The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-05-09

Rabbans talked of J FL V H Gle Ho VaH.
The Persians divided the empire into four
provinces, the capital into four sections,
and four great roads led to the provinces
THE NUMBER FIVE
had peculiar force in sacred explanations
It stops the power of poisons, and is re-
doubled by evil spirits. 1t is the sum of
the first odd and even compound. In Cal
yinism there were five moot points. A
bunch of fves meant the thumb and four
fingers, and man has FIVE senses. Plato,
in his model state, would only have five at
a wedding feast.
THE NUMBER SIX
is esteemed lucky number, and its luck
comes from the fact that the old sculptors
divided the face into six parts, because, ac-
cording to the Chaldeans, God made the
world in six days. The number has not
much historical significance beyond the six
Chronicles, which relate to early English
history; six articles of Henry Will; six
acts to prevent sedition; the six months
war, or Franco-P russian.
THE NUMBER SEVEN
belongs to sacred things. No number
figures more in history, myth and fable.
In alchemy there were the seven bodies
that Chaucer speaks of. There were seven
days in creation, seven spirits before the
throne of God, seven days in the week,
seven graces, seven divisions in the Lords
prayer, seven ages of man, seven phases OF
the moon, seven wise men Of Greece, seven
wonders Of the world, seven hills of Rome,
and the just fell seven times day. In
history there was seven years war, a
seven days war, seven weeks war. In
Asia there were seven churches, the great
Jewish feast lasted seven days, and between
the first and second of these feasts seven
weeks elapsed. Levitical publications
lasted seven days. There were seven stars,
seven spirits, seven candlesticks, and the
lamb had seven eyes Eugene Sue wrote
a novel on the seven deadly sins. Richson
johnson tells of the seven champions OF
Christendom. Mary the mother of Jesus
had seven joys and as many sorrows. Sir
Walter Scott in Marmion speaks of the
seven sisters, and in London there used to
stand column with seven dials, each facing
a street. The seven wonders of the world
were
The Pyramids first, which in Egypt were laid;
Next Babylon's Gardens for Amatys made;
Then MausoloO tomb of fection and guilt;
Fourth the Temple of Dian. in Ephesus built:
The Colossus of Rhodes, cast in brass in the sun;
Sixth Jupiter's Statue, by Phidias done;
The Pharos of Egypt, lost wonder of old;
Or the Palace of Cyprus, cemented with gold.
Both the Koran and the classics speak of
the Seven Sleepers. There is an idea that
a man changes every seventh year, and the
seventh and ninth are termed climacterlc,
and their product the grand sixty-three,
beyond which few live.
THE NUMBER EIGHT
is the octad, squared in all senses as die.
Proceeding from its base, two, an even
number, SO is man (four) squared or per-
feet. In holy things it signifies the Beau
titudes, and Christ rose on the eighth day.
THE NUMBER NINE,
the multiple of three, is regarded as sacred.
It is the emblem of Divinity, for, multiply
it in whatever shape, it has the astonishing
property of resolving all the other numbers
into itself. The Wise Men of Athens sac
rifced to Plato when he died, at the age of
eighty-one, figures which consummate
perfect number, 9x9. Mr.. Green, who
died in 1884, discovered this property; that
when nine is multiplied by two, three, four,
&C., the digits composing the product when
added give nine Thus
2 multiplied by 9 are Is, and and 8 are 8.
3 multiplied by 9are 81, and 2 and are 8.
multiplied by 9 are SO, and 3 and 6 are 8.
multiplied by 8 are 45, and 4 and 5 are 8.
multiplied by 9 are 81, and 5 and 4 are 8.
Z multiplied by are SO, and 6 and 8 are 8.
Now 9 multiplied by IL are SO, the sum
of the digits of which is IS, and not 9, but
the sum Of the digits l and 8 are 8.
8 multiplied by II are lO8, and | and 0
and 8 are 8.
9 multiplied by - are III, and l and l
and Z are 8.
9 multiplied by IA are 126, and ! and 2
and are 8.
And so on to any extent.
Mainon, Frenchman, discovered that il
the order of the digits expressing number
be changed, and this number be subtracted
IrOu tnG IUTHSI, GllC lOIhdihoOA VIII w
or multiple of 9, and being multiple the
sum of the digits will be 9. For example
Take q; reverse the digits, and you have
II; subtract, and is the remainder. Take
SO; reverse, sc; subtract 27, a multiple of
8, and 2x7=9.
cts a nine days wonder "cats have
nine lives" ''nine tailors make a man,
spossession is nine points of the law" all
showing the reverence the number is held
In
1t was bad sign to see nine magpies.
Niobes children lay nine days in their
blood before burial and Lars Porsena
swore by the nine gods. Deucalion's ark
tossed nine days Hell had nine rivers,
and when Vulcan was kicked out Of heaven
he was nine days reaching Lemnos. In
China there are nine Mandarins. The nine
of diamonds was the curse of Scotland, and
of the nine worthless it is said:
Nine worthless ere they called of different rites.
Three Jews, three Pagans, and three Christian
knights.