Thisreligiousdifference，thesecomplaintsofthechildwhowishedtodraghergodfathertoGod，weretheonlytroublesofthishappylife，sopeaceful，yetsofull，andwhollywithdrawnfromtheinquisitiveeyesofthelittletown。Ursulagrewanddeveloped，andbecameintimethemodestandreligiouslytrainedyoungwomanwhomDesireadmiredassheleftthechurch。Thecultivationofflowersinthegarden，hermusic，thepleasuresofhergodfather，andallthelittlecaresshewasabletogivehim(forshehadeasedLaBougival’slaborsbydoingeverythingforhim)，——thesethingsfilledthehours，thedays，themonthsofhercalmlife。Nevertheless，foraboutayearthedoctorhadfeltuneasyabouthisUrsula，andwatchedherhealthwiththeutmostcare。Sagaciousandprofoundlypracticalobserverthathewas，hethoughtheperceivedsomecommotioninhermoralbeing。Hewatchedherlikeamother，butseeingnooneaboutherwhowasworthyofinspiringlove，hisuneasinessonthesubjectatlengthpassedaway。
Atthisconjuncture，onemonthbeforethedaywhenthisdramabegins，thedoctor’sintellectuallifewasinvadedbyoneofthoseeventswhichploughtotheverydepthsofaman’sconvictionsandturnthemover。Butthiseventneedsasuccinctnarrativeofcertaincircumstancesinhismedicalcareer，whichwillgive，perhaps，freshinteresttothestory。
TowardstheendoftheeighteenthcenturysciencewassunderedaswidelybytheapparitionofMesmerasarthadbeenbythatofGluck。
Afterre-discoveringmagnetismMesmercametoFrance，where，fromtimeimmemorial，inventorshaveflockedtoobtainrecognitionfortheirdiscoveries。France，thankstoherlucidlanguage，isinsomesensetheclarionoftheworld。
“IfhomoeopathygetstoParisitissaved，“saidHahnemann，recently。
“GotoFrance，“saidMonsieurdeMetternichtoGall，“andiftheylaughatyourbumpsyouwillbefamous。“
MesmerhaddisciplesandantagonistsasardentforandagainsthistheoriesasthePiccinistsandtheGluckistsfortheirs。ScientificFrancewasstirredtoitscenter；asolemnconclavewasopened。Beforejudgmentwasrendered，themedicalfacultyproscribed，inabody，Mesmer’sso-calledcharlatanism，histub，hisconductingwires，andhistheory。ButletusatonceadmitthattheGerman，unfortunately，compromisedhissplendiddiscoverybyenormouspecuniaryclaims。
Mesmerwasdefeatedbythedoubtfulnessoffacts，byuniversalignoranceofthepartplayedinnaturebyimponderablefluidsthenunobserved，andbyhisowninabilitytostudyonallsidesasciencepossessingatriplefront。Magnetismhasmanyapplications；inMesmer’shandsitwas，initsrelationtothefuture，merelywhatcauseistoeffect。But，ifthediscovererlackedgenius，itisasadthingbothforFranceandforhumanreasontohavetosaythatasciencecontemporaneouswithcivilization，cultivatedbyEgyptandChaldea，byGreeceandIndia，metinParisintheeighteenthcenturythefatethatTruthinthepersonofGalileofoundinthesixteenth；
andthatmagnetismwasrejectedandcastoutbythecombinedattacksofscienceandreligion，alarmedfortheirownpositions。Magnetism，thefavoritescienceofJesusChristandoneofthedivinepowerswhichhegavetohisdisciples，wasnobetterapprehendedbytheChurchthanbythedisciplesofJean-Jacques，Voltaire，Locke，andCondillac。TheEncyclopedistsandtheclergywereequallyaversetotheoldhumanpowerwhichtheytooktobenew。Themiraclesoftheconvulsionaries，suppressedbytheChurchandsmotheredbytheindifferenceofscientificmen(inspiteofthepreciouswritingsoftheCouncilor，CarredeMontgeron)werethefirstsummonstomakeexperimentswiththosehumanfluidswhichgivepowertoemploycertaininwardforcestoneutralizethesufferingscausedbyoutwardagents。
