Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1890-01-04 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

EASTERN MAGIC.  The last issue of the Journal of the Anthropologi-cal Society of Bombay contains a curious paper by Mr. Rehatsek on 20 of the branohes of Eastern magic, all of which are in vogue at the present time. The first of these is the "Arcane of letters and of names," by which letters and figures are combined into magic squares, incantations, &c. These derive their power from the "arbitrary use of them made by the'spirits governing the natural world, in such a way that the LE., beautiful names of God, and other divine words. formed of letters containing the Arcane which was. , into material substances, intercede." The magician, ,of course, is the sole interpreter of the use. and significances of the combinations. Alchemy comes next, and is followed by astrology, the most popular if all the Eastern occult sciences. It is practised on all occasions, to discover thefts, to foretell the result of a journey, the future of an infant, &o. Another popular practice is soothsaying from the sacred books by opening one at random, and placing the finger on a line. This is almost the only one of the sciences which costs nothing, and which e.eryone can practise. The selection of days is a subordinate branch of astrology, sod is employed ' to ascertain what days are lucky or unlucky for the commencement of certain enterprises, the wearing , of new clothes, and t'ae like. Divination and the interpretation of dreams are common everywhere. Summoning and subjugating demons is the most fearful of the magical sciences. There are two kinds, one dangerous and embracing unlawful magic, the other niligioue and consisting mainly in confining demons in flame so that they are compelled to obey the commands of the magician. Geomancy is practised by means of dots made with a pencil and arranged in complicated combinations so that they answer questions. The art of invisibility appears to be only known by name to Mr. Rehatsek, for he does not describe it. defr is a science which is known only to one family; it is defined as " the general science concerning the Tables of the Eternal Decree and of Predestination," and enables adepts to know all that has happened, is happening, or will happen in the most remote future. Palmistry, phylacteries, physiognomies, and prayers explain themselves; phantasms is the name given to the art of producing images in the air by incantations, aided usually by drugs and fumigations; while predicting from the past is exercised by studying the occult analogies between the past and future. Sorcery is the term applied to all the phenomena produced by magicians, and popularly attributed to supernatural powers. It is divided into lawful or divine, and satanic or black magic, the latter owing it. power to evil spirits. The last of the magical sciences is soothsaying from trembling, by which the future is known from the involuntary movements of the body, a particular star controlling each particular past of the human frame.  Eight sailors belonging to the Government Fish Commission steamer Albatross left Ban Francisoo the other day in a small boat for Vallejo. The boat was uoset and four of its occupants were drowned. A telegram trom Faris says that a despatch re ceived there hod: Obock reports that two French missionaries, escorted by eight Greeks, have, been murdered ou_the route between %tidal] Hearer on the Berbera coast by partisans of the Suiten. The peoprietor of a native paper published at Lahore has been convicted of libelling the Rajah of Faridkote and sentenced to pay a flue of R 5.1,000 or be imprisoned for three months. A few more sueoessful prosecutions of this character, and the in sufferable persecution to which natives of position and means are frequently subjected by vernacular !men would, says a Timor telegram, very speedily soUspea, one* it were clearly evidenced SW eyebeaublisid, libel was unremunerative and that the punkt system had °eased to exist.