Middletown transcript., 1901-04-06


whom he robbed of their fish. For yisi-
tors he had parrots, for almanacs. stones.
+ I And 50 the years fell by. Ultimately,
savages appeared, who, on beholdinp
him, fancied that they were dead and
that he was the Great Spirit. If that is
not an example of honest Imagination.
one may wonder what is. Yet here is
more. Conducted by the aborigines to
the mainland, he there became king of
the tribe, rescued white girls from black
men, discovered gullies of gold and
bitches of diamonds, conciliated recalci-
trant cannibals by throwing handsprings
and somersaults, found a newspaper, read
in it that the deputies of Alsace had re-
fused to vote in the German Parliament,
maryeled thereat, for he knew nothing of
the war of 1870 and, as much perpIexed
by political enigmas as he had been by
theological difficulties, left scepter, dia-
monds, gold and girls behind, made for
Melbourne, shipped for London before
the mast and turned up safe and sound
in the office of an English magazine.
Everything being possible, it was con-
iectured that the story might all be true.
The northwestern corner of Australia,
where, as king he had resided, is region
still unexplored. Moreover, was not
Bruce disbelieved and Du Chaillu flouted?
The eccentricity of the story consisted in
the fact that gentleman who reached
Melbourne with such frst-class copy in
his head should have been compelled to
work his way to London. Mais nui nest
prophete. The story of R. Crusoe de
Observation-Disclosures was at least en-
tertaining enough to find favor in the
eyes of the British Association, and his
handspring device for charming the
enemy may, with entire Difference, still
be commended to Lord Roberts for future
use at the front.
Meanwhile, it is pleasant to note that
in a subsequent issue of the periodical in
which Mr.. Alice de Rougement first told
of his adventures in wonderland there
appeared a caveat to the effect that the
editors no longer youched for his vera
city. 1t were difficult to be more cir
cumspect and less rune. Elsewhere he
was labeled Psalmanazar. But the label,
though meant to be fierce, was merely
stupid. De Rougemont gulled the British
Association. Psalmanazar gulled Great
Britain. By the press at large De Ronge-
mont was received with cheerful incredu-
lsty. The learned reviews swallowed
Psalmanazar whole. De Rougemont pro-
ductd new edition of the Australian
Nights, Psalmanazar produced a new
language, literature and religion. To
this day nobodyssknows what Psamana-
zar's real name was. What is De Rouge
mont's real name nobody cares.
Psalmanazar represented himself as
japanese from Formosa. He published
book which contained an alphabet of his
own manufacture, portraits of false gods,
pictures of fictitious people, and with
them engravings of imaginary shrines,
1t was accepted as gospel. In his memoirs
Psalmanazar says: 'I was but twenty and
I deceived all England. The Bishop of
London became his patron. He lectured
at Oxford, took orders and everything
else he could get. But then, a century
and half ago, in the good old days
when he lived and lied, knowledge was
limited and the earth was not. Had De
Rougemont come then, his success might |
have been proportionate, and yet again |
it might not. Success is an uncertain |
quantity. One never knows whom it |
will visit and whom avoid. Keely is a
case in point. A moralist recommended |
that nothing but good should be said of
the dead. The advice is excellent. We
have no intention of disregarding it. An
ex-waiter, who, with nothing more COM
plicated than half-dozen neologisms
and as many concealed tubes, could ex-
tract five million ont of the pockets of his
fellow citizens deserves something better
than abuse. He deserves enrolment
among the Knights of the Fleece. He
deserves even, what we lack the space to
give him, full biographical page In
days when speech was more abstruse he
would have been called thaumaturge.
fhaumaturgY is at once simple and COM
pick 1t consists in making a stranger
feel at home and then in taking that home
away. There are number of books
about it. Of these the best bear big
names. They are signed by Albertus
Magnus, by Nostradamus and by Para
CELSIUS. They are not unilterestiEg either.
They tell of the great secret which is the
stone and how, with it,
metals cannot be transmitted but how
may. More or less, and
generally more than less. every Knight
1f the Fleece knows its charms. Apollo
Mus of Tyana knew them thoroughly,
He knew other things as well. He knew
Ill languages including that of Silence,
or silence is language too. 1t was in
he latter that Keely conversed. So SUBJ
lie was his use oil it that nobody under :
TODD. He eluded comprehension. This
vas his secret. 1t is the great secret of
III. 1t is the secret of not having any,
md yet in appearing to, which consti-
utes the philosophers stone. With it
keely Charmed experts. But who are so
oolish as wise men? Had KeeIy come a
ew centuries earlier, by the wise men of
he day he would have been deified.
'uch is luck, or rather such is destiny.
For the Gates of Life are double. On .
he one stands written Too Late. On :
he other Too Soon. Between them
haps like these get strangled
A SPRING OUTING :
On AOril the PnnpSyIvan;a Pa;l.oal |