AN HISTORICAL MYSTERY

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 175, 20 April 1929, Page 27

AN HISTORICAL MYSTERY

TWOPENCE WORTH OF i WISDOM Judging by the golden-yellow appearance of most of the booksellers’ windows these days I am led to suppose that there exists a popular taste fc stories of mystery (states Charles Pimm, in the “Morning Post”). ± enjoy these works myself when I can get them , but, frankly, the price is a little beyond me. It is astonishing how large a book you may btr for twopence if you have a taste for what is sometimes called “good solid reading,” and, also, if you restrict yourself to odd volumes. I And sometimes you may even come upon a mystery. For example, who can explain how it is that so little is known generally of that truly remarkable genius, Ma ver Worcester, the inventor; and. more wondrous yet, what has become of his inventions? Ail that I know of him is contained in my latest twopennyworth, wherein appears an address by him to King Charles 11, dated IGG3, which he entitles: —

“A Century of the Names and Scantlings of such Inventions as at present I can call to mind to have tried and perfected . . . etc., etc.”

Of the hundred devices which are enumerated, space will allow,of my naming but very few, but I think the mystery of their non-survival will be sufficiently indicated. For example:—

No. 18. “An artificial fountain to be turned like an hour-glass by a child in the twinkling of an eye, it holding a great quantity of water, and of force sufficient to make snow, ice, and thunder, with a chirping and singing of birds, and showing of several shapes and effects usual to fountains of pleasure.” For my part, I say: Once invent me this, and I will exchange for it all my old fountains of pleasure. Think only of what it would mean to possess one of these at that moment, so dear to the writers of advertisements, “when friends drop in unexpectedly.” No thought hereafter of canned beans, tomato soup, and the like; but rather something of this kind: “Well, now, my dear Mrs. Pest, what shall it be? Thunder, Chirping of Birds, or just a piece of Ice?”

No. 90. “A most dexterous dicing-box, with holes transparent, after the usual fashion, with a device so dexterous that with a knock of it against the table the four good dice are fastened, and it iooseneth four false ones made fit for this purpose.” «> J like' this extremely well, but for the lurking fear that after this miracle of dexterity has been knocked some dozen times or so against the table, with such invariably sinister consequences to the fortunes of your opponent, he might endeavour to improve his chances in turn by banging upon the .table, a bone con-' tainer of another kind, whose contents you have been wont: to esteem even more highly than the dexterous dicing-box, and in so doing perhaps emulate your own success in “loosening four false ones,” or, worse still, four good ones, as the case may be. But all these things seem trivial when compared with No. 98, ' an 'engine. st»,l contrived, that working the Primum /Mor, bile forward or backward, upward I br’ downward,, circularly "or cornerwise, to and fro. upright, or downright, y'et thel pretended operation contihueth, and ad-.j vanceth, none of the motions above-men-tioned hindering, much less stopping, the other; but unanimously, and with har-mony-agreeing, they all augment and contribute strength unto the Intended work and operation. And therefore I call this a “semi-omnipotent engine”—(but why semi?)—“and do intend that a model thereof be buried with me.” . » And I take this opportunity of ending in perfect agreement: with my author, and say that, in my opinion, he has hit upon the very best thing that could possibly be done with it.