Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-18
REMARKABLE AUTOMATIC.

WY ShS ouA nor m w hohc.
REMARKABLE AUTOMATIC,
Historical Images which Did Almost Every
thing but Breathe.
From Harpers Young People
DR.. John Dee vas one Of the most cofispicu-
Gus figures Of the sixteenth century, an emil
nent mathematician and learned besides in liv-
ing and dead languages and natural science.
He studied nineteen hours out Of the twenty
four while at the University Of Cambridge, and
when asked to manage the mechanical effects in
the production by his fellow-students of
comedy of Aristophanes, contrived an automa-
ton which led to his change Of residence so
wild were the surmises which attended its exhi-
bition. This automaton of DR.. Dee was an
artificial beetle, the exact reproduction of the
scarab@us as far as the eve of the spectator
could see, but so filled with springs and wheels
that II flew without external aid from the floor
to the ceiling of the theater, carrying q man
and basket of provisions on its back. There
was so much unpleasant gossip in consequence
that DR.. Dee went out of the country, though
he afterward became one Of the most distin-
guished men of the court of Queen Elizabeth
One of the great men of modern times, Rene
Descartes, French philosopher, born in 1886,
filled Europe with the fame of his bold mind
and store of learning. Scientists today ac-
AHoWlSSS tueit opllyatlOus 10 MN III mechanics.
He is said to have made an automaton which he
designed to be a daughter to his old age. He
called 1t Francina, and in looks and gesture,
beauty and grace, Francina was all that doting
father could have desired in flesh and blood. SO
goes the tale, a strange one. For Descartes, the
philosopher with whom Aristotle and Plato were
compared, grew to love this mechanical maiden
as the apple of his eve. She was said to walk
with him at evening in his garden, to rise and
greet him with kiss when he returned home,
and to pass her hand now and then, as he sat at
work, caressingly over his forehead. She was
indeed cared for "a tenderly it seemed as a real
Francina might have been.
Once Descartes took Franoina on q sea vow
age with him. for he travelled much about Eu-
rope. The captain of the vessel supposed of
course, that he had two passengers, and set two
places at the table of honor. But while the
young woman walked on deck and sat by her
fathers side at other times she did not come to
the table to eat. And it was observed that she
alone OF all the passengers was unaffected by
seasickness. And so the crew and the captain
accused Francina of being a witch and seizing
her suddenly hove her overheard, her great
weight, her failure to resist cry out and her
masters despairing cry teaching them, too late,
their mistake.
One of the best known of the more modern
automatic was made at Boulogne in the seven
teenth century and was called the Necremancer
Of Boulogne. 1t was a mannikin dressed in
oriental costume about three inches high and
was endowed not only with the power of loco
motion, but could juggle as well. The figure
played with cups and balls on q tiny table,
after the fashion Of human prestidigitateurs
pass at it with a wand in its right Then ! bird
vonld break tbronob the To-, ~ tho co., ~
futter its winos win . motion lie that 90 ,ha
humminp bird. sing n strain or two and draM
back into the egg. The NecrOmancer also took
them disa bacL INTO II With dspt naot;n,,S
A. the herinn;ng ~ Tho a;ahtsan,h $500,
Jacoues Va1canson lived in paris He NAV bs
STYLED the prince of automaton maLers His
duck was called one of the wonders q, the
world. II Was the fac simi,e of n horn-,arJ
fowl with feathers that could not ba d;stin-
pnisbed from tbose of I;sa a hill tbst ono,,aa
and shut and emitted an ncc,s;onnI ..onanls ,;
and an eva that saemsd 70 500 ,ha oI.o..oi -.
which IL nibbled and Which IL reaIlv srsiIn,.aJ
The accounts from crad;hIa sorrcas % r.. ~.
bird was seep and known 10 do orc n 20 -
on r;natss,tb-csrtnry h.Iia, II ~ ~
the waddIno noot;on - tha h.rn'v"rd e., ~
OF hIodes 20 e,rass vra,aIad lie tu - 80
aetnallv declared to absorh What II tooL 80
its stomach. II was in I74O that yancarann
nrorSIr Isr,orad III. ,ar We" -
snoenn;tv frS;b;,ed nov ir ,;t w H,a u MAN
YorL II worId NOT fail 20 ot,rao, orn,yd, Ao Nv
cur;1,s A. on antomaton ~ has -. -.
snrnssSed " -'' "'''- 0'os
The Ante n,over bowov.r r.s A.. ,.s.or
piaca IF Vaucanaor ord waa d., n.u;,
In 1SaS Its linz actnaiIv ,ad o daornS
the volnme Of he sound Vancansor Ia a;ot,
uncle who laughed at his madnsas az hs esiisd
II Tbs noores foIL tbouoht tho o,,'n .t;S
car in leacne with the day;I Rnt tha i6van.nr
toot advsntaoa NJ a nrntr.ctaa ;,inass noa
tbonght ont the mechanifn, % h;s oi.a,,.;o an
nlaver free from ;ntarrnntion go 49,.
Invalid who tales advantaoa ~ bis ;iinass ~ ~,
somath;no usaf,I Rnt he Ala - go 80. ~
sion WAS fn;sbed fa;tb1u, serv a t 90 ..
Goldsmith at Grenohia and had !, r,aSo W."
The bour arrived that law The con- iat;or ~ .ba
isst ono 81 thesa rarss anS Vao.non VI III, ;.e
tremhi;na had" ett2d TIM ,o"s,nn 'n WIZ .hn
a.. ,;,,,a I'D ,.o,nS m .hn Lei ior 'ne
fa,, ON his Inees With sny;etv A. ' AZ a..t
ronnd gnlI notas ~ almost snn:rh,,,aa,, h.a,,tr
fell from the Giants Inns tho rapn er,hraoad ny
masters Knees and wonid have worsb;m.d h ,no
"a one more thar ,,ortai iAH'
II was re'narkaoie scene 10 whlch now I'M
xT1Wh rrohuh INehso' ohce invited LOUIS
a. sne "n par;u oI one Oh una. monarch
grove was a smooth expanse Of level ~rnmnd y, an
which, as the king approached. an automatic
~ IL