The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-03-05
BELIEFS IN ASTR0L0GY.
Is Still Prevalent in a Great Many
Sections Of This Wide
World.
The "Science" Supposed to Have
Originated in Chaldea 1000
Years Ago.
Its Practice by Humbugs md Designing
Men From That Day to the
Present Time.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.

from the san FRANCISCO Chronicle.
Why is il that the suporstitions and pro-
JUDGES that had their origin in tho infancy
Of the human rnce some 1000 or G.000 years
ago not only have not disappeared, but bid
fair to last some thousands of years longer?
The prejudices regarding right and left and
in certain malign influences of tho moon
and the belief in sorcery hive existed pro-
badly over 5000 years, and arc still strong
among the ignorant Of nearly all countries.
One would think that the discoveries in the
domain OF astronomy would have entirely
annlhilated the so-cal!od science of astrol-
ogy, but this is far from being the case.
Inc astroloRlsts still live. either az believers
IN tho doctrines they profess or to exploit
the credulity of the ignorant and gain
thereby a precarious means Of existence. II
10 true that the class of ortune.teller and
others who pretend to a secret knowledge of
the destiny of Others is not so numerous here
as in Europe, where education is not 30
widely diffused among the people. but one
has only to consult the advertising columns
OF the newspapers of any great American
city to prove that it is sufficiently I'M
p%ortant. The spiritualists. taking advant-
age of everything that is seemingly occult
and mysterious, have e%ndeavored to mingle
the influence of the planets with their doc
trines. Every phenomenon ~presupposes a
cause, and if there were not persons in Ger
tain classes of society who believe in as
troloRy or are predisposed to believe in it.,
there would be no possible profit to those
d pretend to mako q living by that
means. Books protesting to explain the
theory OF dreams and of cards often give
an mixing OF %astrology to obtain credence.
and the almanac Yadkiol'' continues it's
VACCINATIONS at London from year to year.
AstioloRy is supposed to have originated
in Chaldea more than 1000 years ago,
whence it passed into Egypt and was thence
diffused among the Arabs. 1t was only
III countries having vast deserts. where the
stars are almost constantly visible, where
they shine with singular brilliancy and are
constantly observed for their beauty and
their use to indicate the points of the COM
pass to travellers. From Egypt and Baby
lon 1t passed into Greece, and thence to
Rome. The Latin authors almost invar.
lably speak of the occult sciences as Chal-
dean or Bnbylonlan, and not as Egyptian.
II was believed in by all classes of society,
though held in very bad repute and for
bidden by Jaw. Its professors were con-
SAAehN SoSi w hSAIb II WlSLlGA W KNOW
when their parents would die, that they
might come into possession of their p,op-
erty, or BY persons who wished to get ri 1
of their enemies. The astrolopists also
practiced sorcery in various modes, some
of which were handed down by tradition to
the witches of the middle ages. and are
often mentioned by Shakespeare. who de-
scribes them with considerable detail in
Macbeth. They also sold philters and
polsons to those who desired to get rid OF
parents or enemies. When Tiberius wished
to get rid of persons who ANNOYED him
there were always found accusers. among
whose charges were usually that
the suspected person had been
guilty of Babylonian practices aimed
at the life of the emperor. From
Rome the knowledge and practice of a%strol-
ogy spread throughout Eurore and Rradu-
ally became aystematized. The more in
telligent professors continued to make use
of poisons if those who consulted them
desired, which was often the case, but
closely observed the stars, and finished by
raising astrology almost to the dignity of a
science. The sorcerers and witches became
a separate class. using more vulgar means
OF obtaining credit among the common
people. such as tho oaldton with its peculiar
ingredients described i'll 'Macbeth,"
What was called judicial astronomy was
founded on the aspects of the heavenly
bodies; that is. the position Of the sun,
AAooh oAA 'hAV Wltt lGihkIOH 10 ono
another at the birth of an Individual or at
some other important period of his life.
The instrument used for observation was
called al astrolabe, resembling that which
may be still seen on the top of the ancient
tower near the grain market in Paris, used
by the astrologer of Catherine de Medici,
This correspondent with the horizon, which
was divided into twelve parts, called
houses" and by four other circles inter.
secting it and passing through the north
and south poles. called the circles of oppo-
sition. The last were fixed. SO that ali the
hours by each of the signs of the zodiac to
the first house. called the 'ho, scope"
All the houses had names. first 'life,n
then in order, riches" "brothers,' ire
lations" "children," health" mar
g,aee:n "d Taah 'friendships," "en,
which was one of the planets, and
of TWO given planets that one was
the more powerful which was in the more
powerful house. The influence of the
planets came from it's name-from its
''aspeots'--that is. it's position in relation
to other planets III and from its posi-
ton at q given moment. The sun was
VAIN and benelcent. Saturn cod and mo-
rose, the moon moist and melancholy,
Jupiter temperate and %benignant. Mars dry
and ardent. Venus fecund and benevolent,
Mercury lnconstant and variable. From
the last qualities came the term ''mercur-
ial." as applied to pc sons OF Il certain
temperament. The 'aspect'' WAS, accord
ing to kepler, the angie formed by the RAYS
of two planets meeting on tho earth. These
nspects or relative positions were 1iye-con-
Junction, opposition, trine. quartile and
seStils-and their influence when they
were in these different positions
WAS either benign, malignant or
indifferent. As q circle-that is. the
circle made by the heavens-is 800 de-
grees. two planets III conjunction made no
angle. Opposition made no angle. being
$50 degrees; trine (third). 120 degrees:
q%uartile (tourthl. 80 deg ees; so1tilo
(slxthl, GO degrees. Trine and sextile were
beneficient, nnd the person born when tho
two planets made this angle WAS necessarily
fortunate. Quartile and opposition were
malign, and the person born at this I'M
happy angle of the planets was predestined
to numberless misfottunes which he had
no means OF avoiding. If he was born
when the planets were in conjunction it
was evident that the fatea had not troubled
themselves with him, either i'll ono sense
or in another.
Besides this nstrology contained many
other principles and Il great deal of jnrgon
which served to mystify the Illuminated.
The nsttologers iii tho middle ages una
down to tho time of Queen Elizabeth were
generally Italians, though occasionally they
came from farther east. Ihe carl OF. Lei
cester had his astrologer. who appears IA n
character in Scotia omanos of 'kenil-
worth" where those who care 10 learn
something of this science of the stars and
of the character of those who professsd il