Buttodothisitwasnecessarytoadmittheexistenceoffluidsintangible，invisible，imponderable，threenegativetermsinwhichthescienceofthatdaychosetoseeadefinitionofthevoid。Inmodernphilosophythereisnovoid。Tenfeetofvoidandtheworldcrumblesaway！Tomaterialistsespeciallytheworldisfull，allthingshangtogether，arelinked，related，organized。“Theworldastheresultofchance，“saidDiderot，“ismoreexplicablethanGod。Themultiplicityofcauses，theincalculablenumberofissuespresupposedbychance，explaincreation。TaketheEneidandalltheletterscomposingit；ifyouallowmetimeandspace，Ican，bycontinuingtocasttheletters，arriveatlastattheEneidcombination。“
ThosefoolishpersonswhodeifyallratherthanadmitaGodrecoilbeforetheinfinitedivisibilityofmatterwhichisinthenatureofimponderableforces。LockeandCondillacretardedbyfiftyyearstheimmenseprogresswhichnaturalscienceisnowmakingunderthegreatprincipleofunityduetoGeoffroydeSaint-Hilaire。Someintelligentpersons，withoutanysystem，convincedbyfactsconscientiouslystudied，stillholdtoMesmer’sdoctrine，whichrecognizestheexistenceofapenetrativeinfluenceactingfrommantoman，putinmotionbythewill，curativebytheabundanceofthefluid，theworkingofwhichisinfactaduelbetweentwoforces，betweenanilltobecuredandthewilltocureit。
Thephenomenaofsomnambulism，hardlyperceivedbyMesmer，wererevealedbyduPuysegurandDeleuze；buttheRevolutionputastoptotheirdiscoveriesandplayedintothehandsofthescientistsandscoffers。Amongthesmallnumberofbelieverswereafewphysicians。
Theywerepersecutedbytheirbrethrenaslongastheylived。TherespectablebodyofParisiandoctorsdisplayedallthebitternessofreligiouswarfareagainsttheMesmerists，andwereascruelintheirhatredasitwaspossibletobeinthosedaysofVoltaireantolerance。
TheorthodoxphysicianrefusedtoconsultwiththosewhoadoptedtheMesmerianheresy。In1820thesehereticswerestillproscribed。ThemiseriesandsorrowsoftheRevolutionhadnotquenchedthescientifichatred。Itisonlypriests，magistrates，andphysicianswhocanhateinthatway。Theofficialrobeisterrible！Butideasareevenmoreimplacablethanthings。
DoctorBouvard，oneofMinoret’sfriends，believedinthenewfaith，andperseveredtothedayofhisdeathinstudyingasciencetowhichhesacrificedthepeaceofhislife，forhewasoneofthechief“betesnoires“oftheParisianfaculty。Minoret，avaliantsupporteroftheEncyclopedists，andaformidableadversaryofDesion，Mesmer’sassistant，whosepenhadgreatweightinthecontroversy，quarreledwithhisoldfriend，andnotonlythat，buthepersecutedhim。HisconducttoBouvardmusthavecausedhimtheonlyremorsewhichtroubledtheserenityofhisdecliningyears。SincehisretirementtoNemoursthescienceofimponderablefluids(theonlynamesuitableformagnetism，which，bythenatureofitsphenomena，iscloselyalliedtolightandelectricity)hadmadeimmenseprogress，inspiteoftheridiculeofParisianscientists。Phrenologyandphysiognomy，thedepartmentsofGallandLavater(whichareinfacttwins，foroneistotheotherascauseistoeffect)，provedtothemindsofmorethanonephysiologisttheexistenceofanintangiblefluidwhichisthebasisofthephenomenaofthehumanwill，andfromwhichresultpassions，habits，theshapeoffacesandofskulls。