Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 66, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 March 1917 — The Tracer of Egos [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Tracer of Egos

Chronicles of Dr. Phileas Immanuel, Soul Specialist

By VICTOR ROUSSEAU

MR. AXEL’S SHADY PAST

LADY Sibyl Smith was one of England’s typical new women. Seven and twenty years o f age, rich, handsome, gifted, the niece of a duke and sister of a viscount, she played i nnwmerable roles with distinction, and the craze of one week became the aversion of the next. She had been suffragette, teetotaler, Socialist, antlvaccinationist and anti-vivisectionist, vegetarian and sandal wearer; but now she was bent upon becoming a Mormon, It was the first time that her whim had taken a religious turn, and her uncle, the duke of Surrey, was greatly distressed. “If only it were anything else," he said to Doctor Immanue), "I wouldn’t care. I know it would wear oft in the course of time, but when the poor child wakes up in Utah, to find herself one of a happy family of fifty wives, what are we going to do tor her?" .

The old duke, who was a staunch adherent of the Low Church party, held rigid and perhaps exaggerated views about many subjects. Mormonism was one of them, and he. was leading the agitation for the expulsion, of the Mormon missionaries from England. Doctor Immanuel and I had met him at the annual garden party given by Noureddin Bey, the Turkish ambassador, wltlf* whom the Greek physician had been intimately acquainted in his earlier days at Athens. ‘The trouble with the modern woman is that there are not enough husbands to go round,” said Immanuel thoughtfully. “England has, I believe, a million and a half more women than men. In consequence, instead of finding her activities in her home, the Englishwoman Is forced into men’s sphere of action.” to propound those old-fashioned ideas in the twentieth century, are you?” asked the Turkish ambassador jokingly. Nevertheless he secretly agreed with him. Educated at Oxford and Heidelberg, and the husband of one of the most popular society matrons in London, he nevertheless felt in his heart that the old customs of his race were best. “If we don’t take care,” said the old duke, "we shall evolve a race in which the female will be predominant everywhere, as with the bees.” “And, like the bees, they will massacre all the-males every autumn,” answered Doctor Immanuel, “but about Lady Sibyl—” he continued, drawing the duke aside. “I am sorry to hear that her mind is made up." “Unfortunately it is,” answered the old gentleman. “She has fallen under the influence of Axel, the Mormon missionary, and sails with a party of converts for Utah on Saturday week. Nothing that we can say has the least influence over her. I even went so far as to attend one of Axel’s Sunday assemblies at the

Kensington Tabernacle. The man is a magnetic personality, a ■wonderful speaker. The plain truth is that he has hypnotized her. I wonder—" lie hesitated —"I wonder if you could help us, doctor. Of course I don't pretend to believe in this reincarnation the-' ory which you preach so relentlessly, but I do know that you have accomplished some wonderful things. You seem to have a kind of power over people. Damn you, sir, for all your crazy notions you have established your power over me. Can't you help the poor child,-doctor ? ft the duke continued more seriously. "She must not sail with Axel. And she says she will sail. Hello, my dear!" The last words Were addressed to no other than the Lady Sibyl herself, who suddenly appeared} radiant under a large picture hat, immaculately gowned and shod. "Why, Sibyl—you have met Doctor Immanuel! believe, my-dear?—as I was saying, Sibyl, how about the sandals? I thought you were never going to wear shoes again." “My dear -uncle,” said the youftfr lady, patting the old man condescendingly upon the arm, “I still believe that shoes are contrary to the laws of nature. But there are too many more important things in life for me to spend my energies in a crusade against them. No! So long as war continues and nations massacre each other in the name of justice—” j "Hello, Sibyl! Are you anti-militar-ist now?” .. * | "Yes, uncle, I am. Mr. Axel has shown me the horrors of war. He has convinced me that only the spread of the faith can bring peace among men. When all nations are of one belief—” “The Mormons. Sibyl?”. “The Saints," answered zthe girl with a look of mild .reproach., “But I see we pre drifting round to the eld topic and that, uncle, is naturally a painful one, so I will not detain, you.” With that she was gone, and presently we saw her engaged in earnest conversation with the Turkish ambaswife, who was always sympathetically inclined toward aiy new propaganda. "This Axel seems to have stirred

