DECEMBER 10, 1897. ] 
weighty of all, the mass of related facts 
and phenomena which find their ultimate 
expression in the Periodic Law of the Hle- 
ments, so that many chemists of the present 
day are inclined to believe in the mutual 
convertibility of elements having similar 
ehemical properties. Daniel Berthelot, in 
his-notable work entitled ‘ De 1’ allotropie 
des corps simples,’ boldly affirms his belief 
in the unity of matter. He says: “ Without 
seeking to find in any one of the known 
elements the generator of the others, can we 
not invoke the facts that we have revealed 
in our study of carbon, in favor of the hy- 
pothesis of a unique matter unequally con- 
densed ?” And elsewhere he writes : ‘“ The 
transmutation of an element is nothing 
more than the transformation of the mo- 
tions which determine the existence of said 
element, and which gives it special proper- 
ties, into the specific motions peculiar to the 
existence of another element.”’ 
Simultaneously with the development of 
the truly scientific aspect of alchemical 
theory, there has arisen an extraordinary 
revival of the metaphysical side of the ques- 
tion ; this goes hand in hand with the in- 
terest in chiromancy, astrology, theosophy 
and occult sciences which occupy so large a 
place in modern thought, literature and 
polite society on both sides of the Atlantic. 
This tendency to cultivate the, esoteric 
manifests itself in the study of the Kabala, 
the investigation of the mysteries of Budd- 
hism, Confucianism and other oriental 
philosophies, in researches into the phenom- 
ena of spiritualism so-called, and in the 
foundation of societies to study Psychic 
Foree and the tenets of the followers of 
Madame Blavatsky; crystal-gazing, read- 
ing in magic mirrors, slate-writing, plan- 
chette, the quasi-scientific study of appari- 
tions, of table-turnings, of rappings by un- 
seen powers, of telepathy, of subliminal 
self, are now regarded as legitimate pur- 
suits in no wise necessarily associated with 
SCIENCE. 
\ 
855 
the black arts of medieval times, provided 
only they are conducted in a spirit of en- 
quiry and for the purpose of discovering 
the latent power underlying these phenom- 
ena. And this line of research receives 
stimulus from the results secured by stu- 
dents of experimental psychology, of hypno- 
tism, from such discoveries as the phenom- 
ena of the X-rays, and from the tran- 
scendental physicists who theorize on the 
miraculous consequences of four dimen- 
sional matter. Crowded lecture halls re- 
ward exhibitions of trance mediums, speak- 
ers on theosophy, palmistry and occultism ; 
in lower walks of life fortune-tellers and 
clairvoyants reap a modest harvest ; books 
treating of occult themes enjoy great 
notoriety ; writers of fiction find it profit- 
able to introduce the mysterious into the 
children of their brains; even secular jour- 
nals, especially those of France, give space 
to the all-absorbing discussions on her- 
metism ; these are some of the evidences of 
great popular interest in the unknowable. 
Only persons with special intellectual equip- 
ment are able to measure, weigh, sift and 
coordinate the novel phenomena gathered 
by researches in the field of hypnotism, psy- 
chology and occultism; those of weaker 
mental powers fail to perceive the real 
significance of the discoveries and are led 
away into unprofitable and dangerous 
superstitions. 
In the Middle Ages alchemy was nurtured 
by ignorant superstition; now it is fostered 
by the prevalent devotion to esoteric stud- 
ies; formerly the popular belief was in 
part supported by the fraudulent claims of 
impostors; now a higher standard of intelli- 
gence rejects the transparent tricks of imi- 
tators of Cagliostro. There are, indeed, 
occasional attempts to swindle the credu- 
lous by appeals to avarice; we read in the 
daily press of an American confidence-man 
who tried to cheat a London jeweler by 
pretending to ‘multiply’ sovereigns; of a 
