St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-08-12
AMUIHrs ALMOST UNIVERSAL

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livery Race Has believed In TAeua
asa They Ase stan Wora -
Mohanneaan Countries.
OF all the superstitions which wer'
disseminated in olden times none ap
pear to have gained more influence 0vel
the minds of the people than belize
in the virtue of amulets. In the recort
Of every ancient nation. and in the his
tories of existing countries, we are told
of the virtue of amulets, and of theil
being often used for important pur
poses, but oftener for the benefit Of de
signing men.
Formerly they consisted of . small
case containing the exploit of some
favorite deity; this case was suspended
round the neck ard was supposed BY
the wearers to give token of the assist
ance and protection of their idol.
The articles employed in the compost
ton of amulets were various, though
they were frequently composed Of rart
spices, scarce minerals and precious
stones, which, being worn suspended BY
chain over the neck, added consid
erably to personal elegance.
For the manufacture of these charm,
various seasons of the year were deemed
by the wise as the most propitious, and
as the blessings of the priests added
greatly to their revenues, they encour'
,ped the people in this superstitioui
practice.
On the rise of the science of astrology
in Egypt this practice became very pop
ular, and q variety of amulets were in
use; that most commonly used wal
termed the abraxes, and consisted of a
certain stone with this word engraved
on it. From the Egyptians it is proba-
BILE that the custom Of wearing amulets
descended to the Jews.
The Persian and other oriental M.
tions likewise held amulets in the high.
est vencration. The Greeks appear to
have used them formed Of minerals and
various esteemed herbs; many Of their
writer's inform m that they were In
common use as q cure for love (?).
From Pliny and other historians We
learn that amulets were commonly used
by the Romans for similar purposes
In days of yore" amulets were often
appended to the bodies Of animals for
the cure of distempers and various
other purposes.
In Turkey they are still worn by the
Mohammedans, and we are informed by
recent writer's that scraps of the Koran.
prayers, etc, written on paper by their
mollah are extensively sought after in
times of war or of the plague, and that
it is almost an avowal Of infidelity NOT
to be the wearer of an amulet.
Amulets are said to have been worn
by the primitive Christians. They first
appeared in the shape of relics Of mar
tyrs. pieces of the true cross, ETC., and
subsequently they were manufactured
as 4 preservative from plague, and as .
shield against the temptations of Satan.
In England, though never in high
favor. amulets were once used. Reg
inald Scot, in his "Discoverie Of Witch
craft" says: IAN agat hath virtue
against the biting scopions or serpentz.
1t is written, but will not stand to II.
that it maketh eloquent, and procureth
favor from princes; yea. that the fume
thereof doth turn awaie tempests. The
coral preserves those that bear it from
fascination and bewitching: and in this
respect they are hanged about childs'
necks. But from whence that supersti.
49, = l.v:.,cxJ L~~~~ ~DH hint r eAH
the credit people give thereunto from
the multitude Of corals that were EN-.
ployed."
He also informs his readers that "a
topase healeth the lunatik person Of
his passion of lunacie. Chalcedonius
Cor chalsedony) maketh the bearer
luckie in love, quickeneth the power Of
the bodie, and is of force also against
the illusions of the devil and plantasti
cal cogitations arising Of melancholie
Carneolus mitigateth the heat of the
mind, and qualifieth malice"
Scot concludes with the following
philosophical deduction from the fore
going, that Thereby you may under.
stand that, as God had bestowed upon
these stones and such other like bodies
most excellent and wonderful virtues
so, according to the abundance of hu.
man superstition and follies, mamie rs
cribe upon them either more vertues.
or others than they have. Boston
Globe.
Athletic Exercises and Heart Aetion.
Prof. Harold Williams, of Tufts Med
ical college, Boston, has been studying
the effects Of violent and prolonged
muscular exercise upon the hearts OF
the contestants in the recent Marathon
race given under the auspices of the
Boston Athletic association, April 10,
1899. The following were the most In
teresting of the results arrived Mt: Be
fore the race the hearts Of all the men
who finished were in . condition Of
relative healthy enlargement (physi-
hypertrophy). The only heart
examined beforehand which was Of re-
duced or normal size was that Of . man
who dropped out on the way. The two