Evening star., 1922-10-21
the dangers OF aviation or the x-ra.
have done.
Alchenists' Intr1guinK Talk.


Alchenists' Intriguing Talk.
Some Of the talk of the alchemists
ts very interesting. They speak Of
the black, the white and the pea
knowledge. We have found black
estoplasm wide the appendix Of
Schrenck- -Notsing's book and white
10 normal. but the peacock's tail is a
problem. No doubt now that we are
on the track we shall clear the mat
had touch of evil black magic in
their RESEARCHES. The idea that 1t
was gold that they were after was
sometimes put forward to blind the
church. who approved Of material. but
not OF spiritual research.
It is q curious point. though possi-
bly, q coincidence. that on the very
day when I was puzzling over the
peacock's tail OF the a1chemists re-
ceived letter from a man who had
gone through a death-like trance.
The following is one sentence from
the account: II tried to look around
at my surroundings. but could see
nothing but an immense peacock's
tail. which was very beautiful and
big and maybe half block in length"
Peaeock's Tail Vision.
At the same time I met a gentle
nan ramed Steinmetz in the Copley
Plasa Hotel who told me of a remark
able personal experience. He had
"ttack and fhe doctor deposed that
the pulse had completely stopped for
seven minutes. During this time he
had very vivid experience. He saw
Sefore him curved gates f"like the
hig lock in the Panama canal'') and
these were studded all over with bril-
'iant Drecious stones. The total effect
must have been like an outspread pea
cocks tall. These gates slowly opened
and he saw within an innumerable
company. tier above tier. with bril-
iant light above them all. Then the
turned to life. In view of these two
experiences one wonders whether the
oeacock's tail was not a name given to
The first vision of the next sphere
But we shall want many cases be-
fore the hypothesis will stand. and ]
only give 1t for what it is worth.
Attacks Christian Science.
While in Boston spent an hour or
10 in the magnificent temple Of the
have little sympathy with these peo-
Pile. Mrs. Eddy did two things which
she should No. have done. The frs.
WAS that she died. which seems in nat
contradiction to her theories: the sec
ond was that she left quarter of a
when a religious teacher does that. ]
look verv askance a: the teaching.
The fnside Of this GORGEOUS temple is
covered over with alternate texts
from Jesus the pauper and from Mary
the millionaire: the former beautiful.
the latter verbose and turgid. What
did she bring into the world that is
new? Faith healing and healing by
what we now call suggestion are as
old as history. When suggestion is
applied with religion It is at its best.
snd Lourdes and many other shrines
non-Christian or Christian. will
show. Does it require a millionaire
priestess and five-milIion dollar
temple to teach US that? This sugges-
tion has often acted well-sometimes
1t acts ill., / had q young friend with
cancer of the liver who was inoculated
with this idea and who went about
declaring his evil did not exist till he
fell dead In his tracks. A surgeon
might have saved him. We spiritual
lists have our healing mediums and
we claim no monopoly and have no
great temples. In only one thing can
/ actually and certainly test the truth
Of this cult. and that is IN their view
OF spiritualism, and that ! know to be
utterly false. But how strange it is
it's appeal to physical wellheing.
should find wealth and honor and at
tention, while We are prosecuted and
poor. But the story is not yet fin
ished. and each will find its true place.
DepIores Revolutionary War.
I went, while at Boston. to visit
Bunkers Hill had always imag-
ined it as an eminence or ridge some
miles out of the town, but I was sur
prised to find it was close at hand.
and even in those days must have
been part of the suburbs. 1t can hard
ly be called a hill at all. but is mere
mound which was the center of line
Of trenches. It was carried by the
British soldiers, but at loss which
nut fresh heart into the Americans.
who, like the Beers. were strong In
their accurate rife fire. All these skir-
mishes Of the revolutionary war
and of the war Of 1912. are hardly
known to British youth. who are
equally ignorant Of Princeton. where
we lost. and OF Long Island. where we
won. But they bulk large over here.
and this IL natural since SO great
result grew out of them: They are
among the few battles of the world
which left q huge permanent monu-
ment behind them. 1t is always. how
ever, with sadness that a British
traveller must view the places which
marked the divisions between the two
branches of one family. and SO pre-
vented that family from exerting
single salutary influence upon the
human race.
(CopyriRht by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 1922.
for United States and Great Britain,