Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-01-19

calimiuc or arsenic, appeared to give
warrant Finally. the fact that residue
Of gold or silver remained behind when
au alloy with lead or an amalgam with
mercury was strongly heated, indicated
the generation of those noble metals,
Thus % residue of silver IS nearly always
found when galgnl the chief ore of lead,
is heated sufficiently The anCignib be.
liuycd that these noble metals resulted
from the actual trlnsmutatiou OF the
lead. IL is now known, however that
galcnl is seldom found entirely free
from them,
Bot when and where were the FIRST
efforts made 90 DlIcC. the irausmuiltiun
ol the base metals into the nublcf as
We have seen. the idea OF the possibility
Of one iUiuE changing into another
essentially efficient was prevalent 90
very early times, 90 least as early aa the
h.h century %. e. But wg have NO dgii-
mite Information bs To- when and where
iHe hrst attempts were made Co trans.
mute the base metals into gold and
silver lli. common, however TO think
of ancient EEyHt H5 tlc mOiugi.and OF
alchemy Yet ut beginning %. tins 900,
as the beginnings 90 Other branches ui
knowledge of ancient date, are associate
cd with mythical WI mystical traditions
bat we hud HWU1. various nations DIS.
tiuCi signs ui ..Ch.my having been
puguggu Us secret au aud having
been held 900 honor.
When ItB remembered that ancient
Egypt was % center tor tue higher gu.-
tuIe. and that DO was "a country WIg.u tIe
few Oh WcIl processes iuuuu were
pacuggd, % igultural Co look there Tor
iuc earliest reliable records OF alchemy.
Aud there wy ind them Bot these
earliest records. few aud Incomplete do
not go back evidently io the time when
llu urst aiChgmsuC efforts were made.
The earliest historical proofs wc have of
the origin of alchemy came 90 as
| through the Laydgn plpyfu8 and the
writings of the Alcyaudraus from tl'
third to the hlth century, A. ID. Tho
| some OF these writings ul ihe
fourth century ibg word oayml
uUt oUCuB aa tHg name ul
| tac 1rt which treats of tbe production OF
gold and silver aruU..aI.y. lut Put.
| arch states that thu old name Tor fgyp,
was thgMi, name given Co Do on Ug'
/ count ut the dark color OF ib soil.
| The same word was also used 90 dCs.E'
nate the black of the eye O., the symbol
/ of the dark aud mysterious. IL b. Ger,
tain, therefore, that chemi now chem
! siry originally meant Egyptian, ul
! secret knowledge. as 10 was aitcrWafji
| termed tEU secret gr black ate The
| prefix 90 aiiICHydsgmg centuries later
! making the word alchemy s due to the
| Ambilus Of the seventh century.
According 90 tradition universally
| IIliUsCl Boo ths inst centuries OF OUT
| eta, the 3rt of UuuuhInE ihc metals
with other knowledge was brought
from heaven 90 earth by demons lr
| the writings OF LosImls, an AIcEan
duan author of the huh century. D.
found the name OF the mystical Uo0i
brought from heaven. containing thl
coveted knowledge. Later there wcr,
| traditions among the a.Chumsls Of thl
middle ages referring the origin OF thc
lu back 10 "a time leiorc the Hood. .
course it was supposed thlta specia
| sJuguty would accrue 20 the arr b,
reason Of this great age, moreover, OF
the supposed authority oil certain pas
sagc5 IN Holy Writ, certain biblica
characters were written down as alchc
mIsts. for instance, Moses and th,
| Evangelist John When ideas such %.
| then gained CrgdcuCu in the middi,
| ages, in time when blind iauaticIsu
! was looked upon us "a virtue, DC Is no
wonder thS the false doctrines o
alchemy were so enthusiastically aC
/ copied and that 500 many gifted met
/ gave themselves up % a pursuit OF il'
illusory hopes.
The hBt personality with which On,
| Egyptians associated the ousu u
alchemy is that o. llcmc, prsmcgIs
ton, 'thg three times great who va.
said 10 have been lAe author OF book
| upon the holy ART, as alchemy Wa.
ciuei. THIS same mythical parsonage
900 whom the idea OF strength was per
! suuluel, was generally reyufcugud q.
| the disCUygrtr of all the arts and scion
! tys. iu Egypt pillars were erected iu
his honor upon which liChymsiiC 100,
scriptuus were cut loo hieroglyphc5.
Another source Of inspiration to carly
! alChumlsl8 lowed from the belief in tho
| analogy of tnu earth TO an animal
/ From this came the theory of the de,
! ycIopmunt of metals iu the womb Of the
| earth under the influences ui the plan.
cts, the pregnant earth spontaneously
| producing gold and silver from baaal
| tulu.5 after definite number OF luna.
! tons But % was soon recognized Jgll
I 20 allure time H nothing, o. man every
! lGu.. Wnlt b. the lapse of "a thousand
I wears 90 ullufe' To mlu half cen-
| fury covers the time of Dos intellectual
! activity. . he aim then OF those who
| cultivate the sacred on was TO shorten
! tue IturIl term 900 watch nature trans,
! mulcl base, thing. Into gold. lgt how
! horton tgE tuuu' ID % base metal
were gS'ugai 20 the proper amount OF