Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-03-20

the legs of human beings and other
wise repairing the hNman body claim
that they are on the way TO cut out
substances which lead to decay OF
bring on old age and when they sue.
coed we shall always be able TO re-
main young"
HIN" grunted Won Buest contemp-
tuouSly.
You seem to doubt the possibility OF
such result
Doubt it: 1t has been done long
ago"
Been done long ago! What do you
mean. professor?"
Professor Won Buest took his pipe
out of his mouth-he was always
smoking-and. looking the other in the
eye. said:
"Reinhard. the cOnCeit of this age is
intoIerabie Most of our discoveries
are accidental. though ! will admit
that nowadays our scientists are draw
ing out natures secrets by scientific
experiment. Why shouldn't what has
been accidentally discovered today
have been accidentally discovered be-
fore?"
Because such discoveries electrify
/ the world. and we all know OF them
Some of them do now that knowl-
/ edge is so widely diffused. But you
/ who are German know that there still
remain in the fatheriand those who in
vestigate for the love Of science and.
despising the world. do not always
give out their discoveries. and when
/ they do it is because they will benefit
mankind"
What do you mean by saying that
the elixir of life has been discovered"
Il did not say that. Listen to me
and l will impart a secret. Pasteur
did not begin our present methods OF
miCrobe Investigation. Jenner began 1t
century ago. Why should the idea
lay dormant from the time Of Jenner'S
suggestion till Pasteur took 1t up and
developed it? 1t did not lie dormant.
Many scientists thought about it. and
some made experiments based on the
idea of vaccination which Jenner pro-
pounded.
1T is needless to tell you how I be-
came scientist. You know all about
it. | was born a scientist. When |
was a little boy ! was wondering what
held the clouds in position. why OBJ
jects were reflected in soap bubbles.
how animals walked. When | was six
years old l killed my pet kitten TO see
its works. which l supposed to be sim
liar to those OF a clock. That may
seem shocking to Won. hut it was the
beginning of Investigations which led
me to proIong life
AT eighteen left the university. l
had found the professors a stupid lot.
handing down what they considered
knowledge from one generation to an
other. Some Of II was knowledge. but
the most of IT was error. The first
president Of this republic. Washington.
was killed by just such men. who. fol
lowing an ancient theory Of letting
blood in case of fever. bled the Father
Cf His Country to death. ! came into
my estate soon after leaving the uni
versity. landed property in Pomera
MA on the Baltic sen. There. rid II the
false knowledge that flooded the world.
established my laboratory.
81 followed M the killing Of my kit
ten by an onslaught upon such inferior
animals rs would give me the secrets
of nature. worked twenty years. at
the end of which time | discovered an
, antitoxin for the decay that accompa-
MES age"
"Why. professor" interrupted Rein
hard you are seventy and YOU look
seventy. If you discovered this anti
toxin. why did you not arrest the eff
fccts of age in yourself|'
Not 50 fast. my friend. At the time
made the discovery / was forty years
old. / could not bring back my youth
and the beginning Of disease is the
tine to arrest it, There is another rea
|. son ! did not hunt for my antitOXin
because / wished to live forever. since
knew this would bring me intoIerahlt
misery. ! experimental to satisfy my
thirst for knowledge And now ! car
explain to you why the world never
got my secret. did not wish to caus'
}, my fellow men to suffer. At my pres
ent age have lived too long. Had
!. the physical strength Of youth thu
\ mental cnnui of age would he with me
. And what would this enuui be IN an
other seventy or twice seventy years:
" In the lonely region in which hvet
had one cou=enial friend Weisbard
His tastes were not my tastes or
should have hated him. I'm his world
: found something different something
10 freshen me. To him alone ! con
. fded my secret. had cause to re
greet my confidence. He had q daugh
ter fifteen years old. n lovely. bcauti
ful girl Could you keep her as sh
is today. he said to me the res %
> my life would he supremacy hal
;, Il sighed. for knew that Iesir
TO preserve his daughters youth woul
=, master him and he wOnld pursue m
till consented to give her perpetus
youth paid no attention to thi
first broad hint. but II came again an
a again and finally took the form Of
definite request.
"a For year ! resisted assurin
Weisl nd that ~ consented the da
wonTd come wnen MS daughter, W
helmine, would long for age. If not I,
death. Her associates would grow o