The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-31
FORTUNES TOLD BY CRYSTAL.
THAT'S, THE OWNER TNTERPRETS
ITS WISDOM AT SO 4 CLIP.
Revival OF an Old Notion With Few Modern
Friils Auachcd--H Catches the Fancy
Too OF New York Women. Who Any.
way Have o Liking Even for 81 Mystery

There Is nothing new uiueI 'io sum
uuoth the wise man, and even the WISE
acres to whom pasts are an open DOCK
and who make speciality Of forecasts
admit it. So does the New York woman
who yearns to have her fortune told. and
there are many of her. for it has corae to
pass that some Of the most successful seers
In town have gone back 10 crystal gazing
Not only is crystal gazing one Of the
most ancient ways of pulling aside the
curtain that wells the is-to-be but 1t is also
one of the most satisfactory if some people
are to be believed. Bs that as it may, the
crystal is having ita turn again-a very
prosperous turn, too.
Most women are glad of it There Is a
touch of mysticism, of the uncanny. about
the thing that raises the experience OF hav-
inx ones fortune told above the common
place level reached by other methods.
For the time being pamistry, physiognomy'
astrology and card signs all take back
seat when confronted with the crystal
Such hold, indeed, has this alluring bit
Of rock gained on the feminine affections
that women OF a highly imaginative and
impressionable nature, some OF whom
went to scofr and remained to adore. are
taking lessons at s. a lesson in the art OF
crystal reading being assured by the seer
that they possaSs TO some extent the spirit
of divination.
To be able to drag knowledge from a
crystals lmpid depths, to gain the power
to probe deep down into its heart and read
there ones future. is an accomplishment,
these women feel, tn Il Is well worth trying
for. Meanwhile. for those who can't afford
the lessons, the seer goes ahead and does
the reading and, 1t must be admitted, does
1t very well indeed, considering that ac-
cording TO his own statement he Is handl-
capped by the fact that crystals, like
humans. have strong likes and dislikes
which they occasionally manifest by re-
fusing TO make even try at unwilling the
future of a sitter.
When such an embarrassing situation
occurs, the seer, who hasn't the heart TO
disappoint a customer nor incidentally
TO see 81 diverted from his Golfers, gener-
ally comes to the rescue by undertaking
the role Of prophet himself
Another within of the crystal, so it is
said, Is to refuse to talk at the sunset hour.
and the same authority adds that crystals
vary in their temperament. Some are
grave and sedate given over to consider
Ing the great questions of life-slch for
instance as affect nations rather than IN,
dividuals and deal with. spiritual
rather than material ISSUES A crystal OF
this superior brand seldom condescends
to be bothered with questions purely per-
sonal. Az most men and women-par,
ticularly most wonen-who seek the aid
of seer are running over with questions
Of an intensely personal and material
nature, 1t naturally follows that this type
of crystal is less in demand than is another
OF gayer temperament winch h.r takes and an N
matrimonial and business speculations OF a
thoroughly commonplace description.
One of the seers who Is most III favor Just
now with the New York woman, and who is
l1l In l,,In In u N
crystals by which he sets great store. One
of them, which is pure white and wonder
fully transparent, added to its fame by
prophesying-so it owner declares the loss
other disasters, thereby saving the lives
Of several persons who h ad intended to
sail by the Inflated steamer, but needed
the crystals warning. This stone, which
is the more valuable of the two, is only
brought out when dignitaries are present
settled.
The other crystal, which is by far the
more popular with the ladies, is OF yellow
white tint which stamps it IA being of a
more emotional if less Intellectual order
than it's companion. Both are about the
same shape and size--a perfect globe six
inches or so in diamater. When not IN
Use the CRYSTALS are Enclosed in cotton bags
and securely fastened up by an intricate
combination lock in n small safe, The
doctor takes no chances of losing them.
Up-to-date crystaeomancy differs soIne-
what from that practisad by the ancients.
over the crystal a prescribed prayer and
then gave ii into the hands OF youth or
maiden who read in it, sometimes in writ
ten characters, sometimes by images. the
answers to the questions asked
The New York seers have no assistant.
nor Is any very young man. The doc
tor, for instance, has white hair. And
prayers are dispensed with.
On the other hand, the New York seer
introduces some formaities which the
Orientals knew nothing about. Thus. when
the more frivolous crystal lit is always
the more frivolous one that is used If the
candidate is woman and not extremely
ageD has been placed in the middle of
crystal waichis hooked to cord that dangle
from the calling. it is covered iinmedi-
ately with thin bit of white muslin. After
that, second long cord, which ends in
cord, and the visitor, who is seated some
distance from the table, is asked to remove
her glove and grasp the steel bar. AS soon
as she takes il in her fingers the doctor steps
TO piano and running his fingers over the
keys announces that he has found her key
note, her dominating note in music, which
In turn indicates what her complementary
color is
"Your key note" he announced the other
day to SITTER "is A minor, which means
But, expostulated the woman, in n tone
OF derison. Il never wear lilac. It's not
becoming to me-.
THAT makes no difference, calmly re-
Joined the d,ctor, moving as he spoke tow
ard the table: lilac is your lucky color,
II you ever have a sore throat bind il up
In piece of lilac woollen material and there
will be no need to send for a physician"
Looking only partly convinced, the lis
tener sank back in her seat still c'utching
the bit of steel and watched the doctor as
he selected from a big pile Of squares Of
satin and silk Of many colors and tones
Of color spread around the table n square
of lilac silk and drapcd it over the crystal,
which by this time was converted into a
mound Of dry goods-or 40 it looked from
where she sat.
She was puzzled as to how on earth the
d,ctor was to read the crystal unless, in
deed. he had left a loop hole somewhere
In the drapery on the side next him. But
she was treasured by the seer. who just
at this point explained that the crysta
talked to him.
4It's talking now" he went on. -and asks
me to toll you-"
And then for several minutes he talked
along without break giving the crystals
message to the woman listening as she
probably never had listened to anything
fsofpre in bar 10