The Whitefish pilot. [volume] (Whitefish, Mont.) 1904-current, 1911-03-09
Scientific Love
By WILLIS leach POTTER
Copyright. 1911, by American Press
Association.

A recent Interview of a ntwsDaper
man with Mr.. Edison. the wizard of
Menlo Park. brought out Mr. Edison.s
statement that the living body is
mere machine, or. rather. that 1t is COM
posed OF millions Of minute cells, each
having Its own individuality. He com.
pares man to city containing an
enormous number Of people like Lon.
don. New York or Berlin. The brain.
according to this doctrine, is a complex
camera or storehouse of innumerable
Photographic plates, each one of which
mas received an impression during the
mans life to be used on occasion; that
these plates are what we call memory.
This Is purely scientific view and
does not pertain to the soul.
LOrd Tenterton. an English noble
man, had daughter who had been
engaged to be married to a son of a
merchant prince. This young man.
Sidney Hough, died and left the girl
disconsolate. Sir Percy SCARBOROUGH.
friend of Lord Tenterton. had sou
who had gone through a similar ex-
per1ence. He had loved Rose Mac
Alister, the daughter of Scotch laird.
and lost her by quick consumption.
NOW. Lord TentertOn was DOOR. and
he desired to ally his family with the
weather. blood of England. Moreover
MS lordshlp was scientist with orig
lnal IDEAS. He considered only the
scientific part of love and, looking upon
the brain on the Edisonian princip,e
OF 1nnumerable Photographic plates,
conceived the idea of gradual sub
st1tution of images on his daughters
brain to change her memory Of her
dead lover to live one.
II this could be done with her II
might be done with young Scar.
borough. Tenterton called on Sir Per-
cy ana proposed a scheme Sir Percy
was much disappointed at his sons
failure to marry that the family might
be perpetuated and was ready for auy
plan that would induce him to do So
But Hugh Scarborough, like Edith Ten
terton, refused to he conlforted and
Would not consent to take another
mate. What Lord Tcnterton proposed
was accepted for trial, and the needful
was supplied by the engagement of a
portrait painter.
one day Lord Tenterton returned to
his home from London with a portrait,
His daughter, entering his study, saw
1t hanging on the wall. She was struck
with Its resemblance to her dead lover.
She said nothing to her father, who
pretended to be busy writing at his
desk, though he was really watching
her: He saw her gaze upon it for a
long while: then she went out to con-
ceal her emotion. The portrait was
that Of the man she mourned, vet
slightly different. She believed it to
be the likeness of some one who very
much resembled him. Not long after
this she came into her fathers study
again under pretense of asking ques-
ton. but really to look ut the picture.
1t seemed to her that it had undergone
slight change: but, being in the same
place and in the same frame as the
one she had seen before. she though,
she was mistaken. From time to time
she visited the study to gaze upon the
portrait, and every time she found
some slight change.
The portrait had been painted by the
artist employed to carry out the
| scheme. and he was gradually altering
it from picture very like her dead
lover to likeness of Hugh Scarbor-
! Ough. And while he was doing this
he was changing portrait Of Rose
MacAlister to one Of Edith Tenterton.
Sir Percy was imposing on his son
these pictures. substituting one for an
other, just as Lord Tenterton was i'm
posing on his daughter the dissolv.
ing picture of Sidney Hough. Finally
after long interval both portraits had
been altered from the dead to the
quick.
The Tentertons and the Scarbor-
oughs lived in different shires. When
the transformation Of the portraits
had been completed Lord Tenterton
invited Sir Percy to visit him and to
bring with him his son. Scarborough
insisted upon Hugh's going with him.
and when on the evening of their ar
| rival Hugh and Edith met at dinner
there was Il scene of much interest to
the two fathers. Hugh stood with
wide onen eyes gazing upon Edith.
While Edith cast one glance at Hugh.
! blushed and lowered her eyes to the
! floor.
BE seated" said Lord Tenterton,
pretending not to notice this mutual
impression, though while the young
people were intent upon each other
he winked at Sir Percy. Hugh ana
Edith had been assigned seats side by
side and We're soon engaged in a con-
versation more animated than either
had taken part in since they had lost
their loves. After dinner they were
left alone by their elders. who went
off together. During the evening
Hugh made this remark to Edith
Did l not know you to be living
person l should believe you-so far rs
appearance is concerned-to be one
who IS dead"
Il have similar experience in yOu,"