St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1864-02-18
- For the St. Cloud Democrat,
"FOSSILS."
surer.4itio.,s About Lixhtnine.


surerstitios,s About lightning.
The eagle, the sea-ca!:, the laurel and
the white vine, were amongst the most ap-
proved preservatives against lightning in
ancient times as lightning rods are in mod
ern, civilized times, and the one, III the
writer's opinion is about as safe as the 9TH
er. The former was as great consola-
tion to those who believed in them, as the
latter. Fanoied security is as grateful as
actual, until exploded, =:
1t appears that Jupiter Tonans himself
had a dread Of this, one of his own instru-
menls, and chose the eagle as preventa-
tive. Here one cannot but mark a tlistinc-
ton between the ancient gods and the Re-
vealed Deiy-the one clothed with human
attributes and limited power. and the other
with omnlpotence and perfection. Au-
gus:us Caesar chose The sea-calf, and IT,
berious meyer failed te wear a wreath of
laurel whsr the sky threatened q >s:orm.
4 commentator on Sueto;:,ius. hos gravely
endcavored to disprove.tAe virtues of the
crown Of Tiberius by mentioning the fact
that but a few years before laurel had
tcen struck by lightning
The curtain lake and the Rumlnal fig
tree III the Forum having been touched 81
lightning, were held sacred. and the mes,-
ory Of the accident was preserved by the
erection of an ALTAR, resembling the mouth
Of we'll, with \ little chapel covering the
cavity supposed to have been made by the
thunderholt.
Bodies struck dead and scath'eji we're sup
posed to be iucorrdptitle, and stroke not
fatal conferred perpetual dignity on the
person so distinguished by Heaven. There
is story told Of one of the first Roman
!, ,Emperors that, when boy, the lightnings
played about his head during n thunder
sorm-a fame rising up from the crown
Of his head, in the presence Of the whole
Roman army, that when the flame had dis
, arpcared and they SAW that he was unhurt,
they proclaimed him Emperor.
t Those killed ny lightning, we're wrapped
! in white garment and buried where they
fell. Nor were these superstitions confn-
l:nd to tie worshippers of Jupiter; they
seem to have been almost universal in
.hoss times The LombacIs believed in
! the omens furnished by lightning. and even
Christian priest tonfesses that by dia-
bolical skill in interpreting thunder, seer
foretoll to Agilu,f, duke of Turin, all event
which came to pass and gave Kim queen
and q crown. There was however, some
!; thing equivocal in this sign, which the an
; cient Inhabitants of Rome did not always
; consider Eropitious, and hence it is not
strange the Romans Of the age of Leo X
should have been so terrified at some mis-
! interpreted storms as to require the cxhor-
tation Of scholar who arrayed all the
learning on thunder and lightning to prove
the omen favorable, beginning. with the
! fash which struck Valitrat, and including g
that which played upon the gate OF: lEior:
ence and foretold the ponti5icate Of one Of
its Citizens. ''.'. .'.. ..' ''' - ''.'.'' - /
TuEHE is cherry stone at the Salem,
| (Aass.) Museum which contains one dozen
silver spoons. The stone itself is Of the
ordinary size, but the spoons are so small
that their Shape and size can only be dis
u J. e.
tinguished by means Of the microscope
Imagine the labor required to execute such
q curiosity, and if you can, imagine the
utility. DR.: Oliver gives an account of Q
cherry stone on which were carved one
hundred and twenty four heads 50 distinct
that the naked eye could distinguish those
belongineto the popes and kings, by th,t
mitres and crowns. 1t was bought in Prus'
sia for $1,000 and thence conveyed to Eng
land where 50. high . value Was placed up
on it that it became the subject Of suit IL
Chancery in 1687.3sis 1ot 9@7t !" 4't1 Z
In more remote times still, m account il
given of an ivory chariot, CONSTRUCTED bj
. Mermicides, 80 small that fly could cove,
4 it with its wings; also ship Of the sam.
4 materialDwhich could be hidden by the
4 wing Of bee. =" ~ H. -.
4 pliny tells us that Homers :iiiad, which
has $4,000 verses, was written in 50 small
space $50 Is % se hold ii = nut she'll while
! Ella (Lt,am,b mention. N artist Who wrote rot
Il =. "'N