The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-10
THE ALCHEMISTS,
Fables of the Philosophers Stone
and Transmutation

The theory that gold could be pro-
duced artifcially from other metals
was first recorded in the fifth century
after Christ; beginning at that time
the problem of finding the Philosophers
Stone-that is, a substance by which
base metals could be turned into gold
began to excite public interest Most
alchemists trace the origin of their art
back to Egypt, and recognize as the
first to practice it a certain Hermes
Trismegistus
Though may Of his supposed writings
are still in existence, nothing definite
is known about his life Alchemy was
largely developed and practiced about
A. D. 400 to the year go From the
Egyptians it passed over to the con-
querlng Arabs. 1t was not long before
they began to acquaint themselves
with the sciences, by contact with the
conquered people. producing celebrated
scholars in mathematics, natural sci.
ences, and, above all, in medicine.
quite number of ArabianS turned
their attention to chemistry, and here
1t received the new name ALCHEMY:
they added to the formerly employed
word "Chemie" their article "al." In
the Arabian school of Seville the cele-
DRAFTED Arabian philosopher and al
chemist, Gebir, made a great reputa-
ton, and at this time it is particularly
interesting to trace the progress Of al
chemy from the Arabe in Spain to the
remaining countries of Europe, espec-
lally France, Germany and England.
The high schools of the Arabians in
Cordova, Seville and Toledo were fire.
quented by men from all lands desir-
Gus of acquiring knowledge, and chiefly
after the pattern of these institutions
were the universities of France. ItaIv.
and later those of Germany, sha ped. AS
early as the thirteenth century alchemy
was spread over the entire northwest
of Europe, and was practiced by AL
bertus Magnus in Germany, Roger Ba-
con IN England, and others
Albertus Magnus won BollstadO, the
most eminent scholasticist Of mis- time
was then equally prominent as phil
osopher and alchemist Although the
pope assumed at first an opposing atti-
tude toward alchemy, there were. new
ertheless, numerous ecclesiastics who
were the first to master the art, and
mainly in the monasteries did it find
a home. But the thought to produce
the Philosophers Stone, and by means
OF 1T to produce infinite riches, was too
aNuring for it to remain hidden in the
narrow sphere of cloister life
With the beginning of the seven
tenth century, after the failure of sew
eral experiments had become known,
societies sprung into existence whose
purpose it was to discover the produce
ton of the Philosophers Stone. The
most celebrated of these was the ''Rosi-
crucians-" Another was the "Nurnberg
Alchemical society" which was found
ed in 1854, and is noteworthy on ac-
count of it's having had for it's secre-
tary the eminent philosopher and
Statesman, Leibnitz.
Even long after the science of chem
tstry had branched out into the medi-
cal direction the search for the philoso-
piers stone was continued, and ex-
tended into the pblogistic epoch. yes,
even into the age of moderF. chemistry,
as it is we'll known that Goethe prac-
ticed alchemy with great zeal in his
as 1882, relating to the history of
alchemy, is concluded with the follow
ing words: There exists a chemical
preparation by means of which other
metals may be changed into gold"
Consequently, "a philosophers stone"
A remarkable proof that the exis-
tence of the Philosophers Stone and
the transmutation of metals was ac-
tually believed in is. exemplified by a
verdict rendered in the year 1880 by the
judicial faculty of Leipzig against the
alchemiSt of the elector August of Sax
ony, David Beuther The latter had
promised under oath to communicate
in the presence of witnesses the secret
of how to apply the Philosophers
Stone in order to make gold, but had
not kept his word The verdict rem
dered read: "Beuther shall be ques-
toned about his processes under tor