The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1904-12-23
THE PHILOSOPHERS STONE.
Basis For Belief In Its Reality May
PerhnnS BE FOund In Rahium.

Perhaps BE Found In Radium.
Paracels- IS, the arch mdgicien Of the
dark ages, announced that there
abi1es in nature certain form Of mat
ter which. being discovered and brought
by art to perfection, concerts to itself
proportionally ell imperfect bodies that
it touches" Following tbs definition
of the philosophers stone came Pc
Rod Of mysticism and cEarlatanry,
swaying the world with the belief that
tie baser metals might be changed to
gold. 1t is strange therefore that the
formula of Paracelsus sAolld express
with precision the conclusions adopted
by modern chemist no less skeptical
ana distinguished than Sir William
Ramsay, who in Harpers Magazine
makes known his opinion that the
"stone" may actually lave been found
in the piercing and transmitting cleo
irons of radium.
This opinion is not yet a belief, and
the conclusions are but tentative. Pro
fessor Ramsay assures Us, however,
that they constitute working hypoth-
es.s. In 1868 NJ. Jansen, the French
astronomer, discovered an unknown ell
emcnt. afterward named Lelium, in the
chromosphere of the sun during an
eclipse. Ramsay in 1895 found and
identified this element on the earth.
Only lately he has ascertainoI, with
the aid of other scientists, the aston
isLing fact that the electrons of the
element radium-which are exceeding
ly minute particles, shot off with enor-
nous veloc,ty-whCn acting upon glass
change. dis.ntegrate and "build up"
new atoms of similar radio active Gle
ments, notably helium. 1t is a leg.ti-
mate inference, declares Sir William
Ramsay, that if the atoms of ordinary
clements could be made to absorb en-
ergy they would undergo change of a
constructive and not of a descriptive
nature" If, as looks probable lie
maintains. the action Of tie e!ectrons,
themselves tie conveyors of enormous
energy, on such matter as glass is to
build Up atoms which are radio active"
and "if it be found that the particular
matter produced depends on the ele-
ment" on which the electrons fall and
to which tley imDart ter energy
then the tr2nsmutation of elements
no longer appears an idle dream" He
says further:
The philosophers stone will have been
discovered, and it is not be-ond the
bounds Of possibility that it may lead to
that other goal Of the philosophers of the
dark ages, the elixir vitae, for TIE ac-
tcn of living cells is also dependent on
the nature and direction Of the energy
which they contain, and who cen say
that it will be impossible to control their
action when the means Of i-1pErtilg and
controlling energy shall have been inves-
tCated?
TransmutatiOn appears to be Il fact
in at least one instance. 1t is almost
certain that radium, itce,f an cement,
changes into various othe" Clements.
MoreoTer, its life in. its p e5eat form
is a comparatively SOFT one and it
must therefore be in co@r5e Of forma-
ton, else the amount would bc exhaust
ed in about $500 years. The infer
ence may not be re3-s,ed tat not this
element mercy, Lut several eiuen,s,
are undergoing a spontaneous change
into ot-er forms of matter, Themselves
highly energ,zel, AMI Themselves I'M
Stale. Men already control tie proc
es5 of tran3mu ing I'd UNI. Have they
indeed penetrated tie ae-rct at the
Foundation of tie forms of matter and
ife?-New York Times.