Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-24
EFFECTS OF THE EVIL EYE.
A Strange superstition of Very Ancient
Origin-Human Chances That Are Be-
lieved TO be Fatai-supposed sorcerers

Strange Superstition Of Very Ancient
Origin-Human Chances That Are Be.
lieved to be Fatai-Supposed sorcerers
Cruelty Punished.
Strange beliefs grow one out OF the other by
a sort of evolution. We are too incredulous In
this age to be deceived by any OF the Wild
notions which ware prevalent in our forefathers
times. After all, however, we are not much less
credulous than were they. The numerous hal
iucinations that lead us astray by 1alsely al
leging foundation in science are developments
of former credulities. The prevalent craze con-
cerning various phases of hypnotism and mes
merism had their predecessors in the wide
spread notions far from extinct, concerning
the 'evil eye." These have had an existence
everywhere, and a name for such man11esta-
tion Of ocular power exists in every tongue.
We derive some of our harmless words from
these names. The Greek "baskains gives US
the verb ITO bask," as well as the noun "pasl-
lisk," the name of the famous animal whose
glance would destroy. No i'll meaning at
taches to the modern verb ITO fasclnate, al
ITO bewitch." We are not wont to associate
any especial evil, as do the Russians, with
"blaek eye" and our most ominous word 20
denote this dangerous power is tnat used IN
Ireland, Ito eye bite"
A Curious Superstition.
Our forefathers believed firmly enough in the
able to pierce through the obscurity Of an
tiquity we find abundant evidences Of this
strange belief. Chaldean COMPUTATIONS against
the power of the evil eye are still in existence.
An Assyrian incantation OF the seventh CEN
tury b. @. against sorcerer represents the
glance of the evil eye as most dangerous to
man. Various Egyptian papyri refer to this
fatal power, and formula are given TO preserve
one from its effects. Vedaic hymns recite
prayers to Aqua against the sorcerer, with MS
baleful glance, and there was formula in an
old Hindoo marriage ceremony recited by the
groom against the possible evil enect from the
glances Of the bride. Among the curious laws
governing the Brahmin is one that In Satlsiy-
ing the wants of nature he must not look at
the sun. moon. stars or planets, nor at temple,
statue. a sacred tree or COW. for his glance
would then be harmful to any OF these. Inc
Persian sacred books are full of the subject.
A man of evil life is here deemed able TO ar
rest the growth of plants and the current OF
living water, or to deaden the ripening fruits.
Mentioned in the Bible. .
An alldsion to this deadly power is found in
Ecclesiastes xiv. Various ancient writers give
accounts of people who possessed this power to
a wonderful extent The cases of Medea and
Of the Gorgons will recur to every one. Pliny
speaks especially of the Scythian and 1llyrian
women. Ovid, Plutarch. Horace, Herodotus.
and other classical writers frequently allude to
1t. st. Mark puts an allusion to the evil eye
in the mouth of Christ. and St. Paul alludes to
it in the epistle to the Galatians. The early
fathers of the church reason much about 1t
with the result of leaving the matter in great
confusion, but none of them question this
power. They usually ascrlbe to the Deity the
source of this great influence, but later writers
assign il to the maleyoIence of Satan Chill
dren, handsome people, and the aged were de.
clared particularly subject to harm from this
source. For there are some." says one OF
these writer's "wbo nave ewes SO brilliant and
full of fire that with single glance they infect
others, and particularly children, the venom or
neryerse or maiirn nuaiitv and dangerous
humor of the injecting eye of the sorcerer
which enters the sympathetic pupil OF the
cniiu eye.
Sorcerer Stoned to Death.
In France this wild superstition existed from
the earliest times The inhabitants of certain
districts as Bearn and Landes, were par
ticularly regarded askance as possessing the
fatal evil glance. A Bearnese sorcerer was
stoned to death in 1918 because he made two
vounp oirls i'll nv his malion looks. Some
srnnoss a. comnac+ viii S.1on ybi,a others
~ W :
resaro tne possession oi tnis po"e. aS
natural result OF evil and. corrupt tendencies
in the heart of the sorcerer. Few of the
writer's of the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries
ware hold snorgb 70 danv the thing altooetber
go 'u W 80 S -. -
some attrlpute us enects entrey 10 tne
imagination, others think there is present an
actual fluid passing from eye to eye. Some
times it is declared that the will of the
operator was not concerned at all, and that
d S ey ne Even brU Ins Inc
consent Old women, as usual in these matters
during the dark ages, mad to pear the prin-
Jgd SPdi lSi puLueI os taIa arinnsIv M ~ .
maiady unknown to the physician sorcery
was at once inferred, and many innocent
persons suffered from the imputation as to the
supposed enects OF their evil giances.
Horrible Cruelties Prncticed.
Some noted cases are interesting and may be
cited as occurring during the present enlight-
anod corturv Tn 1905 near a town cauad Dax
Hou oesy' -, - : .. :,
IN tne department. oi Lanoes' young WIG iell
i'll of some unknown malady. and wise man.
on being called attributed her illness to the ef-
facts of the evil plances of n certain vouno
- e-;-a T,o L,stS
woman, her most intimate iriend' Inc husuanu
and brother OF the Invalid concluded TO test the
matter, and, decoylng the suspected woman