The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-16

day that each SlOulu Wflle d 6ioSt SioAS- Shelley and Byron tried but, hampered bv the platitudes of prose, gave up the attempt Poor Poldori created skull headed lady who was reduced to that condition as a punishment for peepins through a keyhole. But he did not know what to do with her and finally sent her to the tomb of the Capulets-as, Mrs. Shelley said. ''The only place fit for her. But Mary Shelley produced the story Of Frankenstein The novelty of the idea, the weird horror of the theme and the skill of the story's construction, added to the purely literary excellence whlch it contained, made it famous at once and it's fame has endured now unabated TOT nearly a century. curious thing In re- gard to the story is that In popular speech the monster and It's creator are transposed. It is often said He built BNrankenstein''-the saying has become proverb. But Frankenstein was the name of the maker and not of the mon ster which he made.
 v VICTOR FRANKENsTEIN was Genevese by birth and of one of
 the most distinguished families .. +ha Swiss republic As boy he oe- veloped a great liking for natural pniio'o nhv. and when he was l9 happening upon tbe works of Cornelius Agrippa ne reau with ayidity the dreams ana tahcies oA that ancient writer, following up 'ii'' ,,,sntaI diet by perusal of Paraceisos
 s Athertus Magnus. "Poohl my dear victor.'' said his father. happening u notice what the boy was reaolhs' uo not waste your time upon this; It IS sao trash.' .,o,,
 It ,,s,sad of this off-hand condemnation :, .ha works Victor had found so fasci- hating his father had explained .o Ai-'-' that the principles of Agrippa hao peen entirely exploded, and that a hooefa zvstem of science had been lntroouceu which possessed much greater power than the ancient, because the powers U. .ho .ttar were chimerical while those or +be former were real and practical VIC for would probably have thrown Asiippa aside forgotten Albertus Masnus anu assnised the mystic crudities or faracei- .,. He would have applied himself to ,,,ora rational theory of chemistry, which s,,1ta5 in SD many modern discover t.s os worth and importance, and II IS possible that his train or lucas "oai0 never have received that 1atal niipe'us which led to his ruin.
 If might appear strange that dlscipie of Albertus Magnus should appear h +hsse modern times. but victor ialniy WAS not a scientific one, and he hao not attended any of the lectures given at the nublic schools of Geneva Ills dreams were. therefore. undisturbed py reaiities' ana he entered with great diligence ihto inc search for the Philosophers stone and the Elixir of Life. But the iat'er claimed his most ardent attention; wnar elorv would attend the discovery II ne could banish disease from the human frame and render man inVuiheraoie ,o any but violent death!
 Nor were these his only visions. The raising of ghosts or devils was promise uberally accorded by his favorite authors the fulfillment of which he most eagerly sought: and if his incantations were un- successful. he attributed his failure to his want of experience and ripened knowl- edge. But the phenomena of nature that took place every day before his eyes dld not escape the notice of the boy-steam and electricity. for instance, of the nature and application of which his ancient writ ora were ignorant, but of which he found almost any passably educated modern could give him explanations and snow him experiments. Agrippa, Albertus and Paracelsus were overthrown and the boy longed to study his favorite science as II is known and taught in modern times. Sc when he was IT Victor went to the Uni versity of Ingolstadt, having before that en.tbroueh one or two excellent German schools.
 The household which Victor was t leave in order to live at the university consisted of his father and mother, two brothers, Ernest. years younger thar himself, and William, an infant, beau tiful child to whom they were all mos' \. tenderly attached. Also there lived witt the Samily as one of 1t Elizabeth La venza,A an orphan, daughter of the elder Trankenstein's sister. She was of & sweet and gentle disposition was about Victor s own age, and there was a tacit under standing among them all that one day Victor and Elizabeth would become man and wife. Upon the death of Victor s mother, which took place about the time he was to enter the university. Elizabeth took upon herself the care of the younger children, and tried, so far as she could, to i'll in the home the place of the dead mother. victors life had heretofore been remarkably secluded and domestic. He loved his brothers and Elizabeth. he loved his father and had fast friend in Henry Cerval, lad of his own age, to whom he had been attached ever since they were babies together. Henry was the son of merchant of Geneva, friend of victors father, ed the two boys were to each other as David and Jona. than, or Damon and Pythias. Clerval, un like Victor. had no liking for science but reveled in tales vf Robin Hood, Or lando. Amadis of Gaul and St. George.
 But to all the old familiar faces and this pleasing and simple companionshiI did Victor Frankensteln now bid adieu tt enter upon the strangest and most horri- ble experience which has ever fallen U the lot of man. When Professor Krempe who lectured on natural philosophy at thu university. found from his questions tha Victor had been reading Albertus Magnu! and Paracelsus he exploded in indigna tion and scorn and told the youth thai he had wasted his time and must begir his studies all over agitn- But Professor Wsldman, whose department was chemis. <~w sasd. ssThese ancient teachers of sci-