest of all created beings,
Paracelsus. in whom alchemy may be
said to have eliminated, was born In
Zurich. His real name, Theophrastus
Bombasts, was by no means grandilo-
quent enough for this extraordinary
man, SO he augmented it to Theophras-
tus Aureolus Bombastes Paracelsus.
Some alchemists are said to have drunk
the alcohol they accidentally distilled.
, and In the delirious exaltation OF their
faculties imagined they had at last
found the object Of their research.
Surely Paracelsus must have been OF
these. which Is more than conjecture
when it is remembered that he drank
himself to death at the age OF forty
seven declaring there was in his shoe
, buckle more learning than in CELSIUS
and all the doctors.
We most OF us know the nauseous
, taste OF Glauber's Salts. Can IL be
credited that this horrible compound
was once supposed to be almost the
elixir vltaep Glauber. himself an
alchemist, speaking Of his salts, says:
. They are the beginning and end oil
all thing. the universal medicine; not
that would assert immortality by
them. for their purpose tendeth not
thither, seeing am not ignorant that
there is no medicine against death"
! The most ludicrous fate which ever
, befell ION alchemist must have been
|, that of certain professor of theology
, in the University of Halle. named
Senior, who died in the closing years
OF the last century. In his youth his
. mind became imbued with fantastic
, notions about chemistry, by hearing a
! crack Drained friend of his fathers,
who rejoiced in the appellation OIL
, Taubenschuh. dilate on the marvels OF
the philosophers stone. He neve,
! lost these early impressions. and, in
, spite OF falling victim to the machin-
, atoms of at astute, Jew. who cheated
! the poor professor terribly, Simlei
! went on experimenting. At last he
, came across universal medicine.
, invented by a Baron Hirschen, and the
simple minded old man argued that {
medicine which was powerful enough
to change all diseases into pure and
n perfect health. must needs be able t.
o change all imperfect metals into pure
2 and perfect gold. Again he Sc
: to work experimenting, and won
q ders of wonders, at last he found gold.
; Semler's position and known PROFIT.
o were such that directly the news wa
4 noised abroad hardly German house
h hold could be found with some Of thu
Q universal medicine; but strange to say
Q none OF the famous specific yielded golt
5 on analysis but the old professors
Klaproth, the celebrated chemist, ana
lyzed the Salt OF Life" as it wa
called, and found It to be mixture o
9 Glaubers Salts and sulphate OF mag
: nesin. Thereupon Semler sent Klap
o roth some OF his own salts in powde
: as well as in solution, and in both o
= these the chemist discovered gold