London,” said the Turkish ambassador a little later. We had foregathered again; somehow each one of us felt an interest in kindly, erratic, impulsive Lady Sibyl. “Yes,” answered the duke in tones of deep disgust. “But I never before heard that universal peace was what his people sought. I should say thelr aim is to stir up strife.” “He has evidently played upon her tfhti-militarist convictions to secure a wealthy convert,” put in the ambassador. “No, I wouldn’t say that,” said the old duke, with a reluctant fairness. “I think the man is sincere. But he’s one of those men who can persuade themselves that anything they want is true —a most dangerous condition of mind. Some of our Radical statesmen have it,” he continued. The duke was violently Conservative. • “Then,” I suggested, "if Lady Sibyl is drawn toward the Mormons because she thinks they will establish peace, why not provoke Axel into combativeness in her presence?” The duke stared at me but did not answer. He was deeply distressed, and my words had passed him by idly. “It is curious,” said Doctor Immanuel, “that the true meaning of Mormonism is not apparent May I say without offense to you, Nourreddin Bey, that the Mormons are simply the ancient Mohammedans come back to earth?”

“O, you won’t hurt my feelings,” answered Noureddin Bey, laughing. “But I confess that I don’t see the parallel.” “You mean that Mohammed was reincarnated as Joseph Smith?” asked tireduke. “It is fascinatingly preposterous.” “On the contrary, the paralied is so close that I cannot see how any reasonable man can doubt it," Immanuel answered. “It holds in every instance. Mohammed came, as Smith came, at a time when the old beliefs were breaking down. Each taught a creed composed of a hodge-podge of Judaism and Christianity. Each had a special revelation from an angel, who gave him the text for his sacred book. Each was Said to be epileptic. Each was driven out of his home town into a desert country and established a militant nation there. And mark my words, gentlemen, In Mormonism America and the world have to face the greatest peril that the next century will bring.” “And each taught polygamy,” said the duke thoughtfully. "But I understand that the Saints have ceased to advocate that doctrine. Confound it —my poor Sibyl! Once they get her to Utah God know? what they’ll do wlth her._ The fanatic who masquerades as a reasonable man of the world is the hardest type to <taal with.” "Your theory is very interesting.

doctor,” said Noureddln Bey. “Can’t you come to the rescue then? Can't you hypnotize this Axel and show him up as a desert savage reborn? I confess that in a loose white robe and a turban he would present a picture not calculated to inspire his latest convert.” Immanuel did not answer, but presently he managed adroitly to bring me into conversation with the object of our solicitude. “I hear you sail for America shortly,” I said to her. "Yes,” she answered. “For Salt Lake City, the headquarters of the propoganda.” “Lady Sibyl,” said Immanuel very earnestly, “do you understand the real meaning of Mormonism? My •dear girl, you are dreadfully deceived. The Mormons are nothing but the early Mohammedans reborn on earth. .There was some use for them in the seventh Century, but there is no earthly use new. They are essentially a throw-back, an anachronism —” “O, I’ve heard of your doctrines,” laughed Lady -Sibyl, “and you can’t hurt my feelings. Mr. Axel is a peace lover. He is sadly misrepresented. He wants to bring all the world under his faith, to establish peace, liberty; and justice—”- - ■ - . “Your Mr. Axel,” ariswered the doctor brusquely, "is, I have every reason to believe, a certain Hajid, who, in the year 689, was sent to make converts of a Christian tribe., living in the Lebanon, and, failing to win them, ruthlessly massacred seven hundred men, women and children, in cold blood. He was a smooth, plausible—’’ "That’s quite enough. Doctor Immanuel,” . answered Lady Sibyl angrily. “If you bad _exer come to our meetings—’’ » "Well, I’ll make a bargain with you. I’ll come to your meeting next Sunday if you’ll allow me to offer you evidence as to the truth, of what I have said. Are you open to* conviction?” =# "I am always open to conviction,” answered Lady Sibyl. "And I hope you are. Do come, doctor, and join our party for Utah on Saturday week.”

No more was said, but ttat evening, as we sat in our rooms, Doctor Immanuel outlined to me his plan. “It is a desperate chance,” he said, “and I confess I am not altogether sanguine of success. But it is worth trying. I fancy that the main trouble with Lady Sibyl is that she is an idealist; she knows nothing of life, with its crudeness, its cruelties, its passions. She has always lived in the exalted region of the intellect. If she could see this Axel as an infuriated savage I think the shock would produce an intense reaction. Now I have been to his meetings, for the psychology of conversion has a great attraction for me. He is a magnetic speaker, one who is what we call ‘carried away.* When he preaches he is actually self-hypnotized. He 'says that he speaks as the. spirit directs him, and I have not the slightest doubt that he is, at such moments, largely dominated by his former self —or role, rather, for the self does not change. Do you know the Kensington Tabernacle?” "No/’ I answered. "It is a large room, fitted up for meetings of a religious or secular character. It occupies the central portion of the building, and radiating out of it are numerous smaller rooms, which are also rented for the night to scientific and learned societies which hold their regular meetings there. Nofir here is my plan: if we can rent one of these rooms and make it the setting for our drama, and bring Axel in there while he is still under the emotional influence of his sermon, self-hypnotized, that is to say, it is possible that we may capture the elusive Hajid, bring him to the surface, and so display the real man to Lady Sibyl.” “There wasn’t much peacefulness in Hajid,” I said. “No. and there isn’t in Axel. But there’s more to come. I have been talking with Noureddin. I recollect” that, when we were in Athens togeth-

