Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-01-22
THE MAGIC MIRROR.
The Strange Survival of Medieval Super

The Strange Survival of a Medieval Super
stition-Dealers in Denonology
1--WE see as IN a lass, darby" says the
apostle, but the general persuasion of
mankind has long been that we may see,
jects far removed by time and space, says
the London News"
In some notes of Mr.. Clouston's to
Choucers ''Squier's Tale" published
few days ago by the Chaucer society. there
is an interesting essay on the magic mir
rors which reveal the absent A belief so
common in medieval times is not likely
to have wanted presidents in the ancient
world. The spectrum is the natural home
of the spectra. Mr.. Clouston is only able
to give one classical instance, from Pau
sanias, who wrote guide book to Ancient
Greece. 1t is the twentyfrst chapter of
his seventh book. where he says that the
AchRns, after making certain fumi cations,
let down mirror into the holy we'll of
| Demeter; they then looked into the mir
ror and discerned whether a sick person
would live or die. Mr. Clouston says they
saw faces, healthy or distempered, in the
mirror, a circumstance not mentioned by
Thomas Taylor in his translation. The
famous mirror in which Surray saw fair
Geraldine is discredited by Mr. Clouston,
who does not rely ON the directions given
in Reginald SCOTS Discovery of Witch
craft, written in 1885, a classical text
with which be does not seem to be &C
quainted. Any member of the Psychcial
society may try the experiment for him.
self. In the first place he must conciliate
his good genius. Then he retires into his
closet with little table and silk carpet
and two waxed candles lighted, as also
with crystal triangular stone, ''about the
quantity of an apple Then, after a
prayer, he must sprinkle everything with
his own blood, and utter magic charm
or two, and finally sit down with a Bible
In one hand and crystal in the other.
| The spirit comes in about 2 quarter of an
hour, but the curious thing is that various
pictures first appear in the glass, begin
ming with beaten track or road, travel
ers, a shepherd with sheep, strange
appearances, noises, chances and alright
ments. which shows will all at last van
ish on the appearance of the genius"
Such things DR.. Dee may have beheld in
| his crystal, at least if we believe Goodwin
lii has Lives of the Necromancers, not
exactly d contemporary authority. Ac-
cordlng to Joachim Camerarius, quoted
| by Mr.. Clouston, the spectator must be
young boy, or d person of the purest life.
| Glanvil quotes a case Of one Compton, who
showed certain Mr.. Hill his wife in a
looking glass. Scott uses the Idea in "My
Aunt Marga. cts Mirror but the great
masters of the art are the modern Egyp-
tians.
Curious enough, and too late for Mr.
Cloustons use, Sir Walter Scott tells a
long tale of the Egyptian ink mirror in
his diarys for October, 1881. He was then
In London where people were talking of
the mystery on the evidence of Lord Prud-
hoe, whom knew as an honorable man. y
At Cairo Lord Prudhoe heard of a magi-
clan from the interior of Africa" who
gave an instance Of his powers Lord
Prudhoe chose Nubian boy, in whose
hand the magician drew kind of pentacIe
in ink. Through this, ''as if the substance
of the hand had been removed, y the boy
saw what was asked for. AS in Achaa of
old, there were first fumigations of incense
then flags and ID sultan appeared. These,
as in Reginald SCOTS account, were mere
preliminary apparitions. Then Shake
speare was asked for, and described in ac-
cordance with his portraits. Then the
brother of one of the English spectators
was correctly described; he had lest an
Sir Walter made inquiries, and found that
Shakespeare (sheik spar!) originally showed
in the complexion of an Arab! Oh the
whole, Sir Walter thought the whole affair
an imposture. Six years later, in his
Egyptian book Mr.. Lane seemed more
credulous. He gave long account of the
affair.
The boy first sees man sweeping, then
a procession of flags, then the sultan; fin
ally he saw and correctly described Lord
Nelson: HE has not lost his left arm, it
| is placed to bis breast" where Nelson
pinned his empty sleeve. Mr.. Lane was
puzzled; not so Mr.. Kinglake, who tells
in ''Eothen" how he asked for Keats, the
famous Eton headmaster, who was describ-
ed as a beautiful girl with golden hair-a
very bad shot at some non existent Keats
| Mr.. Clouston has found similar rites in
Southeran India. The Maories of New
Zealand enthusiastically use a drop of
hood instead of ink In southern India
not man but monkeys sweep the the floor
as preliminary vision. The interesting
! point in all this farrago is the coincidence
of human beliefs. Plainly enough, if any
thing is seen at all, it is because the spec
tator has hypnotized by staring at the lit
tie pool of ink. the crystal, or what not,
which acts In tn same way as the metal
disk in hypnotism. He then answers to
! Suggestions" Anybody can try for him
self by staring into his own ink pot, for
the fumigations, pentacles and prayers
are all mere accidents and ornaments.
However, most of US might stare long
time and be none the wiser.
THE SMOKERS REVENGE.