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The Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians.

Considerable attention has been paid of late to the study of the Eastern Religions, and but comparatively few people have attempted to penetrate behind the veil which hides the sanctuary of the Christian religion. Such attempts were, however, made during the Middle Ages by the Hermetic Philosophers called the Brotherhood of the Golden and Rosy Cross, and they laid down the results of their investigations in certain Symbols, which were called "secret, "because they can be understood only by those who possess the key to their understanding. This Key, which alone opens the door, is Spirituality, that is to say, Reason, unadulterated by sophistry, free from dogmatic and sectarian prejudices, free from scepticism and superstition.

Among the great majority of the followers of the Christian church this key has been lost, and sophistry has taken the place of understanding. There is, perhaps, not one in a thousand of laymen or priests who knows the true meaning of the symbols and ceremonies of the Christian church. What the modern Christian usually knows about Christianity is merely its historical, but not its spiritual, character. The Bible has been degraded into a mere history of the Jews, the universal glorious Christ-Spirit, the Light of the World, the divine element in Man, which lives to-day as it ever lived since the beginning of the world, has in the minds of his worshippers dwindled down to a mortal man, who lived among the Jews and was executed as a criminal.

Ever since the days of the great Reformation, when the Bible became the common property of the people who were unable to understand the secret meanings of its fables and allegories, which were known only to the initiated, the Cabalists, Alchemists, and Rosicrucians, the Christian religion has been studied more in its intellectual than in its spiritual aspect. Its external forms have passed through a severe scrutiny by those who could see in them nothing but the external forms, and their internal spirit was lost. The authorities of the church, being themselves unable or unwilling to explain their secret meaning, insisted that the fables and allegories of the Bible should be accepted in their literal sense, however absurd and unintelligible the latter may be. The intellect of the educated classes revolted at such an attempt to put their reason in bondage, and the consequence was that the spiritual power of the church has been lost in proportion as the latter lost sight of the eternal truth. From a religion of divine wisdom, teaching a true religion which man bears to the eternal source from which he emanated, and which it is destiny to return, modern Christianity has become almost a system of forms and ceremonies with little or no spirituality, a means to afford a comfortable living to the priesthood, a method of deceiving the ignorant and gullible with false hopes, and of restraining the wicked by fear, while the Christain places of worship have become more than ever deserted, except such as use them as places for religious amusement or for the display of fashion, and there are now very few who bring with them the living Christ, when they visit the church. Sentiment has taken the place of spiritual power, superstition and scepticism the place of the life-giving faith, and even the meaning of the terms signifying divine virtues have become unknown among the learned. The attacks of the materialist, sceptic, and arguer about the forms of Christianity are allowed to go on without any defence being made, and if such a defence is ever attempted, matters are usually rendered still worse for the church, on account of the inefficacy and unreasonableness of the argument of its defenders. Under such circumstances it must be thrice welcome to every lover of Truth, whether he be a Christian, or minister, or layman, or an infidel, as it will be to every Occultist, Theosophist, and Mason, to see the truths of religion revealed by the work called "The Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians." For three centuries these symbol have been hidden away, nor would it have been of much use to publish sooner, as they would not have been understood. Now, however, as the Light, which rose from the East, originating in the recent revival of the study of the Eastern books, has begun to radiate over the West, we may study and understand these symbols in that Light. We may thus prehaps redeem Christianity from her present state of degredation and decay, and restore to her the living spirit of Christ. To facilitate the study of these symbols, a Vocabulary has been added to the book, giving correct definitions and explanations of the occult terms used in the work. (See advertisement on the cover).

WAR OF 1812-'14. Can any of the many readers of NOTES AND QUERIES give the author's name, and general points and particulars of a pamphlet of which the following is a copy of the title-page:

"A short and thrilling narrative of a few of the Scenes and Incidents that occurred in the Sanguinary and Cruel War of 1812-'14, between England and the United States; written by one who in defence of his country's Rights, has faced the cannon's mouth and who passed through or was an eye-witness to every secne and incident here related. Published by the Author. Advertiser Press, Norway, (Maine). 1853." M. O. WAGGONER. Toledo, O.

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The foregoing table is constructed on the peculiar property of the number 9.