er, he used to own a famous old sword, said to have belonged to the prophet Mohammed himself, and an heirloom in his family. I asked him where it was and he tells me that it is in Paris, with some of his stored property. Now if we can get that weapon in time to make it the piece de resistance for our little drama — think of it, a sword which Hajid himself had doubtless often seen, which must have impressed itself indelibly upon his memory!—he may remember it. Are there riot old Greek stories of heroes who recognized swords hanging in temples which they had wielded in former lives? One doesn’t forget a sword when one has been a soldier. Anyway, Noureddin is sending one.of his secretaries to Paris with an order for it this evening, and there is every hope that by next Sunday we will ba ablejLo bavs It in place. And now, excuse me, fori must write to the Tabernacle to hire a room.” ~ ~

It was not Doctor Immanuel’s habit to talk much while his plans were maturing, and from the absence of any further discussion of the subject I drew favorable conclusions. It was not until the evening of the following Saturday that he alluded to the matter again. 3 , “Well,” he began, removing his pipe from his mouth, “the sword has arrived and is pow safely housed, or rather suspended from the wall in Room 17 of the Tabernacle." "Good," I ariswered. “You have the stage setting completed?" “Everything. It is the exact reproduction of the interior of a Syrian house in the time of Mohammed, with divans, skins —loaned for the occasivn by our friend Noureddin—pillows, antique vessels from the ambassador’s house, and, last but most important, the sacred sword, which hangs suspended by a skein of camel’s ’hair over the couch of honor. It is crude, but it is good enough for g

hypnotized man, who is ready to swear that a chair is a steamship if he is told so.” ... ’ “And who will be present? The duke?” , ■ • “No. He says he has had enough of Axel and has done all he could, and feels no further responsibility if his niecd' chooses to make a fool of herself. You and I and the ambassador and Lady Sibyl, who, by the way, is as ignorant as Axel of the trick we propose to play.” “And the plan is—?” “To bring them into the room immediately Axel has finished his sermon. It is to be his farewell address, you know, for he sails for America today week, and he will be wrought up, no doubt, and in prime condition for the experiment. By the way. Lady Sibyl will be waiting for us to call at her rooms on Sunday evening and escort her to the meeting.” “Rooms? She doesn’t live with her folks then?”

"O dear, no. She la a member of some sisterhood now, pledged to improve’the world. Poor child; she is thoroughly unpractical in everything.” At seven o’clock on the Sunday night we called for Lady Sibyl- We found her housed in a large building, the headquarters of the humanitarian association with which she was connected, and about ten minutes' walk from the Tabernacle. She was not alone, however, for there was a young man present, and I had an unmistakable impression, when I entered, that there had been something of a scene between the two. “Allow me to Introduce Mr. Carruthers,” said Lady Sibyl to us. “Another of my well-wishers,” she added acidly, and I perceived that the acidity of her tones was meant to conceal some strong emotional stress. “Mr. Carruthers, like my uncle, wishes to dissuade me from going to America.’’ “I would to heaven I could,” burst out the young man in passionate

tones. Of a sudden I became aware, as though Lady Sibyl herself had told me, that he was her lover. I gathered that she had broken ‘the engagement in order to follow Axel to Salt Lake City. As we started toward the Tabernacle young Carruthers fell into step with me. “Do.you know this Axel?” he asked. "Do you know what he preaches?" “He is a regular Mormon missionary, I believe," I answered. “Are you in sympathy with this project of Lady Sibyl ?” he asked-earn-estly. “No,” I said, "I am not; Why?” ' “Because," he answered, “I am going to see him tonight, and when he has finished his meeting, which I don’t want to disturb, I am going tp take him by the throat and shake his cursed head off his counfounded shoulders.” ■ we are going for mtfdh the same purpose," I answered. “So don’t do anything rash, because we may succeed by milder measures. ’’ He looked at me hopefully but did not ask what our measured were. Soon afterward we were at the doors of the Tabernacle, and I presently found ourselves accommodated, with several other disciples and converts, upon the platform from which Axel was to speak. In front of us were long lines of benches, which gradually filled with attendants. They were poor people, for the most part, and had in their eyes that look of patient, hopeless misery which one meets among the lower classes Of London. . To these souls, struggling against the hard material tyranny of their daily lives, unillumined by any spark of hope, it was evident that the gospel of Axel had dome with the force of a stunning revelation. 1 could easily Imagine such, people converted into fanatics «• and martyrs, ready to shed their blood for cause he pleached, anxious to build up the new commonwealth, the new

