The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-08-17
Sic Itur AID As[sltra.

Sic Itur AID As[sltra.
Strange as are the alterations of the hu
man mind, no one is stranger than the belle
in the occult sciences, comprising the blacl
art, commonly called withcraft, astrology
&c, &C.,
1t is not the truth that civilization and gen
eral intelligence have entirely dispelled su
perstition, which seems to be component
part of the constitution of the minds of many
who do not even suspect it in their own case
and who would feel insuIted We're they tt
suppose that Others suspected it. t
What we have said is proved by the fact
that many people laugh at "necromancy,
yet have the tirmest faith in clairvoyance anG
all its absurdities and even when, as in the
case of the Davenports, a full exposure has
been made of the clever tricks of the adopts
these people still believe on, and their faith
becomes but stronger and stronger.
We have read of the famous Sortes Vi,yi-
liante in which destiny was read by turning
over the pages of the great Latin Poet, the
future fate of the inquirer being determined
by the first line of page opened at random
This particular author is not now often Sc
lected for the purpose; but we doubt not
that many of our readers, when they perust
this article, can remember their turning over
their Bibles for the same purpose, and divin-
ing their destiny from the first verse that met
their eye, even if that verse were "A brahan
begat Isaac
Nor is divinaton confined to people Of
average intelligence only. We all know the
famous case of ROUSSEAU and the cork tree
where the great esprit fort of France OWNED
his eternal destiny by throwing stone at its
trunk, saying as he did SO, "Hit it, and &C
to heaven; miss it, and | go to hell"
In fact, there is no class of the community
thatis entirely uninfected by superstition
This particular weakness will always fnd
men who will crafty it "for consideration,
and the believers in astroloey are ever ready
to pay for a really good article of coniura.
ton.
In this science of divnation, as in all
others, we have to pay man of talent if we
wish his services. We all recognize the force
of the maxim, poor pay, poor preach" and
when we employ frst-rate nocromancer, we
must remunerate him properly.
The people of Norfolk are just now favored
by the appearance in our midst OF one Of the
greatest adopts recorded in history, before
whose fame that of CAGLIosTRo himself is
dim, and compared with whom the wvndrous
Doctor FAUSTUs is a mere humbug
Doctor PELHAM is not only the seventh son
of seventh son, but the latter seventh son
was the son of seventh daughter The
Doctor is also loaded with titles and honors
being F. R. s., @. U. A. c. K, and he don't
know what besides He will confer the hon
orary degree of A S. S. upon all who con-
suit him.
DIR. p is so excessively modest, that he
has not told us the half Of his qualifications
for he was probably born with double eau
over his face, and he can see the "sperrit of 6
sperrit."
Nor has his bashfulness allowed him to dis
close what we now impart as a great secret
viz: that he is directly descended from the
Ante Noachian giants mentioned in the Book
of Genesis, and that he is proud to coun
among his ancestors NIMRoD, the great found
er of the Chaldean Monarchy. The witch
of Endor was his at-great-great-grea
grandmother, and the spirit spoken of by Mi
caiah in LIST Kings, XIII, o. was the ghos
of one of DR. PELHAM's forefathers
This great comet is here for few days
We may say that for the present, as far as
Norfolk is concerned, he is at his perihelion
We would not degrade the Doctor by com
pairing him to ENKE's little wanderer which
returns every few years, but to that great CO.
lestial vagrant, that hove in sight when JU,
Illus CESAR was born, and in whose blaze tn,
sun himself was as dim as farthing candle
Then let all the inhabitants of our ancient
city go prepared with greenbacks and burn
glasses, SO as to get near view of this cess
tlal prodigy, If they do not go now, tn
Cesarean Blazer will shortly have vanished
amid the dark regions of space, never agair
to dazzle the eyes of the present generation
But, seriously speaking, we think tina
those who have money to throw away, hat
better give it to the widows of Confederate
soldiers and their poor little orphans, man,
OF whom would be thankful for crust O
bread.