Huntsville gazette., 1886-05-22

can't place to Goethe. Goethe proved
successful. The mother of Cardinal
Bembo dreamed she saw Ginsto wound
him in the hand. Later on they had
an alteration, and that event took
place.
Of all the stories of dreams none are
more extraordinary than those relating
to the death of Viliers, the first Duke
of Buckingham, and later, of the wicked
Lord Lyttleton. The Countess of Dem
bigh, sister of the Duke, dreamed that
she was riding with him in a coach
when the people gave loud cry, and
she was told it was shout of Joy at the
dangerous illness of the Duke. She
had scarcely related this dream when
the Bishop of Ely came to tell her that
her brother had been assasSinated.
Parker, an officer of the wardrobe of
the King, had been an old favorite of
Sir George Villiers, the father of the
Duke of Buckingham One night while
Parker was asleep in Windsor Castle,
he saw the figure of Sir George enter
and approach his bedside. The old man
entreated him to warn the Duke of the
danger of following the counsels of GER
tain persons and inspiring the enmity
OF the people. This vision was repeated
three times, and on the last visit the
specter drew dagger from beneath the
folds of his gown, and said: This will
end my son, and do you Parker also
prepare for DEATH The dream was
narrated to both the Duke and his
mother, and when they parted for the
last time at Whitehall, after he had
been out upon days hunting, the lady
sank in an agony of tears. The proph-
ecy was but too terribly and truly full
filled.
In New York there is an association
called the Thirteen Club" which has
for its purpose the combating Of popular
superstitions Among the number are
some of the most distinguished men of
State, including ex-President Arthur and
Mr.. Conkling. Every thing relating to
the club has some connection or sugges-
ton with the number 13. The member
ship is restricted to 13 times 13. At the
dinners each table accommodates but
13 persons; there are exactly 13 courses,
and so on all through. At one of their
meetings buttons were adopted. copies
of which have been sent to the Cover
nors of the different States, expressive
of the sentiment that the odium attached
to Friday as an unlucky day and chang
mans day" is unmerited, and suggest
ing that other days as well as Friday
should be selected for the hanging of
murderers.
Although the combating Of supersti-
ton appears the excuse for being of this
club and social intercourse is suggested
as its true purpose, there is no doubt
that belief in omens, dreams and good
and bad luck is very widespread, and
even among the most intelligent impress
sions of this character are more or less
strong, according to the spiritual organ
ization of the individual They are in
nate, having existed, as we known,
among all races as far back as records
go. They are not confined to any par
ticular national type, although they APP
pear to have been modified by circum-
stances, such as locality, habits and
climate. Everywhere, in one form or
another, has been recognized or en-
ployed some principle of divination.
The origin can only have been from
the speedy perception of occult SYM
pathy pervading all things in nature
Wilson points out that this must have
been the foundation of the system of
horary questions in astrology, wherein
the stars are held to act as symbols, and
of this kind of sympathy between the
various parts of matter he suggests as
examples the connection between the
magnet and iron, between water and
lumnaries, the child and the parent; the
marks on children before birth produced
by the mother wants or fears; the color
of fruit increasing or diminishing as
the fruit is in or out of season; the tur-
bulence of wine at the vintage time,
and many other instances.
No people have been so celebrated
for these beliefs or superstitions as the
Romans, with whom they are in fact,
part of their religion. With them every
unusual occurrence had hidden mean
ing, and was believed to symbolic some
approaching event. In this they saw
providence furnishing them guide in
advance, something nearly correspond
ing to the mysterious faculty of in
stinct in the lower animals. Indeed
those very animals sometimes become
oracular. By natural degrees rose the
class supposed to be specially skilled in
Interpretation of the occult, who had
the power from birth enlarged by edu
cation, of discerning hidden meaning
in the flight of birds, in the celestial
phenomena of thunder and lightning, in
the feeding of chickens and the move
ments of quadrupeds. These persons
grow to be of immense influence and
Importance = elections, battles, mar
riages, the conduct of every kind of
business was in a great measure regu-
| lated by them. To US in these days the
| system looks like strange and besotted
infatuation, but nothing is SO inexplica-
| BILE about it as the powerful and deep
hold it maintained upon popular suffer-
ance so long. Either its success did not
depend upon chance, and the augurs
were really enabled to distinguish some
secret connection between the agency
they employed for d;vination and hu-
name events, or the natural proneness
to superstition among mankind is so
| strong that reason itself is overcome.
The Thirteen Club evidently hold to