heaven on earth in the alkali wastes of Utah. Lady Sibyl was the only person there who was even moderately well gowned. I began to understand 1 now how much,her belief meant to Axel, not necessarily from a worldly point of view, for, to do the man justice; he was quite sincere, but as a bell wether for his precious flock. Then Axel came in from a private room, and when I set eyes on the man I knew that I was in the presence of one of those who are the mainstay of every cause; the men of intense will, purpose, and conviction who make martyrs and prophets. He might have stepped out of the desert and put on modern clothes, for he was brown and muscular as an Arab, his closely cropped hair was of a deep, lustrous black, and his black beard, ragged and uncombed, swept down over his breast. He moved as though he were “strung”; it was evident that he was prepared to make a thrilling appeal and challenge to his auditor*; and as he entered and stepped lightly on the platform, acknowledging the greeting of those present 6ya curt, absent-minded nod, I heard murmurs of worship from the sordid figures upon the benches and saw the sunken eyes grow bright and the bent figures straighten. Then he was upon the platform and the services had begun.

It is no part of my task to deride the Mormon service. Except for the shocking incongruity, as it seemed to me, of introducing the name of Joseph Smith into the hymns, it might have been any religious service and was conducted with perfect decorum. But, the prayers ended, Axel began to speak, and though I have heard many speakers I have never heard one who impressed me so forcibly. It was not elegance of diction, for his grammar was as free as his eloquent gestures; it was not that he had the gift of the great orator; rather it seemed to be some magnetic force proceeding from the man. It almost carried me away. I closed my eyes and listened with rapture. 1 could well understand how he could bend Lady Sibyl to his sway, to say nothing of those others. He announced the end of his missionary campaign and pleaded, pleaded with his auditors to renounce the world and follow him and his band to far off Utah, to build up the nation of peace and righteousness.

Immanuel said something which sounded like Amen. But it was. not Amen. The sound seemed to sting the speaker as a whip stings a nervous, high-spirited horse. He started, cast a glance at the doctor,-and then proceeded with more abandon than before. His words poured like a lava torrent from his mouth. In the next interval Immanuel spoke again. This time there was no mistaking his word. They were “Allah il-Allah.” And Axel seemed to lean toward him; he swung round, facing him, and thumped his fist upon the desk and flung his arms aloft, as an ancient prophet might have done, denouncing Baal. I understood the doctor’s purpose. He was beginning io recall to him the scene which was afterward to be burned into his brain, for the purpose of awakening his forgotten self. Axel ended in a thunder of applause. His auditors sprang from their seats and cheered, ran forward, surrounded him. Lady Sibyl looked at me with brimming eyes. “Isn’t he wonderful?” she said. "O, doctor, can’t you believe now? Who else is he but a prophet of God?” Then I saw that Immanuel had arisen and was standing immediately in front of Axel, staring into his eyes. It wasa-strangg? "contrast; preacher, built in the mold of a hero, and the little Greek doctor, with his face upturned, and his mild brown eyes, just now fixed sternly upon those of the other. “Come!” said the doctor, and he placed his arm within the preacher’s. He said something more, but it was too low for me to catch the words. Whether it was English or Arabic I do not know, but I felt that their two wills had met in combat and that the doctor had conquered. It seemed as though Axel were actually in a hypnotic condition, for he followed Immanuel without seeing any of his admfrers, brushing them away, and went like a lamb in the direction of Room 17, and we all followed. Then Immanuel threw open the door and we trooped in, and somebody—Carriithers, I think — closed it, and we were inside a Syrian house. It was like one of those little reproductions of foreign scenery that one encounters at expositions; ft was at once genuine and yet unreal. The couches, with their Oriental coverings, were such as might have been seen tn any home; the—ruga were from the ambassador's own reception rooms, where I myself had seen them; the leopard skins, too, that strewed the floor. were such as one sees in furriers’ shops. It did not impress me as spectacular—it was merely grotesque and ornate. Abpve our heads the sword, the yataghan of the prophet, swung with a slight oscillating movement from its support of woven camel hair. IsawLady Sibyl look at the room in surprise; Carruthers glanced at each, of us, not understanding; the Turkish ambassador, whom I had recognized on the platform, attired in rather rough clothes, at d evidently desirous of conceallfig his identity, smiled slightly at me, as though in deprecation of the stage setting. But the next inomentwe were all looking at Axel. Doctor Immanuel, standing on tiptoe. had placed his bands uponthe great ffe’lcw's shoulders, and the mis-

