Central High School - Mirror Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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The Persian Fluid April ii. 1827. I. Esculapius Egyptus. was born in Persia four thousand years ago. The readers of this narrative may be skeptical. but. be that as it may, I tell my story, which I know to be true. I have been an unwilling witness of the world’s history from time incalculable. Forty centuries have flourished, waned, and passed away,—and yet. I remain. I'our thousand times have I seen the sun shine upon a world resplendent with summer foliage, and four thousand times have I seen him wend his wav across a horizon made bleak bv •' m' winter's chill. In a little town of Persia, long since demolished by the destructive band of time. I first saw the light of day. And in my baffled rage and misery have I often cursed that fatal day! In that little town I developed into a young man, with as.bright and brilliant a future before me as the world at that time could offer. Residing in the town, was an old professor. To him I owe my presence here now: to him 1 owe these four thousand years of anguish. If it were right, I should hate him. I should pay him back ten fold for the indescribable wrong he has done me.—were it possible. 'This is the story: I was a pupil un- der the old man. With me was associated daily, his daughter. Charmed by her beauty, her modesty, and her pure character. I fell deeply in love with her- Xovv the professor was not unaware of my devotion to his daughter. nor was he ignorant of the fact that she loved me. The old man’s life was wrapped up in her. and when he perceived that I had won her affections. lie planned a revenge, that for cruelty and cold-blooded retentlessness has never been equalled. All unconscious. I permitted him to perpetrate a revenge that lias been in existence from that time, and may exist forever: that was wreaked not alone upon me. but upon bis daughter. For many days lie concealed himself in his laboratory : and for many days, neither his daughter nor 1 caught more than a glimpse of him. When lie was near enough for us to question him. he would curtly reply to our queries, that he was engaged in a very important experiment, and must not be disturbed. To make a long story short, “ne longum sit. one night while I was in niv room asleep, lie stole in and innoc-ulatcd me with a spirit of everlasting life- Then with a fiendish desire to make his work complete, he instilled into his daughter’s veins, a fluid that instantly hypnotized her. I was helpless, for the chemical in my veins was of such a nature that if brought in contact with her. it would cause her instant death, and I would have been compelled to exist for eternity in torture. This the old man informed me. The shock was complete. Tenderly 1 had her body borne away, and it is now concealed where I may visit it. mav feast my eves upon it—but not touch it. Only her father knew the secret of the chemicals. ()nly lie knew how to release 11s from the spell. But he was immovable, and a few months after his crime lie passed away. On his death bed be informed me that there was in existence a fluid that would release us from the spell, and in twenty-four hours mean our death. 1 low often have I longed for that death! ()nly lie knew the secret, and it passed away with him. There were in existence only a few drops of the mystic fluid, but enough to free 11s. I know the fluid exists—it is imperishable—but I am helpless. For all my thousands of years I have searched for

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lovely interpretations of Browning's characters, he gave a deep insight into Browning’s own beautiful soul. Mr. Griggs portrays in the choicest language what the painter does with brush and oil. We feel as though we had traveled with him through the galleries of Raphael and Andrea del Sarto. t’n-dcr his touch these two characters become living men. and our deepest sympathy goes out to Andrea in his sadness and failure. In his talks on “The Ring and the Rook”, he showed us Browning’s beautiful portrayals of womanhood in the noble character of Fompilia. and of the highest type of manhood as expressed in Caponsacchi. Mr. Griggs’ evening series were on the Ethical Factors in Social Progress. In a most wonderful and convincing manner he unfolded some of life’s deepest truths- One mav sav we already had the ideas which he so clearly defined. True, but t « use one of his own phrases, “Our thoughts do us no good if they are locked in the bottom of our hearts and never expressed.’’ W e almost forget they are there until he expresses them for us. We are indeed grateful to Mr. Griggs for the pleasure and inspiration he has given us. and his lessons will not soon be forgotten. Me expects to return next year and give a course of lectures on Tennyson and Shakespeare. These will be especially enioved bv the High School students. ' E. W. The Mirror is polished bright and clean for the last reflection of this school year. For the most part this has been a very pleasant season for the reflection, though at times it seemed as if the quick-silver” of brain and money that make possible its reflecting capacity. would be worn off. But the old glass is still ready to reflect many more happv davs for the pupils of the. R. II. S. The Mirror board wishes to express their thanks and appreciation of the hearty support of the student body. • They have never once let it fall. If they had. no doubt, it would have been broken to pieces, and we all know what happens when one breaks a Mirror.— seven years of bad luck must follow. But that has not happened and if the pupils support it hereafter as they have this year, there need be no fear. The Mirror board wish also to thank the form ing committee for their successful work in ad-getting,—Miss Sal-lie Evens. Miss Irene Erwin. Miss Amy Gourlev. Mr. Abe Williams. Mr- Randolph Thornton.and Mr. Ralph Riddle. Also they thank Miss Carol Jackson, Miss Courtenay Hanson, and Miss Sal-lie Mae Wade for their great help in working up the Senior Department.

