Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-05-02
A PECULIAR STONE.
HISTORY AND CHARACTERS
TICS OF JADE.
Curious superstitions Connected
With It-Relie.cd to Have q Ike
medal V~alue-TEe Lucky
stone Of China.

q superficial glance appears little superior
- 1erpentine. II and its cousin jadelte
occur, moreover. inpretty large masses IN
those countries where they are most ad-
mirel. Although instances are on record
Of the discovery IN America and Europe |
Of stones called adc. some Of which rper-
haps wcre, sad most were certainlysnot,
tne true article, vet these are so rareithat
~ NAV fairly say that ONLY Asia, and
Oceanica are known To produce true
i.,d4. hardness j. certainly one Of its
characteristics, for it will scratch glass
and quartz, but diamond and other jewel
stones surpass it there. Tougllness is its
most sallant trait. 10 work l~ttthere is
Lced Of 4 peculiar patience, that quality
which - U appears The most important
element IN tine character of the Chinese.
We may safely infer that it Is no chance
matter to tind that the inhabitants of
China have carried the working of,jade
10 its highest development ana inocEated
the rest Of the world with the mild mad
ncas OF jade worship.
What, one naturally asks, caused the
Chinese 10 set such store by jadet Ger
tainiy not its tough fibre and unwork-
ableness a~!oLe; these must have offered
4 certain satisfaction only to their delib-
crate and ploddiug nature. At the pres
ont day, at the dawn Of the Chinese his
tory. and at the ~lelnotrst period of
which we can form L CUES, through the
i,nperishablc articles left by peoples WHO
lived when Europe Vas no the Europe
We know, ii predilection for Jade and
for tough minerals similar in appearance
aud traits characteristic Is to be noted.
Thus, Columbus and the following ex-
piortrs found a jaue-likc stone III great
honor among the indians Of South and
Central America and the West Indies.
Ia ancient European tOmbs of the tperlod
" 1 III DfklOoti IL plIjtII1to, dAC
and matches of AIDE or adeitespoint to u
generation fol the materiahthat cannot
be explained on the theory OF its beauty
alone, on on that Of its toughness. 1t is
probable that its color attracted men at
first, but it is also plain thatS carly man
SAW IN ades something specEilly;good,
or liz would not have taken SO much
trouble to iiuu and to carve 1t. AS al
WAYS lie reasoned by analogy from the
mineral TO something else.
Jade, undoubtedly shared Withscertain
other minerals, certain roots, certain ami
mails, the reverence that was accorded to
night, the earth, and the under world.
II belonged to the country whittier the
sun ~retireS at dusk, to which it returns
at dawn. The Jade color is secntin the
sky lust above the set sun and Just be
fore sunrise. 1t also recalls the seasol
when shrubs and grass renew their color
and. make the earth green. Itlholds The
color OF vegetation and Of the,deep sea
water. These are its cosm:cai OF celes
tial analogies. Connected Ia the.mind 0
primitive men with spirits that may b.
good or bad, as they choose, it became
/ q ~favorite for talismans and amulets sucl
as are found in the old graves Of Nortl
America, carved OF shell or a Jadelikt
mineral, either Tor wearing on the breas
or for piercing the cartilage of the nose.
or the lower lip, or the lobe OF the ear
Amuiets OF Amazon stone, Il KIND OF jade
have been found in Egypt.
But Jade was also very early associate
with the inner person. Very early, i
ch;n, .1 10, ;s4oa 49,
nn .,.