slonary was swaying backward and forward, and staring into the doctor’s eyes. ’ “Hajid!”’said Immanuel, and then followed some Arabic words whose meaning 1 did not know. Axel stopped rocking and bis whole body became rigid as. steel. Hia hands fell to his sides, his arms stiffened. "Hajid!” said the doctor again, but now in English. “You have been hidden too long. Come forth!” “What is the meaning of this tomfoolery?” exclaimed Lady Sibyl indignantly. “Mr. Axel ./ "Speak to him, madam,” said 'iaFL manuel blandly. “You will have hard work to find him.” He addressed the figure again. “Hajid! I command’you to come forth. Where have you been aU, these years?” The syllables fell haltingly and gutturally from Axel’s lips. “To the Beni-Mizroum, of the Great Mountain,” he answered heavily. "They would not embrace the faith taught by the prophet. Therefore I fulfilled my master's command.” "What did you do, Hajid??” asjHitg the Greek doctor. "I slew them —five hundred of them, grown men and children.” "And "The women we carried away for wives.” “You monster!” exclaimed Lady Sibyl’s indignant voice. “Mr. Axel,1 — mean—what are you saying? O, he .has gone insane!” “Look up, Hajid,” said Doctor Immanuel, “and tell me what you see.” * He raised his head and his eyes fell upon the yataghan. Instantly, it seemed, pandemonium was let loose. He sprang for the blade, seized it, and brandished it, shouting unintelligibly in Arabic. With his disheveled clothes, his sweeping beard, hia bloodshot eyes and fearful yells, he seemed like a demented man. He sprang at Lady Sibyl, clutched her by the hair, and, still flourishing the sword, began to drag her round the room.

Carruthers leaped at him; Immanuel seized his arm and shouted, but he was beyond the reach of words. We fought all round the room, stumbling over the rugs and the couch coverings, bruising ourselves against the walls; his strength was about equal to the combined strength of us all, and the most we could achieve was to prevent him from wounding any of us with, the sword. At. last we had released Lady Sibyl and bad him down, pinned under our united weight. Just at that moment the door was flung open and two policemen appeared. • -T?" ~ --—"lt’s Mr. Axel, the missionary. He has gone mad! ” panted the Turkish ambassador. I recollect that he was seated on Axel’s head, and I remembered that that is what we do to horses, to keep them still when they have fallen. They got his hands into the handcuffs, and somebody procured an ambulance. The crowd outsidq the hall filled the street. The evening newspapers brought out special editions which were shouted all over London. When at last we found ourselves alone Lady Sibyl collapsed into Carruther’s arms. “What a terrible experience!" she moaned. "O, Raby, can you. ever forgive me? To think that I was so near to sailing with a maniac! Why, he might have murdered me. And he pulled out a great handful of hair, and mine is none too thick,” she sobbed. To my mind this tardy awakening to the virtues of beauty was the most hopeful sign of Lady Sibyl’s conversion. ~ ~ ... “But that proves nothing, Immanuel,” said the Turkish ambassador the next day. "You hypnotized him and told him he was an Arab —that’s all. You can’t prove that he was an Arab, you know.” 4 "The proof,” said Immanuel blandly, “rests with you. I have pragmatically proved my case, for I have saved Lady Sibyl. Do you think she’ll fall into his clutches again when he gets free?” “Not if Carruthers knows it," answered Noureddin Bey? “I fancy, too, that the man is thoroughly discredited now. To be taken raving to an insane asylum would discredit any prophet in the modern world. Besides, don’t you know that Lady Sibyl is growing enthusiastic about the mixed nut diet?” v—- ■ (Copyright, 1917, by W. G. Chapman.)

“HAJID!” SAID THE DOCTOR AGAIN, BUT NOW IN ENGLISH, "YOU HAVE BEEN HIDDEN TOO LONG; COME FORTH!”