The times., 1901-03-31
CONFIDENCE IN ASTROLOGY.
Belief in Its influence Held by Wise
Celestial Scholars

Belief in Its influence Held by Wise
Celestial Scholars.
Students of the ancient science of as
troiosy. if any still exist. of q more in
telligeut class than that which sometimes
appears in the police courts for having
abused the credulity of servant girls and
country pumpkins, viii be pleased to see
that they can still count an emperor
among true believers. Reuter- tells us
that the Emperor of China has ordered
his official astroIogers to search for a
propitious day for the return of the Court
to Pekin No doubt it is possible that
even in China no very great Importance
IS attached to this proceeding. We have
plenty of ''survivals' ourselves in our
court ceremonials, as well as in the cut
Of our dress clothes. Perhaps the Chinese
recourse to astrology may also be only
ceremonial survival or a convenient
excuse for putting of that famous re-
turn a little longer. But it is none the
less interesting to remember that the
first definite mention of astronomy in the
world can be traced back to the predeces-
sors of the Chinese astrologers who are
now called into requisition. We read
that Iii and Ho were the royal astronO-
.nlers, or astrologers-in those days the
terms were synonymous-of a very early
Chinese Emperor. 1t was their duty TO
study the heavenly movements with care
and give timely warning of any u1pTo-
pitious arrangement Of the planets, which
might, if it arrived unexpectedly, per
plex the throne with fear of change and
expose the land to the anger Of the gods.
Unfortunately Hi and Ho were not so at
tentive 10 business as we are accustomed
to find modern official astronomers.
Sir George Airy is said to have been in
the habit of stirring up any member OF
the Greenwich staff who missed an obser-
vatfon by oversleepius himself or other
wise with cutting little calculation.
The royal observatory" he would say,
was founded for observations of the
moon during the year in all and the OBJ
servatory costs the nation $4,000 year.
Hence each observation Of the moon is
worth SEQ, and by losing one last night
you have cost the nation &20, Hi and
Ho were not kept up to their work by
any such reflections. They gave them
selves up to riotous living and so failed
to predict an eclipse of the sun. The re-
Iigious rites due in such case were not
performed China was exposed TO the
anger of the gods and the unfortunate
astrologers were seized and put to death
with the usual accompa niments of boiling
oil and melted lead. Prof. Simon New
comb says that the date of this affair has
been computed in the twenty y-secOud CEN
tury before Christ. which makes it the
earliest astronomical transactions of
which profane history has left us any
record
We have said that astronomy and as
trology were originally one. In fact, it
is safe to say that astrology came first,
and astronomy was gradually developed
out of its mists and mysteries Most Of
us now look at the stars with the very
practical feeling that they help our ships
to find their way across the trackless |
wastes of ocean. Navigation still depends !
on the work done at Greenwich for it's |
efficiency. and all the mechanical inven- /
tions that have done so much to trans |
form the sailor would be useless without /
the labors Of the astronomer.
If We have any higher regard for the /
celestial phenomena, stars and planets. |
meteors and comets. and 50 forth, than is |
involved in this utilitarian view. it IS con-
nected with the dazzling wonders of which |
the astronomer has to tell US. and his |
fairy tales concerning the origin of the /
universe and the nature of the systems I
in which 'other planets circle other suns.
But when man first raised his eyes 10 /
the heavens-whether he did so in disni- [
fed obedience to his Creator or in dulI /
amazement that he no longer went on !
four feet-it was rather in the spirit pre- !
served by the Chinese Emperor alone /
among potentates, that he regarded the
stars AuthropoIogists have given us
many theories to account for the undis- /
puted fact that the stars and planets were,
in all parts of the world looked upon by |
primitive man as the rulers of his for
tune and arbiters of his fate. No doubt /
the obvious control Of the sun over the !
seasons and harvests-so important a part
Of early Hfe-and that of the moon over
the tides were the first factors In the /
that man soon learned to pay to |
the lights of the heavens. After the actual |
he gods, which found a very recent ava
tar in the medieval theory that each |
planet was kept in It's complicated orbit !
Of cycles and eplCyCleS by an attendant |
angel. came the later and more reasOna- [
Bile belief that the movements OF the stars
must be signs of the celestial will. even
if they had not such actual influence on |
he affairs of men as the moon obviously |
had over the tides. It's natural origin |
could hardly be better explained than in |
he fine verses of Byron. which sum up the |
feelings that made Chaldedus and Zulus
)jibways and Eskimus Tycho BraChe and
ParaCclsus Wallenstein and Napoleon,
agree in the attrihUtion Of such powers
IF prediction. If not OF influence, to the |
stars:
le stars, which are the poetry Of heaveni
Ii in your bright leaves would learn the fate
ii men and cmpires-'tiS to be forgiven
That in our aspirations to De great,
our destinies O'erleap their moral state,
And claim a kindred with YOU; for We are
\ beauty aud mystery. and create
n It's such love and reverence from afar
That fortune. fame. power life. have named them
selves a star.
We need only refer to such words as
disastrous" ''ill-starred.' .ascendency,"
lr .'joviaI To remind ourselves of the
lepth To which this ancient belief rooted
tsclf in European ways of thought AS
ate as the seventeenth century the wisest
nan held with Bacon and Sir Thomas |