Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-10-21
MAGIC--ITS ORIGIN.
Hermann Explains How Masicians First
Gained Prominence.
1.-THE BLACK ART" As A FINE ART.
Progress OF knowledge Has Changed 1t
from n Terror to an Object
OF EidicuIe.
written for the Dlspatch.)

written for the DIspatch)
| The origin OF magic must forever re-
| main as obscure as Is the origin OF any
| OF the great sciences or studies. To many
advanced thinkers the origin of man Is
much more obscure than the origin OF
magic.
During long period Of time the world
was governed by magic. an art which.
as the sublmity OF rs origin was credited.
| appeared little less than a participation
in the powers Of Divinity, and which. at
the commencement of our era, was even
admired by our religious philosophers "as
the science which unveils the operations
OF nature and leads TO the completion of
celestial powers"
! A hundred and fifty years later than
the perion just mentioned the number OF
its professors. and still more the worthless
ness Of the charlatans who made ii their
trade. held magic up to the contempt of
all enlightened men. SO much. indeed,
was this the case. that Philostratus, In
! his biography OF ApOllonius. OF Tyana.
asserts with eagarness that his nero was
no magician. In resumlns its importance
during the darkness Of the Middle Ages,
. magic became an object Of horror and
dread. but the progress OF knowledge
and the dawn Of truth in the last and IN
the present age have again reduced It
to an object OF rnicule.
NAMED BY THE CREEKS.
The Greeks gave the title Of magic to
ne science, in which they had been in
10 h.. h.
tablished To the founder OF that religion
the claim Of its invention. But accord
Ing to Ammianus linus, Zoroaste-
had NJ other merit than that OF making
considerable additions to the art OF
magic. as IL was practlccl by the Cha!-
deans.
In the wars carried on against Minus
by Xoroastor, who was King OF Bactria,
Arn0beus at'irms that on both sides magi-
cal arts were employed, in common with
more ordinary weapons The proph $ Of
the Arieni according to the traditions
preserved by his disciples, were subject
from the cradle 10 the prosecutions OF
the maelcians. and just before his birth
the world tecmed with those pretendars
10 supernatural powers ST. Epiphaniu5
relates that Nimrod. In founding Bactria.
established there the sciences Of magic
and of astronomy. the invention Of which
was subsequently, attributed 10 ZOrOaster.
Cassieu speaks OF treatise on magic
which existed in the fifth century, and
which is attributed to Ham, the son Of
Noah. The father of the Church just
quoted places the commencement OF magic
and Of entertainments as far back as
the time of Jared. the fourth from Seth,
the son OF Adam.
Magic holds Il prominent place in the
/ traditions Of the Hebrews. The ancient
Inhabitants OF the land Of Canaan had
incurred the divine wrath by the use Of
/ entertainments The Amalckites, fighting
with the IL brews In their flight from
Egypt. and Balaam, besieged in his city
by the King OF the Ethiopians. and sub
seqUenuy by Moses, alike REQUIRED to
magic as a mode Of defence. The priests
OF Egypt Were looked upon even in
Hindostan, as the most subtle OF all
magicians. Justin relates that Joseph,
having been carried into Egypt as =
slave, acquired there the arts OF magic,
which enabled him 20 fOreses ana avert
the horrors u famine. which. without this
interposition. must have depOpulated that
beautiful kingdom.
N HINDOSTAN.
From the earliest ages magic has OBJ
tanned the highest consideration IN Hin
dostan VI. Horst establishes the truth
that the collection Of the Nedas contains
many magical writings. He remarks THAI
the laws OF Menu. In the code published
by Sir William Jones, mention various
magical ceremonies, which are permitted
u De employed by the Brahmins. There
exists also In Hnd05tan a belief not less
ancient. and which likewise prevails IN
China. that by the practice Of certain
austcritiss the peuitent acquires an in
Vincible and truly magical power over the
elements, men, and even over the powers
Of Heaven. The Iilndoo mythology in
many places represents penitents Debating
laws and inflctinS yunishments on tie
Supreme Divinity.
II from the East we carry our inquiry
westward and toward the North, We find
Magic bearing equal marks " ascendcncy
and OF high antiquity. Under its name.
occult science" 10 was known 10 the
Druids OF Great Britain and those Of
GauL
Odin. as soon as he hal founded hi,
religion IN Scandinavia. was regarded
there as the inventor OF magic. Yet how
many had preceded MIN; NCeicurs OF Vol
Veurs, priestesses well yersed ia magic,
were associated with the ancient religion
which Odn attempted 10 either destroy or
10 remodel. The FIRST tales Of SaXo Gram
maticus are connected with time greatly
.
few OF them that 90 not contain display
Of magical power.
RESORTED TO TRICKS.
| 1t may be and probably does sound like
rank heresy - include many Of the most
celebrated characters Of ancient history
in the list of great magicians OF the past
but there is not the shadow OF a doubt
bat that Zoroaster. Mohammed. Budiha,
D fI..r I.f~
iuIulged In miracles, produced by me-
chauicdl and other human agents. in
order TO awe their audiences and increase
their followers and there is ind.sputabie
: evidence of these individuals having re-
tired behind tine plea that their magic
power had left them temporarily, when
confronted with propositions ~ furnish
proof of their powers by giving examples
they were unable - perform. on several
occasions Zoroaster entered the list with
nccrOmaucers iu.mical u his new doc
trine. lie did not deny their powers but
he surpassed them In performing won
ders. and he asserted that while they
were executed by the powers Of Deys
carnations Of the principle Of EVIL, he
established the truths OK his assertions
by maintaining that he surpassed them
only By the aid OF the principle of good.
The discovery or invention of gunpOw-
der was the work Of Chaidean magicians;
the art OF foreseeing and foretelling rain
storms and high winds was converted IN
the eyes of the vulgar into the powers
OF granting rain and favorable winds. The
ancient knew and used many so-calIed
modern inventions. OF all the scOurges
that alarmed men for the preservation
of their wealth and lives, the most fear
ful ana least-destructiye is thunder, or
fre-couls, or roaring winds ana shaking
earth. The long peals Of rolling thunder
and the frightlul crack preceding the fail
Of celestial fire are such Exposing things
as 10 have been for centuries accepted
as signs Of divine wrath. and OF impress
ing the ignorant with the feeling That
Heaven was warning against earth
There IS no doubt but that the ancients
knew OF and used electricity in many
ways The horse Of Tiberius at Rhodes
threw of sparks when rubbed by the
hand: the father OF Theodore could pro-
duce sparks from his own body. and the
ancients In several countries used certain
vines TO surround their houses with In
order to prevent what they termed thun-
der strokes. Ancient casts and records
show the roofs Of houses armed with the
pointed blades OF swords 10 divert the
lightning stroke. The priests Of the
Etruscan divinities possessed the secret OF