I. The square of 9 is reduced to all its repetend decimals from 1 to 80. The numerators are placed on the right.

2. Table (13) the numerators are the multiples of 9, and hence the decimals are produced in regular order.

3. Table (1) produces the digits in regular order omitting the 8, each numerator increasing by 9 while each repetend begins with 1 more.

Table (2) produces the digits in irregular order omitting the 7, each numerator increasing by 18; and similarly with (3), (4), (5), (6), 5. Tables (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), produce by threes, while the numerators increase by 27.

6. The sum of the repetend in each table is always the middle numerator of that table.

7. If tables (1), (2), (3), (7), (8), and (9), be placed exactly upon tables (4), (5), (6), (10), (11), and (12), each sum will be 9; while the the sum of the numerators will be 81.

PROVERBS ABOUT WIND. Cats with their tails up and hair apparently electrified indicate approaching wind.

If swine be restless and grunt loudly, there will be much wind.
Pigs can see the wind.

Hunters say that the direction in which the moon flies in the morning will be the direction of the wind the next day.

Magpies flying three or four together, and uttering harsh cries, predict windy weather.

Anvil-shaped clouds are very likely to be followed by a gale of wind. The vernal equinoctial gales are stronger than the autumnal.

If it blows during the day it usually hushes toward evening.

If small white clouds are seen to collect together, their edges appearing rough, expect wind.

A light yellow sky at sunset presages wind.

If the full moon rises red expect wind.

A very red sky in the east at sunset indicates stormy wind.

Heavy, white, rolling clouds in front of a storm denote high wind. Always a calm before a storm.

A gale moderating at sunset will increase before midnight, but if it moderates after midnight, the weather will improve.

Wind storms usually subside about sunset, but if they do not the storms generally continue during the following day.

No weather is ill,

If the wind is still.

The sharper the blast,

The sooner 'tis past.

Wind in the west, weather is best;

When the glass is low,

Look out for a blow,
Fast rise after a low, (barometer),
Precedes a stormy blow.

Wind in the east, good for neither man nor beast.

H. W. H.

QUESTIONS.

I.

What was the so-called "Triangle Controversy"?

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3.

JACOB.
JACOB.

A. W.

What is known of the great floods of Greece, such as Ogyges', and Dukalion's flood?

4. Will some one please give the English of Ill faut que j'y songe encore," as found on page 103, last number of

NOTES AND QUERIES.

ENGLISHMAN.

5. What are the Movable Feasts and Holy Days, and the Immovble Feasts and Holy Days? DANIEL DIPPER. 6. Who first discovered and demonstrated the musical scale or octave? GEO. J. WHITE.

Give a brief description of the Zodiac of Denderah.

J. P. SHIELDS. 8. Is there trustworthy historical facts or philological evidence that that the ancient city of Thebes in Egypt derived its name Thebes from the same root-word that Thibet was derived from? J. P. SHIELDS.

9. Swedenborg says that "The Ancient Word, which was in Asia before the Israelitish Word, is still preserved there among the people who dwell in Great Tartary." To what Word does he refer?

10.

J. P. SHIELDS. What is the theory of the "Polarization of Light" ? ENO. How many constellations called "The Dipper" are there, what stars compose them, and where located? JAMES HUNTER.

II.

II.

12.

13.

X. Y. Z.
H.

What is the Ygdrasil, and where is it found? What is the "Feast of Asses," and when celebrated? Who were "The Twelve Disciples," mentioned in Acts XIX, 2-7, who "had not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost," and who were first baptized by John, and second by Paul? 14. Why do the Liberals reverse our adopted Roman numerals, IVX LCD M, and make the date MDCLXVI (1666) to be the E. M. (Era of Materialism)? ANDREW.

15. Why are the divisions of counties in some of the States called Hundreds?

16. What are "Fescennine Verses "? 17. Why are troops called Dragoons?

SCHOOL BOY. SARAH E. BURNS. HAMILTON.

18. Why are persons who guide travelers and point out objects of interest called Cicerones? PALEY D. OSGOOD.

19.

Give the derivation of the measures, palm, foot, cubit, rod, chain, fathom, gnot, league ?

JONATHAN.

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