The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-04-15
lEew York Trihune.l

no longer believe in DEATH the
old Russian chemist Menzbirosgy said
to us one night. when we were amp
ling with him in his cast side garnet
some vodka he had just received from
the old country. II only believe in
life. Life is everywhere; few Of us.
however, have been trained to detect
it's presenc. Life is much more than
g~esticulation. hut we are so accustom-
ed to recognizing life only when it is
coupled with visible action that we de-
cree many things dead because they
seldom. if ever. indulge in action.
IL will go eel further, II state
that. when one Of the so-callcd life
less things rouses itself to some action
that betrays consciousness, we fail to
see it. We speak of a curious acct
dent. of an uneXplainable mystery, of
Il coincidence.
What could seem more dead. for
instance. than this bit of metal?' And
he picked up from the floor of his lab
oratory a rusty iron nail. How much
life would YOU think there was in this
little hit of mineral:!" And he point
cd to a yellow crystal dangling at the
end of a thin wire in a glass tube filled
with a liquid solution.
Both are alive. Both are sick Just
now. The mere fact tina both can be
cured and ecove entirely from their
sickness shows that there is life in
them. doesn't it: Let us scrape the
rust off this nail and keep II at an
even temperature of about is or 20
degrees contigradc. and the forces of
decay will he checked.
Watch this crystal. l broke off
both end with a. hammer and l chip
ped off two of its angles. In n little
while it will have grown Il head and a
tail: its angles will be as perfect as
before I mutilated it. Now. can YOU
tell mo how much difference there is
between the regeneration of a mud
worm cut in halves by the gardeners
spade and the regeneration OF this
crystal:
because surgical instruments IN
posed to a high temperature become
sterilized-that is, freed from every
bacterial growth they may nave car
ried-we accept the conclusion that
ono steel tube into another steel tube,
and after a year or so saw the double
tube Numerically across. you will be
unable to determine the line of clcav-
ago between the two original com
poncnts.
The living cells of one tube will
have grown together with the cells of
the other tube equally endowed with
life. even as animal or vegetable cells
are expected to unite in tree grating
or hospital surgery.
Not even the terrific temperature
of the smclters could kill the life that
slumbered in the rusty ore. And life
means consciousness: not always con-
| seriousness of the human type. al
though in certain cases-this vodka is
fine. isn't it?" And he drained his
fifth glass.
Modern scientists should read
very carefully books of old legends.
Nritings on withcraft and daily news
papers. My theories on life are the
result of many years investigations.
but my researches might have led me
into very different fields but for two
insignificant facts.
When I was % years old I went to
spend the summe on a farm in Ger
many. One morning l was awakened
| by the noise Of excited voices and hur-
rying steps. ! thought of fire. put on
some clothes and was Just leaving my
room when several men. preceded by
a child carrying a lantern. brought in
a lifeless body. terribly disfigured and
mangled in the most horrible manner.
1t was the body Of my host, the farm
er.
Johann Miller. an impressive SIX
footer. with a long gray beard. left
quite a hoard to his wife and three
sons to divide UP. but it was every
ones opinion that his heirs had earn
ed every cent Of it and more. for Jo-
ham Miller was a terrible taskmaster,
a pitiless driver Of men and beasts.
Not that he Eel spared himself or
imposed on any one burdens which he
himself shirked.
Everything had a worn and tired
look on the Miller farm. Every inn
plement was used until no one could
remember tts original shape and size.
Shovels and spades were never replace
ed until the blade had been worked of
up to a couple Of inches from the
handle. That summer his threshing
machine mad given him a good deal
ttinuous service it looked as though 1t
had stood for. a day the fire Of a ma
chine rum. Every part OF 1t had been
! broken and repaired, the steam motor
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