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THE DAY OF ELIAS* GERARD J. MC GARRITYÎ It should be pointed out that the events described in this tale occurred 2 years ago. The situation is much improved today. The plaster has been repaired, the strike has been settled, and the administrative structure has been strengthened considerably with the formation of various committees and subcommittees. First of all, there are few people who have ever heard of the Day of Elias and even fewer who believe it. What records and history that did exist were destroyed in a town in central Russia in the 1830s. A number of town citizens came to the City Hall on an unbelievably hotJuly afternoon , Since it was primarily a farming area, many townsmen brought dogs, cats, pigs, and other animals with them. Theirjourney to the town always served a variety of purposes: sell wares, purchase materials, and attend to civic and legal matters at the seat of local government. The desk sergeant, an obese man who perspired a lot and bathed little, stressed his bureaucratic importance by keeping the people waiting in the hot and dustywaiting room. On this particular day, two pigs escaped from their caged pens in the waiting room and ran amuck. People, pigs, cats, dogs, and officials were in a state of utter chaos. The scene should not even be described. It can be said, however, that all records and files in that room, including, I sadly write, those of the Day of Elias, were utterly and completely destroyed. A summary of what is known and believed regarding the Day of Elias can be made. When God called Elias to heaven in his chariot, he made a pact with mankind. He promised to send one soul from heaven back to earth for one day every hundred years. Theologians have advanced several possible reasons for this pledge. It could serve as a symbol of God's concern for mankind, it could remind man of his eternal future, or it could help man solve a particular problem through the counsel of a learned mind from the past. Virtually nothing is known about the selection process. *This paper was submitted as an entry in the firstPerspectives Writing Award competition for authors 35 years old or younger. tAddress: Institute for Medical Research, Copewood Street, Camden, New Jersey 08103. 64 I Gerard J. McGarrity · The Day of Elias In the nineteenth century, the Day was celebrated in 1822 or 1823 somewhere in Russia. Unfortunately, the name of the heavenly visitor is unknown. All records, history of past celebrations, and a complete account of the 1822 or 1823 visit were to be made into a factual text until the fat little sergeant entered the picture. The news of this century's visit came unexpectedly. The father of modern science, Louis Pasteur, was selected to spend a 24-hour period in a medical research institution in the United States of America in New York City. One obviously cannot question how this decision was reached. However, it is believed that this was the first time a scientist and the United States had been chosen for the honor. The news rippled through every laboratory of the institution. Department heads and postdoctoral fellows debated the old man's competency after all these years and what his exact role might be. One wouldn't expect Lister to perform open-heart surgery. On the other hand, how could one surmise how Pasteur spends his eternity? Perhaps reading journals! On the other hand, what good could one man do in a 24-hour period? On the other hand, one shouldn't make earthly conclusions on heavenly matters. It was the consensus of the department heads that meetings be held to determine how Pasteur and the institution could be served by the coming. The suggestion was accepted. Every bureaucratic niche had its own proposal to utilize the great one's day. The Office of Minority Hiring wanted his signature on several forms, since he qualified as an employee of a minority group under HEW guidelines. The Personnel Department wished to use Pasteur in a campaign to lure bright young geniuses to the institution, exhorting young Pasteurs to come to this great citadel where...

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