Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-02-19
LUCKY PHOTOGRAPH.


gentlemen concerning modern Inventions
and the marvellous appliances a scsenoe.
JAMES basufrsnc. . gruat. brown. boy
ish fellow. vita . mers5er countrnAnoe
than h sSnrraily considered ~ Be b.
coming ~ . professor 81 mzfhsnsncs.
wAs seked - tell IN his turn whns he
fhoaght w. the most useful discovery
Of tbs HUMAN mind
WHAT You care % pretend that the
steam, explosives. eisc<rsc,ty. and know
not what As II ID we're . pleasure 10
travel - fast that ypu cannot enjoy the
soencry on either hsnd; 20 spesk through
the Telephone ~ person Whose fscr you
cannot see. or 70 hsve your tooth pulied
ont. even without pain. by ws1 Of
some uyvesrious chemical. come from
God knows were, In truth. you gentle
men. though you are rsputed 10 be very
wise. appear 70 mo e be- very foolish."
The parHdoxes Of the young professor
caused general smile. but James Bese-
franc continued impersaubably:
MY own IDEA Il that inventions are
valuable only IN direct ratio % the hap
piness which they procure. That IL Why
find your railroads oshous. your cannon
monstrous, your dynamite absurd. And
for other reasons find but one lsudsbls
modern discovery-one which IL univer-
sally benshcial--a science which is also
an art"
And what II itr
Photography.
There was . great shout Of laughter.
Decidedly Beaufrsnc had not his equal
for pleasantly.
However. with astonishing GOODNESS
the young professor continued:
"Yes. photography. which dces no
harm 70 any one. but. on The contrary.
much good: which makes 20 hive again
NJ our hrcside. immortal - their mem
DRY, the eherished features Of RELATIVES
long departed: which consoles In the alb
sence Of the dearly beloved. and 70 which.
besides. owe my marriage
There wa great Silence ~ this point.
and intense curiosity was depicted upon
the oountensnces Of Besufranc's hearers.
II bought" he continued. "az soon as
they appeared. one Of those instantaneous
cameras. II II no larger than an alarm
clock and perfectly light and portable.
You can hide it under your overcost,
under your arm, within your waistcoat
almost anywhere. When you wish.
you touch button. and. prestoi every
thing before you u found imprinted upon
the dim for al eternity.
How many times have opposed 20
the denial Of scholars. complaining Of
the injustice Of punishment. a photo
graph taken q the moment their arms
were pAised 70 buri 1t my head the paper
missile! But I must come 10 the story
of my mazriAGe.
81 was . predecessor at Amberville col
lege, and lived In little apartment on
the ground door. Opposite my house
was the large, ornamented sign Of Mr..
Pradoux. the notary, today my father
in-law. Close beside his desk the win
dow Of his library opened opposite mine.
and Across the very narrow street
could see as well ~ in my own room
all that pa~sed in the house Of my
neighbor. Indeed from the first day
could see but one thine-his daughter
Valentine. She came and went Al dAy
long, for she attended 10 the housekeep-
ing. Mr.. Pradoux being wiicwer. She
animated with hsr CHEEKY smile and her
fresh gayety that paper strewn interior
in way that was truly adorable
"nssdou this panegyric upon my wife.
but she was then h the marvellous
hrillancy Of 70 pears Her hrst appear
ance wss 20 ne blow from which my
hsart never recovcr>d-a blow that Gully
those Psychologists deny who have never
expsrienced IL.
Alas: from ehe first day this insur-
mounsable love seemed 10 me what n
must have sssns3 10 any reasonable
buing--foolinh. senselcss useless and
doomed 10 pexpsonal disappointment
M. Pradoax vs. r1ch. very rich. and
l had. 70 Offset his money h>gs. only thin
diplomas and appointments yes ssssuner.
There wnx. shut mp alone with nv love.
silent ~ in . ssnctuaxy. saszrfed only 10
look with inpocent and distant alteration
upon the beastzfsl Miss valeuene.
'Ope day the audAes,ss sses came 30
q snstan<Anso~sly phosoeraphinx her,
and at lesss preswvs1g her image. /
earned my lsetie machine 10 the window
sill and c>rsiersly- m the most casual
manner. photographed nv pretty
nsiehbor - The rr~.se monent when
she was embracing her fssaser. Al an
other time c~nghf her while khs wster~d
her flowers - ~ window.
lin sisort. within = month po~rs~~>d
IN original ga1Sery. true mns-um -
my dearly b5cvvd- VITA her were pc
lures q xrsst many people --ho had
spoksn with hr In boz fstbers library
At the moment - my operation. aud
very ofteu ] TUNED over my precious
oollectior. happy ~ pcs~ss- h, but filed
az the same time with terrible ssdp>~L
One dAy did not 80 Miss vsleutipe
I learned that che was o. In the wsh
wfich folf7w~a another pcrfsuHcns
rurnor r-srhed NE. Mr.. rrsdoax wss.
q vss evnns "a b. ruiDet By bsz.ker
- asrhtfsi rssutssfon. Who had risked
ard io~s fcrnsns IN Rod sp-cnsassoD.
II ws< even said that criminal proc~t-
lnxs ver~ stost 30 se in-situs~6 Aessnft
NJ. Frzienx The trial vonii t>ks
riare ~ the es~1i tribunal. h<S-su<d
70 b ~ tie suiisrre Mr. pr>5osx ~
r@xres ~ b very rsncb u.es do~n. bur
his ocart>usnrs. - ny Eusna. erpr~~~<d
snraceors ~ honesty,
sfsc< I hsd k>sra al - sks s>~<ir,r~v
- A.