The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-05-08

washington -. ~, may -
theory that modern man can do
anything is leading some ambitious
experimenters toward the long de-
serted aims of the alchemists.
For several centuries now, the
popular attitude toward the medic
val alchemists has been ridicule.
The philosopher stone and the
elixir of life were Jokes. Trans
mutation of base metals into gold
was pronounced a legerdemain
trick which some alchemists dex-
terously managed to put over in
the presence of gullible kings whose
knowledge of chemistry was linn
tied.
One historian explained that the
medieval scholar could produce a
convincing illusion by mixing IN
the presence of witnesses some
compound in which gold was Sc
cretly placed or held invisible in
solution, and then bringing 1t
forth by a process simple enough
to the operator but profoundly
mysterious to the bystanders"-
The bearded old alchenists were
relegated to a sorry place in his
tory and formulas were glibly quot
ed to show just how far OH were
the theories of the early philoso-
piers from the facts of scientific
chemistry.
But now, we have come round
to a more credulous era. SO many
miracles have become common
place; SO many mysteries have
been explained; and so many mod.
ern explanations have to be peri
odically revised that most learned
men hesitate to scoff at the seem
ingly impossible.
Thus. some scientists listened
with respectful interest to the
reports that German chemists were
making synthetic gold. To be sure.
the reports were later emphatically
denied, and there is no reason TO
believe that the Germans have solv-
ed the problem that intrigued and
baffled the philosophers of Europe
for a thousand years.
Still, it is interesting to consider
that if gold were to be made syn
thetically, the discovery would GER
tainly be kept secret as long as
possible, because only by keeping
the process secret could the inveu-
tor hope to profit AS soon as the
process became public propertyI
gold would sink in value to the
level of lead.
This economic fact explains why
philosophers searched through 10i
centuries for the secret of trans
mutation of metals, without. losing
interest or hope. The mystery
which surrounded the experiments
of each black robed philosopher
was supposed to safeguard all sorts
of important discoveries. General
~. the philosopher died without
ever contributing his magnum opus
to science. He preferred to bury
his secret with him.
Torture Revealed Nothing.
Any number of wise men were
to have found the phil
osopher's stone which would dis !
solve the foreign substances IN !
base metals leaving pure gold. Al |
chemists were tortured by poverty |
stricken kings of Europe in vain |
efforts to force them to reveal the !
secret they claimed to have or were |
accused of having. Rack and wheel !
left the sages mute. Either they !
had no secret or it stayed with !
them.
Alexander Seton. Scottish al |
chemist, was thrown into prison by |
the duke of Saxony. who demanded !
Of him the secret of the phiioso- |
piers stone. Seton refused to pro- |
duce a fortune in Transmitted gold |
which the duke asked for his ran
som and even under torture he told |
nothing. But when a fellow al !
chemist, Sendivogius. offered TO |
help him escape in return for a !
little Information about alchemy,
Seton agreed. !
He regained his freedom but,