Excerpt from The Alchemical Essence and the Chemical Element an Episode in the Quest of the Unchanging The results of the changes that material things undergo are so manifold and perplexing that students of natural events have been compelled to divide into bands, and each band of searchers has been forced to tread its own path; but all the bands hope to meet at the goal, that is yet far off. The chemists form one of the bands. The path that they have trodden, and which still they tread, is a pleasant way; no one complains of lack of variety; at every turn new vistas are opened, and the prospect of new delights beckons the travellers on. But there are Side paths that lead backwards, or lead nowhere, and it is easy to stray down one of these; many a man who began the journey with high hope and good promise has found himself in the forest at the end of a blind alley, unable to go on because the trees are many and grow close, and unable to go back because weeds have sprung up and choked the way. There are short cuts also, to be discovered by the keen-eyed and the men of quick wit; sometimes a traveller who started with shambling steps finds a shorter way, and soon is far ahead of those who refuse to leave the beaten path. It is along this path, worn by the feet of many who have joined the quest of the unchanging, that I ask you to walk for a little while. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.