The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1918-01-03
A Professor S
Story
BY OSCAR cox

After the Qeat1 OF Professor AOOp-
man. one of the most remarkable sci
entists of Germany, the following man
| uscript was found among his papers.
| His son, into whose hands they fell,
refused for a long while to publish 1t,
for there were those who believed that
the professor had impaired his mind
as well as his body by too close appli-
cation to scientific research. However,
the heir at last assented. The paper
reads:
Holding the chair of chemistry in the
university all the work of my brain
has been devoted to the decomposition
and reconstruction Of matter. l have
long been convinced that we must pass
through matter to get at spirit-in 9th
Ell words, our medium instead of being
q person must be science. Now, by
chemical agents we photograph matter
which we can see. More than this, we
photograph objects we cannot see ex-
cept by the aid Of the microscope. Still
more, we photograph objects beyond
the range of our vision even assisted
by the telescope. Ergo, may we not
by the extension of the process at last
get picture of beings existing in
spirit form?
This dry scientific preface is but pre-
urinary to the story have to tell and
Is essential to it's understanding. Ten
years ago | married Louisa Markham.
Five years ago she died. Since then
my scientific studies have run in but
one view, to bring her within the sight
of my mortal eyes.
The discovery of radium gave a new
impulse to my investigations. Radium
is the first substance known to exert
power without eXhausting itself. The
steam engine must have coal, the body
food. AS soon as | heard of radium it
struck me that here was a substance
akin to spirit, neither requiring fuel.
We may photograph matter even
though invisible. Therefore may we
not photograph spirit?
1 will not ask you to follow me In
my studies of Photographic processes.
tried to penetrate the realm of soul.
will only say that l at last discover
ed a substance which l converted into
plate, or, rather, laid upon a plate,
hundred times more sensitive than any
known form of matter. 1t was one Of
many l had tried in making ordinary
photographs and failed But on one
occasion while experimenting with it
l was called away. On returning sew
eral days later 1 took the plate from
the camera to develop it.
To assign a reason for this impulse
4 had no object of which l was con-
scious-would be to leave the scientific
field and enter that of psychology. /
am convinced that l was impelled by
one in the spirit world to develop the
plate. Such direction given to human
thought is very common. | developed
my plate--not with the usual agents,
but others l had proved by experiment
to be far more delicate-and what was
my establishment to see the semblance
OF human forms. The difference be.
tween them and living persons / cali
not explain. TO get an Idea of them
they must be seer
why these figures had appeared be-
fore my CAMERA 1 TO not know.
could never get them again. If they
were spirits they had happened to be
where they would be photographed.
pondered long on how might pho
tograph my wife, provided she was ac-
customed to frequent places she had
been used to frequenting in life. There
Z, I<y Nf hn, 0t WI
she used to sit and look over a view Of
rolling ground on which were scatter
ed several of the college buildings. 1t
occurred to me to keep a plate con-
stantly exposed bearing on the chair
she had used in this window in the
hope that she would come there.
A weeks exposure failed to show
any impression ON the plate. Possibly,
thought, ordinary light is not strong
enough for the purpose. l determined
to use the strongest light available.
The room faced south, the sun being
on it in summer from o'clock III the
morning till about in the evening. ]
rugged a lens-on the principle OF the
common sunglass-outside the window,
throwing ON the chair a light COM
posed Of the converging rays of the
sun. My lens was arranged to turn BY
clockwork, so that the light thrown on
the chair would continue irrespective
Of the suns apparent motion.
1 exposed my plate all one very clear
day, but found nothing on it when de-
veloped. For five successive days the
sun shone we'll. l continued the ex-
posture. After the fifth exposure faint
figure appeared on the plate. A print
showed a woman sitting in the chair.
The figure was not distinct enough
for me to tell whether or not it was
that of my wife. / mourned the i'm
perfection of my materials and sighed
49, i.oxl ,,ono moro dolicatn I