Magneticfacts，themiraclesofsomnambulism，thoseofdivinationandecstasy，whichopenawaytothespiritualworld，werefastaccumulating。ThestrangetaleoftheapparitionsofthefarmerMartin，soclearlyproved，andhisinterviewwithLouisXVIII。；aknowledgeoftheintercourseofSwedenborgwiththedeparted，carefullyinvestigatedinGermany；thetalesofWalterScottontheeffectsof“secondsight“；theextraordinaryfacultiesofsomefortune-tellers，whopracticeasasinglesciencechiromancy，cartomancy，andthehoroscope；thefactsofcatalepsy，andthoseoftheactionofcertainmorbidaffectionsonthepropertiesofthediaphragm，——allsuchphenomena，curious，tosaytheleast，eachemanatingfromthesamesource，werenowunderminingmanyscepticismsandleadingeventhemostindifferentmindstotheplaneofexperiments。Minoret，buriedinNemours，wasignorantofthismovementofminds，stronginthenorthofEuropebutstillweakinFrancewhere，however，manyfactscalledmarvelousbysuperficialobservers，werehappening，butfalling，alas！likestonestothebottomofthesea，inthevortexofParisianexcitements。
Atthebottomofthepresentyearthedoctor’stranquillitywasshakenbythefollowingletter:——
Myoldcomrade，——Allfriendship，eveniflost，asrightswhichitisdifficulttosetaside。Iknowthatyouarestillliving，andI
rememberfarlessourenmitythanourhappydaysinthatoldhovelofSaint-Julien-le-Pauvre。
AtatimewhenIexpecttosoonleavetheworldIhaveitonmyhearttoprovetoyouthatmagnetismisabouttobecomeoneofthemostimportantofthesciences——ifindeedallscienceisnotONE。
Icanovercomeyourincredulitybyproof。PerhapsIshallowetoyourcuriositythehappinessoftakingyouoncemorebythehand——
asinthedaysbeforeMesmer。Alwaysyours，Bouvard。
StunglikealionbyagadflytheoldscientistrushedtoParisandlefthiscardonBouvard，wholivedintheRueFerounearSaint-
Sulpice。Bouvardsentacardtohishotelonwhichwaswritten“To-
morrow；nineo’clock，RueSaint-Honore，oppositetheAssumption。“
Minoret，whoseemedtohaverenewedhisyouth，couldnotsleep。Hewenttoseesomeofhisfriendsamongthefacultytoinquireiftheworldwereturnedupsidedown，ifthescienceofmedicinestillhadaschool，ifthefourfacultiesanylongerexisted。Thedoctorsreassuredhim，declaringthattheoldspiritofoppositionwasasstrongasever，only，insteadofpersecutingasheretofore，theAcademiesofMedicineandofSciencesrangwithlaughterastheyclassedmagneticfactswiththetricksofComusandComteandBosco，withjuggleryandprestidigitationandallthatnowwentbythenameof“amusingphysics。“
ThisassurancedidnotpreventoldMinoretfromkeepingtheappointmentmadeforhimbyBouvard。Afteranenmityofforty-fouryearsthetwoantagonistsmetbeneathaporte-cochereintheRueSaint-Honore。Frenchmenhavetoomanydistractionsofmindtohateeachotherlong。InParisespecially，politics，literature，andsciencerenderlifesovastthateverymancanfindnewworldstoconquerwhereallpretensionsmayliveatease。Hatredrequirestoomanyforcesfullyarmed。Nonebutpublicbodiescankeepalivethesentiment。RobespierreandDantonwouldhavefallenintoeachother’sarmsattheendofforty-fouryears。However，thetwodoctorseachwithheldhishandanddidnotofferit。Bouvardspokefirst:——
“Youseemwonderfullywell。“
“Yes，Iam——andyou？“saidMinoret，feelingthattheicewasnowbroken。
“Asyousee。“
“Doesmagnetismpreventpeoplefromdying？“askedMinoretinajokingtone，butwithoutsharpness。
