Miscellaneous Papers. 235 



Radio-activity is sometimes referred to as violating the law 

 of conservation, because radium and other radio-act've ele- 

 ments seem to give off energy and emanations without loss 

 of matter or force. This is only an apparent contravention, 

 however, because radium and all other radio-active substances 

 do lose both matter and energy through their emanations, 

 but so slowly as not to be easily detected. Radio-activity is 

 now known to consist in a slow disintegration, a breaking up 

 into less complex elemental substances of lower density. 



There are other scientific pretensions which ought not to 

 be euphemistically considered fallacies, because their promul- 

 gators are not self-deceived, except in so far as they think 

 they can deceive all the scientific world all the time, for fraud, 

 like murder, will out, sometime, somewhere. The less-pleas- 

 ing term, fake or fraud, is more accurate and apt. The fa- 

 mous Cardiff giant is sufficiently distant, in scientific time at 

 least, to excite only a reminiscent smile. It has had many suc- 

 cessors, but none so successful. The widely-advertised Calav- 

 eras skull is not so ancient as not to cause a wry face and 

 nausea even as "Poor Yorick's." That the cranium of a Dig- 

 ger Indian should have been accepted as that of Tertiary man, 

 even by the elect, is not a pleasant thought. A most amusing 

 instance of attempted fraud fell under my observation a few 

 years ago. Stepping into a clothing establishment, my at- 

 tention was called to a very fine display of sea life in a large 

 wall case. There were seaweed, sponges, coral, fiying-fi^h, 

 etc.; and last, but not least by any means, a perfectly pre- 

 served specimen of a mermaid. There it was before my 

 wondering eyes as plain as it ever manifested itself to the 

 gaze of any mediaeval seafaring man — half scaly fish, and 

 half anthropoid ape. The mermaid thus was rescued from 

 the castle of myths and handed over to the taxonomist for 

 classification as best he may. The proprietor, in answer to 

 my questions, very glibly and with seeming pride informed me 

 those specimens came from near Los Angeles, and asserted 

 that he had caught the mermaid himself. 



From repeated deception the scientist is learning extreme 

 caution concerning alleged discoveries and revolutionary the- 

 ories. There are many mysteries which science has never 

 explained, and may never solve, but thanks to the patient in- 

 vestigator and the keen philosopher, there are some things 

 we do know, even if seen as "through a glass darkly." One 



