Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-12-02
TALES OF TALISMANS.
THEY ARE A POWER EVEN TODAY ALL
OVER THE WORLD.

and Physicians believed They Could
Keep on DiseRse-yirgii's Brnzen Fly.
Despite our boosted civilization, there are
few Of us who IN our innermost hearts do
not retain belief In n certain kind OF fet-
iclhsm or magic TO ward OF disasters The
man who carries about with him the com
mon or garden potato as preventive
against rheumatism little guesscs the nu-
tiquity Of this tnlismun. Most Hncentwrit-
era agree in naming the great Zoroaster-
said by some 70 be Shem, the son Of Noah
AS the originator Of talismans, and there
IS little doubt rs to the popularity Of these
magic amulets at avery early period Of the
world's history
Il has indeed been asserted that the i'm
ages OF laban aud the teraphlm of Micah
were nothing less than talismnns, though
whetherused for purposes Of diynation or
the foretelling Of events Is doubtful The
learned jew, Aben Ezra, declares they were
in the form Of sundials in order to forecast
the right time Of dvination, while another
authority states these images were In the
shape Of men made under certain cOnstel-
lAtions, the influences whereof caused them
to speak at certain hours. The same writer,
Rabbi Eleizcr gives this rs the reason why
Rachel stole her fathers images, because
she feared il left behind they might dlvulge
the route taken by Jacob OF the construc-
tion Of these teraphim terrible descrip-
tlon Is given by u Jewish authority. A
hrstborn son was seized and killed his
head torn of, embalmed and placed on a
gold plate wherein was inscribed the name
Of the demon whose services were requisi-
toned. The plate was then hungu In the
midst Of lamps, to be adored on particular
OCCASION
Talismans were OF two kinds--natural
and artificial, Some were supposed to cure
evil, others to prevent II. a natural tails
man was the bloodstone, warranted to
stanch the blood from wound, while a
certain cure for the bite Of the reptile might
be found in a fossillzed serpent. Improper.
ton as the knowledge Of Arabic literature
spread among men OF light and learning, so
increased the belief in tallsmans. Boyle,
the eminent philosopher, subject to a VIC
lent bleeding at tile nose, expressed his be-
lief Ia the magic euro Of pressing piece Of
moss taken from II dead mans skull against
the skin I'LL IL became warm.
A celebrated Mornvian physician told
Zwelfer Of his faith In tond lOzeuges worn
as talismans ms u preventive against the
plague aud Its accompanying evils Even
Bacon parrates seriously that his own warts
g,;ise CURED M I'nris by rubbing them with
piece ct rind OF bacon and afterwnrd nail
ing the said rlnd to a post with the fat sitle
toward the south, For the success OF uu-
ilcial talismaus, the influence OF special
consultations WIS called In aid From the
making Of tilismans to bregdmakinu the
help Of the stars is always required, for, ~
says an old writer I've SEQ by experience
that biscuits mndc az one time Will keep
sound, whereas others, made before or aft
or, though Of the same llour and in all re-
spects like them, will speedily become fuli
OF maggots.'
To drive away serpcnts, take plate
Of copper, and when the second face OF
Aries ia ascendant engrave thereon two
scrpents 10 draw fish together in shoals,
cut upon piece Of lead the figure of a flsh
when the face Of Pisces Is ascendant. For
huntsman to be successful. he has only
TO make talisman representing him with
bent bow and drawn arrow engraved un-
der the influence OF Sagittarlus. Julius
Scaliger declared that leadon taligman
made by a oaliph Of Epypt drove away
crocodlles, while Joseph SoHliger asserted
that the Image OF scorpion engraved on a
stone built IN u certain tower kept away all
serpents and scorpions from the town In
which IL stood.
Constantinople seems TO have been n city
well provided with tlllismans An image
OF brass set up In the midst thereof pre-
vented the incursiou OF serpeuts, but when
this was brokon on the entry OF Mohammcd
II a striking increase OF these reptiles tool,
place. Storks likewise were kopt out of the
city hy the same talismun, and on the de.
structinn Of this magic image these birds
suddenly multiplied greatly The figure OF
brazen horse aud horseman preserved The
city from oontagion during the pcstllcnce.
but disastrous were the consequences en-.
tailed by the loss Of this talisman, forwe are
assured that 10000 peoplepcrshed through
the plague immediately ON the removal OF
the equestrian statuc, The City OF Naples
It Is said, wa. kept free from flies by braz-
en- ny set upon the gates by Virgil
The poet also made an Image OF horsa
lecoh on gold plato, which, on the principle
OF like curing like, succeeded in driving
out the horse lcrches from tho place The
same Appollnnius who made the figure Of
the stork also made talisman which cx.
PEELED the gnats from Antioch. Hachder
states that thu image Of woman with A
crescent placed in field near Mecca kent
away an beasts and reptles and greatly In.
huenced the fertility OF their land. Nearly
100 years b. G.. a king Of Egypt wrote that
a green Jasper cut in tho form Of a dragon
and worn against the stomach would cure
indigestion On the authority Of Josephus
we learn that King solomon cured epiiepsy
by means OF plant, assisted by a form OF
words.
Sometimes the talismaa took the form Of
an incarnation. To drive away hail. the
Auui0nt Egyptians used to cause four WON
en- to place themselves in a certain posture
and then pronounce the magic words, which
immediately stopped the hailstorm. Vie
rus dcscrbrs q method of producing like
result, "MNke hrst The sign Of the cross;
thcn take thrce OF the haistoues that first
fcll and throw them In the fre In the name
Of the Trinity; repeat the Lords PRAYER
Two or three times over; then read the Cos.
pel W 81, John; thea make the sign Of the
oross toward the heavens and GA The earth.
past, west, north and senth. and say three
umos. Per EvanEeiica dirta ngia temics.
tas isia.'n The sGegtIc is tcmnted 20 r.
mark that during this lengthy process. AL
average lJails,Orn will phlhahiy SION of H.
own accord, but tho writer coQ. on 10 Cal,