8 3 o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



trology continued to exert over the minds of people during so many 

 centuries, and whose traces are still observable in greater or less 

 degree, not only in the minds of the masses, but also in men of acute 

 understanding, is suggested in the pithy remark of Kepler : " The 

 failures of astrological predictions are soon forgotten, because they are 

 of little consequence ; their fulfillments are retained with the greatest 

 tenacity ; hence, the astrologer remains in veneration." 



In fact, such teachings did not receive, at first, unhesitating accept- 

 ance ; and it was not until individual chance successes were attained, 

 that the belief in the positions of the stars as affecting human destiny 

 found so deep root in inclined minds as to render the prophecies 

 themselves instrumental in bringing to pass predicted events, so that 

 for centuries no doubt to the contrary found popular recognition. 

 When the first teachings of astrology thus founded by the priest- 

 hood, and more or less designed to promote its interests, became the 

 possession of philosophers, as of the Greek astronomers of the Alexan- 

 drian school, they then gradually assumed a certain scientific char- 

 acter. The force which the moon exerts upon the waters of the earth, 

 in causing the ebb and flow of the tides, was regarded by Ptolemy as 

 chief scientific proof that other heavenly bodies besides the sun ex- 

 ercise a direct influence upon terrestrial life. 



Moreover, it was held that the moon exerted a disturbing influence 

 upon sleep, its monthly recurrence affecting the nervous system. On 

 the basis, therefore, of these general predictions, it was then sought to 

 determine the influence upon life and destiny which the various posi- 

 tions of the moon and planets among the constellations of the zodiac 

 exerted, and to discover, partly by astronomical calculation, partly by 

 tradition, what positions the planets had assumed at the time of the 

 birth, as well of striking events in the lives, of distinguished men ; or, 

 in general, during the time of a series of important events. 



A seeming uniformity in the casual coincidence of celestial phe- 

 nomena with certain fortunate and unfortunate events was thus de- 

 rived from this knowledge of the past, and formed the foundation of 

 the methods for forecasting the future. 



Naturally, this teaching had to embody a certain number of ap- 

 parently verified prophecies, which were not derived from conclu- 

 sions concerning the past, but were purely conceived, or which were 

 associated with the mythical character of individual heavenly di- 

 vinities. 



Thus the planet Saturn, or Cronos, was universally regarded as 

 destroying and harmful, as the powerful, all-consuming god of time 

 whose name he bore ; the planet Jupiter, on the contrary, indicated 

 universal fortune, majesty, and beauty. 



The planet Mars represented by its omens the dangerous and 

 violent ; Venus the mild and pleasant ; Mercury the ambiguous and 

 deceptive. Each of the planets had, however, somewhat varying 



