The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-19
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
CLEVER TRICK OF AN EGYPTIAN
WHO PRACTICES "AsTROLOGY."
Given the birthdays of Father and
SON, He Can Pick Ont the Name of
the Latter--Ancient Magic.
New York commercial Advertiser.

The ancient magicians taught an art of
ascertaining from the disposition of the
heavens the names of spirits supposed 20
rule over certain kinds of work so that
persons about to undertake any particular
task might find out the proper genius to
propitiate. According to the natives of
Egypt. the home of astrology and magic.
who constitute a colony in this city, GER
tain of the more learned of their country
men have adapted the art of ascertaining
names and are able to tell the name of any
individual on earth if informed of the day
and month of his birth and of his fathers.
That feat, they assert, is performed by the
aid Of mathematics and astrology and those
who can execute it they hold in reverence.
Only one man of the many Egyptians in
this country possesses the knowledge, they
declare, and he is young man by the name
OF Harith bin Khaldah, law student.
KLaldah, as he terms himself, is about
twenty-seven years old, tall and striking in
appearance. His features are good, and al
though his hair is jet black in color and
typically Egyptian, his complexion is not so
dark as that of the average South Ameri-
can. He speaks English with decided ac-
cent, but possesses an excellent knowledge.
of the language. When asked if he was
of persons unknown to him, as asserted by
his countrymen, he replied in the affirma-
tive and demonstrated his ability He de-
MED any knowledge Of the magician's art,
however, claiming that the feat was simple
to those who knew how to perform it, and
required nothing more than an ability to
calculate quickly, a slight acquaintance
with astronomy and a knowledge of Arabic.
1T is well known among the better
educated classes in Egypt" he continued,
''but I believe am the only person who
has adapted ii to the English language
It is performed in this way: First, you
obtain the day and month of the birth or
the person whose name is to be ascertained;
then you obtain the day and month or
his fathers birth, If a mans name is to be
found out, but If a woman'S name is re-
quired you must have the day and month
of the birth of the mother instead OF the
father. Now, suppose these dates are, say.
April 81 and Oct. II, respectively, you null
letter of the name to be found out and
take the number of the position which it
occupies in the alphabet and add 1t to the
the third letter of the alphabet, conse-
quently you add 8 to the result obtained
by multiplying 70 and q. You then take
case would be s. and with a chart, in
which the heavens are mapped TO contain
only six planets, circulating around the
sun in this order-Mercury, Venus, Mars,
Jupiter Saturn and the moon-you find the
fifth from the sun. The name or TINS
planet In Arabic will give you the con-
sonants of the name to be found out, and
with those ii is easy to fill in the VOWelS.
The trick is known in Cairo as 'Eltangeem,'
and while it is well understood by the bet
ter educated. it is by no means common.
STARS GIVEN CREDIT.
1.-THE fact that the stars are used in per-
forming the trick leads to the idea formed
by the more ignorant classes that 1t is
accomplished by means of astrology. This
is traceable to the desire to attribute all
effects to some cause, known or unknown.
Belief in the doctrine of the influence of
the stars on the life and behavior of man
kind is dead in civilized countries, and
vet it is a strange coincidence that in con-
nection with the trick l have just per-
formed and explained to you, 1 have found
that all men born on the same day of the
month, whose fathers were also born on a
certain day of a certain month have the
same Christian name.
How do you explain thatgIs 1T not pos
sible that the disposition of the celestlai
bodies has certain influences on mep2 Most
persons allow that the sun wlelus mucn
power over animal and vegetable life, and
that it has share in breeding fevers and
other diseases arising from the evaporation
of deadly fluids. The more enlightened nave
not yet lost faith in the old medical lore
of critical times in sickness, such as the
twelfth or twenty-fourth hour or the third
or ninth day. Few will deny that the TIDES
are raised by the moon and sun, or that
the trade winds are caused by the sun
heat which also causes the formation or
rain clouds by the evaporation of water.
IF the famine in India was caused py
the state of the atmosphere. may not the
disposition of the heavens have been a
forecause of it? And, going back further,
If the potato disease was bred by the state
OF the atmosphere, and the disposition OF
the heavens was a cause of 1T, may not the
celestial bodies have been the cause Oh the
emigration from Ireland?
I'VE all know we feel more cneerIul IEOIu
the bright sunshine of a May morning than
from the rain of a gloomy November day,
and that good or bad weather makes a
moody man merry and kind, or impels MN
TO kick the cat and ill-treat his wife Upon
undoubtedly, and it has fallen, not from the
badness of it's basis, but from an over
building. In early ages astrology ana as
tronomy were one. study, and in the last
century Mr.. Dunn. the local weather fore
caster, might have been accused of the pos
session Of occult powers. The general popu-
lace to-day might entertain a higher opinion
of him, perhaps, il he possessed tawny
face, grizzled hair, and beard of great
length. At least it might be more fearful
of ridiculing him whenever his predictions
are not fulfilled. Mr. Dunn realizes more
wise to put an overtrust in physical truths.
Exceptions occur which may be said, per-
haps to prove the rule, but which are an
PLANETS UNRELIABLE.
1.-THE planets sometimes prophesy quite
wide of the mark. 1t is related that all Eu-
rope was in CONSERVATION in the fifteenth
century due to the predictions of weather
prophet who fOretold a universal deluge.
The second edition of the great aqueous
catastrophe was to come in 1924. at the in
Stance of three rascally planets then in con-
junction with watery sign. Everyone who
could find the means built boats. One fam
Gus physician had an ark constructed for
himself and friends, but the flood did not
materialize.
Sometimes however, the planets tell the
truth, as in the case of a certain diStin-
gusshed man born in this country at GER
tain time, who in the process of years, COM
ing to the age of discretion, had the mis-
fortune to commit a murder. He was born
under Mercury, and Mercury being airy
sign. foretold his suspension in the air. The
Zadkiel of the day, after casting and Iecti-
flying his illustrious clients nativity fore
told that he would be plunged into eternity
when the sun came to the anaretical point
OF the midheaven and met the noxiouS
beams of the moon and Mars in opposition.
The prediction was fulfilled.
"Candidly, l must say / have some faith
In astrology. We know that the art was
cultivated by the learned of all ages and
countries until recent times. Its shadow
merges into the shadows of NEUROLOGICAL
lore. 1t is said that Abraham taught it to
the Chaldeans and the ChaldeanS taught it
TO the Egyptians. 1t is referred to in your
New Testament. Jesus, in conversation
with the Pharisees, who were versed in