The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-05-10
A UNIVERSAL SYMBOL
Fish Used by Ancient Pagans to
Represent Their Superstitions.
A Distinctive Badge Used Also BY
EARLY Christians Recognized
by All as the Sign of Res
direction.

tons or left perceptible marks of it's
customs and beliefs been some pecul-
lar significance ATTACHED to the SYM
Dol of the fish. The ancient astrono-
hers, when astronomy, the forerun-
her of sciences, was an infant, divided
the zodiac into IL signs and named
one of them the fishes.
In ancient pagan theology the SYM
boil of the fish was used to represent
in different lands some of the myths
on which to rest what passed for the
religious belief of those times. In
the later days, after the doctrines of
the Christian religion began to take
the place of paganism among the
Greeks, Romans and other jewellers
around the Mediterranean sea, new
significance was attached to the sign
of the fish. Whether this was a con-
tinued use from the time of the
myths of paganism or whether it had
its inception in the association of the
Saviour largely with fishermen or not
is question which the writers of re-
ligious theses have discussed perhaps
to their satisfaction, but the conclu-
sions reached have not always had
back of them the framework of ac-
tual demonstration. rs a result this
branch of the subject is yet open to
conjecture and the conjecturers are
still at it, says the Chicago Chronicle.
The life of Jesus is filled with His
reference to the fish, and one of the
great miracles was that of the fishes
with which He fed the furnishing null
titude that focked after Him to hear
His words, utterly neglected. of pro-
vision against the hunger which final
ly overlook them. He chose His dis
c;ples from among the fisher folk and
eXhorted them to become fishers of
men.
In these and like occurrences dur
ing the time of His preaching the ear
ly followers of the religion of Chris
tianity may have found their warrant
for the adoption of the sign of the
fish as their distinctive school. That
such was the case is we'll known his
tory. The readers of the story of
Sienkiewicz recall the significance of
the sign which distinguished the
Christians from the pagan Romans
among whom they lived and around
which the story centers. To be seen
making the sign in the sand was suf-
fcient to brand one as follower of
the then despised religion and subject
him to the cruel torture decreed by
the infamous Nero to be inflicted on
all who did not renounce the new
teaching and declare their faith in
the many gods of the pagan Rome.
Peter, who went to Rome, was fish
erman and was called in derisiOn such
by those who scoffed at the teaching
of the new gospel of love and peace.
In those days the sign of the fish
was found universally among the
Christians and it was used as meth
cd of making themselves known to
each other when they met as stran-
gers. The name of the fish Iothus
was used on such occasions as the
key to the recognition, by the repeti-
ton Of the words represented by the
letters in that word used as initials,
and which meant "Jesus Christ, Son
of God, Saviour"
On ancient monuments found in
Scotland and known as the sculptured
stones, and which are supposed to
have been there before the coming of
the teachers of Christianity, the pres
ence of representations of fishes have
been ascribed to the representatives
of the belief in the myths which clus-
ho Of tho pnIli-
nox through the signs of the zodiac.
Here, as well as where found in Hin
doostan, Asia Minor and the Nile re-
gion, this sign is frequently used with
that of the cross and has been vari-
ously declared to be symbolic of the
coming of the Messiah, which was full
filled by the birth of Christ, and as
behemently has this explanation been
denied and the recurrence of these
afterward distinctively Christian SYM
bols explained by reference to the
zodiacal myths. Whether this contro-
versy is important or not it is inter-
esting to note that from about $50
years before the birth of Christ the
pagan, as did the Christians a short
time afterward, looked upon and used
the symbol of the fish as the repre-
sentation of the resurrection of the
soul from death.
Whether the use of the representa-
ton of the fish as an individual mark
or signature is relic of totemism
may be doubted. 1t has been so used
frequently. and on one recent occa-
sion a man of some property who
died in New York after affixing his
signature drew under it a represen-
tation of a fish and attested that the
instrument was signed with the sign
of the fish,"
Among the North American, In
dams, and especially among those
who dwell in the northwest country,
the symbol of the fish as the peculiar
representation of family is common.
Totem poles from Alaska are fire.
quently decorated with this sign. The
early settlers of this country found
the Indians of the northeast also par
tial to the fish symbol in their picture
writing, as well as in the decoration
of skins and implements of the chase.
Used in this way the picture or rep,
resentation of the fish stood for
either the designation of the individ-
ual who used it or that of his family.
Cheap Wine.
There is a slump in the French
wine market and wine is going at
half-cept a pint.