Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-06-16
Copyright, 1897, by the Author.
CHAPTER I.
MYSELF,

1TOleSSOT I1dlCu UOISouScu, SpcCId
cled, round shouldered, very bald anG
past threescore and ten, wheeled hi:
squeaking chair round so as to face my
mother, who in her timid way believed
in the startling theories of the dogmat
ic crank, and who, with feeling akin
to awe, had brought her little boy
myself-for him to pronounce upon.
"Yes, madam" he said, his thin lips
moving with a pecyliar energy, which
showed the single snag in his upper
jaw, "any man with common sense
who will devote three minutes thought
to the matter will not dare dispute it. VI
II always believed what you said.
professor, but my husband"-
"Paff! Your husband is fool, like all
husbands. -
I looked sideways at mother, wonder
ing how she would take this reference
to my father. She said nothing in the
way of protest. Perhaps she did not
catch the full meaning Of the words.
Possibly she caught and believed them.
"It's as simple as that two and two
make four. In round numbers there are
1900, 900, 900 of people in the world.
They have all been modelled after the
same image. The average length of life
is 3S years, so this 800, 900, 900 is re-
newed three times century. Since the
creation, 5000 years ago, it has been
renewed $4,000 times
But" ventured my mother in a
uuaking voice, There have not always
been 100000, 900 Of people on the
earth. You know that at first there
we're only two-Adam and Eve-and a
good many years must have passed be-
fore the number became as great as 1t
is now"
The professors jaw dropped, and his
little gray eyes twinkled behind his
spectacles. He was overcome for the
moment with admiration for this timid
woman that had dared to throw an OBJ
stacle in front of bis juggernaut of logic
Madam, you're not fool, which is
more than I ever said Of any other WON
an, but if you had held your tongue a
minute longer you would have heard
the qualification Of my first statement
Of course many generations came and
went before the population Of the earth
reached 100000. 900. I've figured it
all out Making allowance for all this,
the total population Of the world since
the creation has been about 10, 900, 000,-
900, 900. Do you realize it?" he demand
ed, leaning forward, with his hands on
his skinny knees and glaring through
his spectacles.
"Oh, yes, Of course"
well, then, all have to say, mad
am. is that you're an internal sight
smarter than every person ever born in
to this world All the people that ]
have known find it rather hard work to
grasp the full meaning Of 100 When
they strike 1000, they begin to get
hazy. Beyond that it is all mass Of
terms, with nothing tangible in the way
of understanding. Astronomers talk
about the distance Of heavenly bodies,
the velocity of light, the speed Of COM
cts and all that without any more real
comprehension of what it all means
than that little freckle faced boy by
your side knows about Ponds asino-
rum.
II didn't mean-that is, Of course, !
don't understand-but''-
Never mind" broke in the profess
or, with an impatient wave of his at
tenuated fingers 1.-The self evident
truth is this: Every man and woman
born into this world has, with few ex-
ceptions, two eyes, nose, mouth and
features and form Of the face modelled
after one image. Now, while we see
marvellous variety among the faces
which we meet on the street, never en-
countering two that are exactly alike,
it is still evident that there must be 9
limit to this variation. 1t is not infinite.
Do you follow me?" suddenly thun-
dered Professor Gorgensen in such ex-
citement that my poor mother gave
slight start and exclamation, while
looked round for some way of escape
"Oh, yes; oh, yes; certainly I un-
derstand you"
"Paff! doubt it. But you know as
much as any Of your sex. 1 have figured
the whole thing out. I have made g
mathematical demonstration of it. D."
The professor glared at my mother
as if challenging her to dispute his as
sertion, but the frightened woman re-
mained silent and expectant.
"Now and then," he continued, 1--WE
meet two persons so alike in appearance
that their most intimate friends cannot
tell them apart Nevertheless there il
a difference which manifests itself, after
a time, if not in their looks, in their
disposition, but what / am striving tc
impress upon your understanding is
that this variation has its limit. When
q certain number Of human beings are
modelled after the one image, point
is finally reached when all possible
variations are at end. The work must
then go back to the beginning and re-
peat itself"
"Myl And you have figured it all out,
professor?'
II have" was the impressive answer.
81 am the only person that has done so.
The vanishing point is at the number
1913, 645,3 In other words, that NUM-
Der Of men and women can be born and
may grow up with enough variation in
their looks and disposition to be distin-
punishable from each other, but when
one more individual is added to the
number he must be q reproduction OF
one of the vast multitude have named u
NV mother showed surprising apt
ness in following the amazing theory
of Professor Gorgensen
"Then there are good many people