Harmon’s Histories: Time to resurrect alchemy to boost those 401Ks
By Jim Harmon
Ah, the ability to turn lowly metals into gold.
It’s called alchemy, and my pocketbook could use a massive infusion of it, today. Too bad it was discredited, once and for all, in the 19th century.
The exact origin of alchemy is blurry. The Chinese were known to be studying alchemy (both as it relates to metals and human life) dating back to 8th century B.C.
Thirteenth century English Franciscan friar Roger Bacon belonged “to a school of intellectual thought known as Hermeticism; which encompasses the practice of alchemy.” He called alchemy “a science teaching how to transform any kind of metal into another.”
No matter the exact origin, it opened the door to modern chemistry and pharmacology. Even though discredited, the term “alchemy” continued to be used interchangeably with “chemistry” into the 1920s.
“THREE MEN PLEDGED TO ALCHEMISTS CLUB,” read the headline.
“Robert Heller, Lawrence Warden, and Quinn Blackburn were pledged to the Alchemists Club at the last meeting, Wednesday, November 28, 1922."
In 1926, plans were made for the Alchemist Club picnic. The Kaimin reported, “The members and their guests will meet Sunday morning at 10 o'clock, and will travel in a large Forestry truck and several cars to Orr’s park.”
Even as late as the 1930s, American chemists were still fascinated by alchemy - the transformation of one thing into another - and comfortable with being called alchemists.
In November 1938, members of the MSU (now, UM) Alchemists Club visited the Missoula Sugar Beet Plant to see the transition of beets to sugar during a personally conducted tour of the local refining plant.
The 20 club members who made the trip reported it was “interesting and educational to watch beets ground, and the juice start its way through the various processes necessary to convert it into sugar.”
On Thursday, April 6, 1939, local papers reported that members of the Alchemist Club gathered to hear “Dr. R.H. Jesse, professor of chemistry, speak on the Periodic Table.
A month later, on May 7, 1939, “the American Society of Chemists recognized the Missoula group as a student affiliate chapter by the national organization,” and with that, the Alchemists Club and use of the term “alchemy” were no more.
“Besides regular meetings, the club has attended the Montana section of American Chemists Society at Bozeman and made trips to Anaconda, Butte and Bonner for laboratory study.”
Later in the school year, they heard Dr. J.W. Howard, professor of chemistry, discuss his “research work over the past five years, and hear about some of his experiments and his results.”
“Many of his articles have appeared in the Journal of the American Society of Chemistry.”
Still, I prefer holding onto the dream of turning lowly metals into gold. It would be wonderfully useful to my 401K right now.
Just sayin.’