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it but find it I cannot. Still all these years I have had an awtul suspicion. Could it be on her body? It was contrary to our religion to conceal anything on the body of the dead. et as the years pass and my search grows more and more hopeless, I am almost convinced that it is on her body. I have adopted every means possible to free me from my spell. I have taken every chemical known to modern science. but in opposition to a power that seems omnipotent, it has been power-dess. I have endeavored to starve myself. but I find that I can exist as well without food as with it. I have attempted to drive myself to death by the pangs of thirst, but that all-powerful fluid keeps my body so that I know no thirst. I have attempted to exhaust the power of the liquid by never sleeping, but the result is nothing- Eor instance. I have not slept for sixty years! In that time men have been born, have matured, aged, and passed away. Oh! good people, pity me! A man who should have died and been forgotten four thousand years ago—but who lives; a man who has observed the rise and fall of nations: who has seen the Roman empire rise, flourish anti pass away, headed by the city designated as “Eternal ; and lias seen before it historic Athens. Sparta. Macedonia and Thebes, perish into the dust. A man-only a man—one of millions, yea of billions. who though nations have died, has lived on, and on, and on! But I must cease, and continue my efforts to secure the precious fluid of death. How strange must mv search for death seem to you of modern times! T will search though I fear it is in vain. I will search, if necessary, till the world dies, and until it is broken into innumerable fragments. And when I think of that inevitable end that must come to the world, frequcntlv in mv tortured brain rises the question. Will I still live on? September ?8. 1901. Eureka ! I have it at l st! It is concealed upon her body. ;V vision lias come to me and disclosed tile whereabouts of the precious fluid. Xo one can share with me the joy that more than four thousand years of awful waiting lias finally realized. No one can comprehend to what heights my happiness extends. I'our thousand years of endeavor, four thousand years of gloom, four thousand years of sorrow, of miserv. of unspeakable anguish, will be ended tomorrow. And I have found a friend, a professor from a great American college, who will assist me, and secure for me the precious fluid. Tomorrow, for me. the sun will rise again. Tomorrow my love and I. will be reunited after centuries of awful separation yet awful companionship. Once more 1 will fold her in my arms. Oh, fair vision ! ( li! heavenly reward. Oh, glorious recompense for ages of pain! Oh. rapturous vision of a glorious tomorrow, that will have 110 end! For twenty-four hours T will enjoy the sweet bliss of her company here on earth, and then we will depart to take our places in that Heaven, where there is no separation. The following is the professor’s narrative of the wonderful happenings and event lie experienced while in company with the Persian. The story is signed by the professor, and is certified to he an actual account of his experiences. 1. lames Eudwell, do hereby testify that the narrative which follows is an actual account of experiences, undergone bv me while in company with the Persian, Esculapius Egyptus: We rose early on the morning of September 29. 1901. and departed for the cave, in which the Persian said the body was concealed. I confess, that from the beginning I was skeptical, concerning the truth of his story. I suspected that the old man was insane, and only agreed to accompany him to satisfy a whim. I expected, however, that I would find a mummy, or an image of a human body to which the poor man offered the obeisance and worship of a perverted brain. And it was in hopes that whatever discovery I should make would he beneficial to science, that I allowed myself to go. After a short journey we entered a cavern. It was dimly lighted and adorned with a few Persian ornaments. In the center, upon a large, natural table of 10