The record-union., 1894-03-17

smoke a pipe together in his apartments
almost every night before going 10 BED.
On one of these occasions, conversation
having tagged, l found myself wonder
ing as to the mystery of the closed LABOR
atory, and under the impulse / gave
utterance to my thought.
Doctor" / asked, why do you keep
that workshop Of yours always locked?
1t isn't probable that any one IN the
house could discover any OF your sclen-
tific secrets even if they were given the
opportunity and should undertake TO do
So"
Sulzberg gave me a quick, suspicious
glance, but being assured by my eX-
preston that my inquiry had been
prompted merely through idle curiosity,
his anxious look gave way to one OF deep
thought. In a moment he said:
Through my life SO far | have kept
my own counsel, and ii is strange that |
should now feel tempted to speak to one
who is almost stranger of that which
for more than twenty years has been my
own secret"
Seeing him so moved by my thought
less question. assured him that l had
no wish to pry into any of his private af-
fairs, but he interrupted by saying:
There is no need to apologize. l
should have spoken to you shortly in
any event, and you have only opened the
way for me to do So"
I'm that case" 1 replied. II shall be
only too glad to hear anything you are
willing to tell me-"
1t was evident that it was no easy mat
ter for my friend to bring himself to
speak of that which had so long been
upon his mind. He paced up and down
the room, his expression indicating
much emotion. AT length he paused di-
rectly in front Of me and speaking
abruptly, he said:
''Since my college days I have been
greatly interested in physiological ex-
perimentS, and my name is not wholly
unknown to-day in the world of science.
Twenty years ago l began a series of in
vestigations. which 1 have since been
steadily pursuing. At last the fruition of
my labor is at hand"
Indeed. doctor,' I said, fattered that
the savant deemed me worthy of his con-
fidence; Il heartily congratulate YOU"
YES" he said, without noticing and
apparently not hearing my interruption;
Il am ready to place before the world
discovery the like of which il has never
seen."
81 know you are man of wonderful
ability, Sulzberg," exclaimed enthusi-
astically.
Harvey, Jenner, Lister. Pasteur,
Koch will all rank far, far below me as
benefactors Of the race" he asserted.
l gazed at my friend in some astonish-
ment little startled by the magnitude
Of his claim.
1.-The discoveries of the application of
steam and electricity will sink into in
significance beside mine," he continued,
imperturbabIy.
My astonishment gave way to amaze
ment. | suspected either that ne was jok-
ing with me or that his senses had taken
leave Of him. His look, however, suf-
feed to show that he was all earnestness,
and that there was no doubt in his mind,
at least, as to the truth of what he
claimed.
You astonish me beyond EXPRESSION"
doctor" / said. II admit your ability
but yet, what discovery can it be in the
power Of man To make which surpasses
those you have mentioned?"
"Do you remember the stories of old
Ponce de Leon?" he asked. "Do you re-
member how ne went about seeking the
fountain OF perpetual youth? What if he
had found itp'
oh" 1 exclaimed. perhaps you
have been investigating in the line of
| that frenchman, Brown-Sequard, who
claimed that he could renew a mans
youth by the hypodermic injection Of an
animal extract-and have you accom-
plished more than he?'
"No, no." said the doctor. my dis
it involves new principle, or rather,
should say, principle unrecognized by
the world to-day"
''Since you have taken me so far into
your confidence, pray go on. [ am all
curiosity to know the nature Of this
wonderful discovery" I said.
1.-The idea is not hard to understandu -
said the doctor. "In few words I can
give you an insight of it."
l listened eagerly while he spoke as
follows:
You are probably aware that there
is in nature force of which every one is
conscious, but which has always eluded
the researches of investigators; they have
never been able to isolate it, if l NAV so
speak. Now, the foundation of my dis
covery rests in this, that | have investi-
gated the laws by which this force acts,
and so have found way to control it.
You well know that electricity has
always existed, but of what value was it
before Franklin taught US something of
its nature and Of the laws by which it is
goyerned?"
'.Similarly, this force has always ex-
isted; men see everywhere its effects, but
of the cause which produces them they
know nothing.o
wait" 1 exclaimed. "You say that we
are all conscious of a force which has
never been demonstrated? l do not un-
derstand YOU"
''In every thing that lives" answered
the doctor, lin every plant and animal, is
factor which has never been explained.
| Physiology tells us much, chemistry tells
us much, bat neither can tell US what it is
that directs the phenomena OF nutrition
and growth; what it is that binds together
all the different elements of an organism
and makes unit Of them; in a word,
what it is that makes the thing alive"
7 oil ~
read something of that kind in Herbert
Spencer"
Compare two animals. one display
ing all the exuberance of youth, the
other about to succumb to age. | ask
you the causes of the difference which
you observe in them. You cannot ex-
plain it, or at best you reply that the one
is in full possession of his vitality, while
the other is almost exhausted"
lis not that sufficient explanation ?"
Inquired.
Hardly" replied the doctor. "What
do you mean by 'vitality?' Is not that a
word you use as cloak to hide some
thing of which you know 'nothing?n
On reflection l saw that my friend was
right.
to me-" he continued. ut means an
actual, tangible force, if I may so express
1t; force which can be handled and di-
rected; force which, through proper
means, can be made to subserve the pur-
poses of man as electricity does by means
OF the battery and Leyden iar.'
1T is truly wonderful discovery"
exclaimed.
~ ou see to what it leads Give me g
vital force and method of supplying it
to my body. and 1 am in a position to
| defy the encroachments of disease and
age"
"You claim to be able to do that?n 1
exclaimed.
'Yes." replied my friend. 1.-THE vital
battery is evolved. The foundation OF