The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-12-02


tlising inripE that time In grea, Luz.
uTs and hasIs King II she smiles 81 his
monarch. But the day 81 reckoning
came When IN was found That he
could only make email nuggets Of
gold, and those With great alficuity.
King Louis had him thrown into the
bastile, although. still having the hope
I that the ex;monk had actually discoys
cred the alchemic process. IS 81
When It was finally found that nu-
bois was an impostor, that be had not
actually made amy gold. but had
slipped the nuggets INTO the cruciblei
under cover Of his mysterious opera.
tons; he was promptly ordered put to
death and was executed on the gal
lows, June IS; 1857. IS
"a Doctor Price was an alch enlist who
lived I'M the reign of King George Ill.
Of England. He conducted an exneri-
ment before the very eyes of the Eng
slish sovereign and apparently pros
8duced real gold, But when King
George appointed a royal commission
to investigate he killed himself rather
than face that body. 4,
The prodigalty OF the Romans ex-
cited the desire for gold, and led them
to pursue the art which. promised It
instantly and 5abundantly. Caligula
made experiments with view: TO OBJ
tanning gold from orpiment. Dlocletian,
on the other hand, when he became
emperor, ordered that all books on
alchemy-and there were great mum.
beers OF them at that time-4be burned.
III A Fable oftAlchemy.
Raymond6Lully. or Lullius. was one
of the best known alchemists in the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. A
story of him Is that he changed q
mass of 10000 pounds OF quicksilver
into pure gold for King Edward /.
while upon visit to London, Venice
prohibited the sturdy Of alchemy in.
1883. e; 5000, Ms;
|ssiln the seventeenth century there
Fjived one spartagorosus who asserted
that he had discovered a method for
changing base metals into the precious
ones. He seemed to have! ideas sim.
liar to those Of some Of the financiers
Of our present time. It Is related that
spartagorosus industrlously spread
abroad the news of his discovery"
EElamong the ignorant and credulous
mobiles. and eventually succeeded in
selling 1t to them for a: lump sum,
having previously arranged to leave
the country immediately thereafter by
way of fishing smack. His plan sue.
ceeded admirably, and the deception
Melted him an amount equivalent to
about 10000. SO M I.
1t nearly cost him his life. however,
for his fishing smack became be.
Gained, and came aelosegto capture BY
! b beats Of the pursuing and Indignant
mobiles. The latter. had lost no time;i in
trying to manufacture gold, and when
the experiment failed set hastily out
In pursuit Of the faker. N ,,s.
Thus the story OF the lure OF al
chemy goes through many a crimsoned
page Of history-ancient or modern.
Gold. which early In the history OF
the world became Jprized :. above all
Other metals, has had IA fascination
which. has led men TO do and dare all
to obtain It. and alchemy still has its
disciples. - e, 3, .!.' 81 i,i !
Professor PeIleWs Ideas.
Prof. Charles E. Pellew OF Columbia
university In talking on Doctor Lange's
supposed discovery, said: 80 u.
p E'There have been several quite re.
cent instances Of persons who honest.
ly believed that they had found the
way to change iron or lead into gold
or silver About twenty years ago
there was a considerable agitation in
France which led to the formation Of
the Hermatic society. This society
published a journal and conducted
weishty examinations into the books
left by the old alchemists. There are
a. number Of persons who live right
here In New York who still believe In
alchemy. i meet them from time to
time. ~ ~
2eIn3 the old days there were many
'alchemlsts who really believed in their
art;iand there were many more who
used It to deceive. There is story
that illustrates this.
"A certainalchemist OF the sixteenth
century named Botticher showed his
power In the presence of Augustus the
Strong king Of saxony, and he Or.
dsfetI Eotticher to make him some
i more gold. The latter protested that
this would be placing an unfair
strain upon him, and thereupon the
king promptly ciapped him into prison.
Botticher protested that he needed
sother metals and ingredients to work
with and they were supplied. Among
other things he had some white clay.
| The ."Rlrth Of Porcelain" IS
Now at that time the art OF china
making was unknown in Europe. But
with this white clay that had been
furnished him Bottiaher made tie first
pieces OF porcelain ever seen in Sax.
ony andisenttthem as propiiary Of.
fering to Augustus i am not iu po.
! sition to make you gold at present. he