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

dicti1n combine 10 seal tho knowledge
Of the processes Of the holy art em-
ploycd 10y them not only from the
of their unniuatcd tel.
lows. but even from one another
We shall now have to turn our atteu-
ton Cor a moment to political affairs,
for owing 60 these the keeping OF
science was given into the hands OF an.
other people, 20 people who, strange 10
may seem, cultivated the young plant
of science with q care never before
exercised
The Western Roman Empire had
fallen shattered beyond recovery. The
northern b1rh3uaus were trampling the
clietg civilization OF Rome 100 the dust
They were paying no respect TO learn.
ing and culture. People were sinking
deeper and deeper Boo ignorance, Aud
now boz the East the half civilized Arab
tribes arc preparing TO finish The work
of the northern horlcs. United by the
bands Of religious enthusiasm fused as
a consequence into powerful nation,
the Arabs, under Moslcm banners. De.
sin to march west 90 oUcr TO their op.
poucns the choice of the Koran tribute
or sword. Egypt s oyguIu aud CUu-
VuCrld in bgl The western march Is
continued and finally northern AiucI
aud Spain arc brought under M4s.em
dominion. The Arabs seem defer.
mined 10 carry destruction Wherever
they 80. The magnificent library u
Alexandria becomes % thing Of the
past, and 10 seems that learning B. tu
receive Dos death blow Bot no; in the
darkest hour sudden light bursts
forth. the clnlugIoB all 90 once
change 'front.' they Immediately a1.
vance aui rescue learning from JOS im-
pending fate. With uIlCIy these
strangers 10 science become ardent
patrons " learning. They soon ca,ab-
usu chools iu 900 their towns, and
some OF the more important cities
ulaatui universities. cnty-hvc years
alter the death ol M1hammcl the pat-
ronasu Of learning, Draper tells as, had
become fixed policy with ihc caliph5.
Though itHppcars almoat marvellous,
Willie most Europeans were descending
love, aud lower 900 the scale Of learning
these previously uutulorcd Arabs were
dgyotng themselves as .duoualy 90 the
mastery %. tl arts and sciences OF the
people whom they conquered, aud
with whom they came In contact. But
y
received, they went on developing aud
extending the knowledge they gained
from Their teachers Mathematics aud
philosophy medicine and optics were
the iayuritC studies. But not the least
attractive suhilCl was chem Try. The
germs Of chemical knowledge. which
bad laid hidden in the brains Of a few
philosophers, attained 10 "a marvellous
growth among them. They greatly
improved the crude chemical processes
taught and advanced chemical knoWl.
edge boo the same proportion.
Though the Koran put an intcrdict
( upon magic and alchemy, yet they gave
/ themselves up TO an eager pursuit Of the
/ latter However they soon stripped
the subject Of the mystical and super.
natural nonsense with which It mad
/ always been involved, thus thoroughly
mliefializIng the art
Their medical tendencies led them
/ simultaneously TO cultivate another
| ancient duIusion. the discovery OF uni.
yersal panaccl, an elixir which would
cure al diseases and prolong lie ior
/ ever To ind this elixir all kinds OF
/ substances were submitted 20 an kin +
! OF operations, IL was subsequently
believed that 10 the same preparation
| would DE found the philosophers stone
| or the substance which would transmute
/ the base metals into the noble.
! The Arabian universities Of Spain and
/ the East became the centurs OF learning
! during the middle ages, France, Ger.
many aud Italy sent th.lhcr crowds OF
! anxious students one OF the impor,
lant subjects taught go these institutions
was alchemy. Hence. naturally. the
doctrine of this enchanting subject
/ NJ. e. enchanting az that time were
spread over the whole of Europe. and
were almost universally accepted. As a
consequence, practical alchcmats, with
| ont number, were found BOO every C1uu,
try OF Europe as early as the thirteenth
! century, and they continued the prac-
licc ui their l.lISDry art Until the death
kuelI Oi alchemy was rounded but little
more than a aaudrld ytaBago
Let us now turn our attention Tor a
sh0r, time to o few men, the apostles OF
alchemy, whose sincerity and desire to
arrive at tic truth cannot be ques-
toned.
The FIRST mau TO engage our attention,
by reason II the time iu which he
lived aud the influence he cxcued, Is
the celebrated Arabian physician Geb.
er, who wls both physician and alchem.
i5t, and was recognized as the highest
authority DO each. OF his life but little
Is known ave that he lived in the latter
.Lilui Of t1s eighth century. Even the
country uI DIS birth and the exact p ace
OF Hi5 mortal activity are unknown
Notwithstanding this, he was held Ia the
highest regard by bis contemporaries
ag1 by scientific men during the whole
Of taa middle ages. From his numer.
GUS writings which come down % ui
through Latin translation, the original
Arabic manuscripts never having been
publt he'd, we recognize ~ hun q man
Of broad culture and OF widest chemical
knowledge such as has never before
been pictured In previous writings.
Many OF ,ua numerous works asCribed
TO him are evidently spurious, but the
authorship Of several cannot be ques.
toned a5 to their gcnuiucuess. In
harp contrast TO the Older AlexHdrian
lIchgmsg, Ggber describes with re-.
iggsam. Cleaness definite chemical
processes for the making Of prcpaa-
lions. many of which are prepared by
him iOr the FIRST time He also de-
sCubss many pieces Of apparatus and
chemical operations which have since
come into general use. Thanks TO such
aud ,Hc chemical art was greatly devcl.
Up u during GgbeI'5 time, aud the mum.
bur OF material facts pertaining to
chemistry waa largely increased.
Guler himself states that the aim OF
;hc or. of which he treats BIS the artificial
production OF gold and silver But he
p I.., ...,frUf1t tD find the universal uIu1raa