Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-08
SUPERSTITION ABOUT PRECIOUS STONES.

If any stone deserves worship for its
beauty it is the opal and so right y valued
at its proper worth was the opal IN olden
DAYS that after ages admired the Roman
Senator who, when Mark Anthony coveted
his opal ring, went into voluntary exile,
preferring to part with his country rather
than his gem. Yet in these days there are
numbers of people who will refuse the gift
of an opal or sell any they may possess, on
account of its bad reputation as a brlnger
of bad luck and dispeller of affection. Yet
IL was the reverse of an inauspicious stone
In former days. According to Onamakri-
tbs il was one OF the stones that would in
sure the efficacy of prayer. According to
Berouem the opal made its wearer lovable
and conciliated love it rejoiced the heart,
preserved from poison and infection, dissi-
pated melancholy and strengthened the
sight. What then, could be more desira-
bic either as gift or possession Whence,
then, arose the bad reputation of the opal
B8rbot, in his Treatise on Precious
Stones" says that it is evidently due to it's
connection with the legend of Robert the
Devil, without explaining further, while
sometimes it is traced to the story OF the
opal in Sir Walter Scott's "Anne of Geier-
stein" 1t will be remembered that in the
weird tale of Anne's grandfather the Per-
sian lady whom he married possessed a
marvellous opal, which, on the day Of the
christening of their child, when some holy
water came in contact with it, first shot
out brilliant spark, and was the next in
slant "lightless and colorless as common
pebble" The Persian heroine tainted and
died, and was followed by her husband,
Herman of Arnheim, three years after
ward and their granddaughter, referring
to the story, said that she had heard of the
opal growing pale, it being the nature Of
that noble stone to do so on the approach
of poison, and Hermione having been
thought to have been poisoned by the
Jealous Baroness Steiufeldt. But it is evil
dent that there is not enough in either of
these tales to account for total change of
popular superstition, neither the legend of
Robert the Devil nor of the Persian Hermi.
one have been sufficiently known to have
had the slightest influence on common
opinion. Till, therefore, some better ex-
PLANTATION can be thought of the wrong that
Is at present done to that fairest of all
gems, the opal, must be set down as one of
those freaks of superstition which are abso-
Iutely without justification or reason. But
the superstition that yet fingers about the
precious stones represents happily, fast
diminishing quantity. Who would think
now of attrlbuting to each stone a special
influence over each month, and wearing,
therefore, the sapphire in April, the agate
In May, and 30 forth ct our ancestors
did this, and even appropriated to twelve
kinds of precious stones the twelve signs
of zodiac and the twelve Apostles. Per-
haps there was some pious intent in making
the jasper the symbol of Saint Peter, the
chrysolite of Saint Matthew, or the uncer
tain beryl of the disbelieving Saint Thomas;
but the modern spirit needs not these re.
minders, and their value at any time must
have been very doubtful. But, smile as
we may at the superstition that ruled in
bygone times with regard t, precious
stones, we have to admit that it was not
altogether without its brighter side. In
the dark ages, for instance, it could have
been no mean happiness to possess gems
waich, like the sapphire, insured the full
EAment of prayer, or, like the diamond and
amethyst, reduced war to safe and pleas
ant pastime. What charm have we where
with to face the perils and misfortunes of
life comparable to faith in their talisman
which supported our ancestors ?-l The
Cornhill Magazine,