MAGIC LANTERN 



3593 



MAGNESIUM 



in more enlightened form, while cruder tenden- 

 cies of the same nature appear in current 

 superstitions and the stray adherence to prac- 

 tices of primitive magic (Voodoo) among the 

 negroes, or to outgrown systems of divination 

 (palmistry and the like) which attract atten- 

 tion by inconsistency with the scientific habit 

 of mind that has displaced them. j.j. 



Relating to Various Beliefs. The articles on 

 the following topics, wliile all do not bear on 

 magic, may be of interest : 



Alchemy Palmistry 



Astrology Phrenology 



Clairvoyance Physiognomy 



Conjuring Psychical Research 



Demonology Psycho-Analysis 



Divination Spiritualism 



Faith Cure Suggestion 



Hypnotism Superstition 



Medium Telepathy 



Mesmerism Theosophy 



Mind Reading Trance 



Necromancy Witchcraft 

 Occult 



MAGIC LANTERN. See STEREOPTICON. 



MAGNA CHART A, mag'na kahr' ta, or 

 GREAT CHARTER, a document, often called 

 "the corner stone of English liberty," to. which 

 the English barons, under the leadership of 

 Archbishop Stephen Langton, forced King John 



MAGNA CHARTA 

 Facsimile of six lines of the historic document. 



to affix his royal seal in 1215. Of this memor- 

 able document the historian Myers says-: 



Considering the far-reaching consequences that 

 resulted from the granting of the Magna Charta 

 the securing of constitutional liberty as an in- 

 heritance for the English-speaking race in all 

 parts of the world it must always be consid- 

 ered the most important concession that a free- 

 dom-loving people ever wrung from a tyrannical 

 sovereign. 



The utter disregard and tyranny with which 

 John ruled his subjects in time aroused the 

 entire country, and a council was held in 1213 

 at Saint Albans, near London, composed of 

 representatives from all parts of the kingdom. 

 Plans were made to meet a few weeks later at 

 Saint Paul's, in London, where for the first 



time in the history of the nation the interests 

 of all classes were protected in a new charter, 

 modeled after an earlier one granted by Henry I. 



As a result of this movement a conference 

 with the king was arranged for in the meadow 

 called Runnimede, on the banks of the River 

 Thames. There, on June 15, 1215, John, much 

 against his will, was forced to do as the barons 

 ordered. After he had put his seal to the docu- 

 ment he tried to break its rules, but the barons 

 had guarded against such a danger by appoint- 

 ing twenty-five of their number to compel the 

 king to keep his agreement. This appointment 

 was included in the sixty-three articles of 

 the Magna Charta, most of which, owing to 

 changes wrought by time, have lost their origi- 

 nal importance. Three of these articles, how- 

 ever, are of enduring value. These provide (1) 

 that justice shall not be sold or denied; (2) 

 that no man shall be deprived of his liberty or 

 property except upon the judgment of his 

 equals or the law of the land ; and (3) that no 

 taxes, except the customary feudal dues, can 

 be levied by anyone without the consent of the 

 national council. The second of these pro- 

 visions is the basis of the writ of habeas corpus. 



The Magna Charta was confirmed thirty- 

 seven times by later kings. Copies of the char- 

 ter, now a shriveled parchment in the British 

 Museum, were made and distributed about 

 England. M.R.T. 



Consult McKechnie's Magna Carta: A Com- 

 mentary on the Great Charter of King John; 

 Harrington's Magna Charta and Other Great 

 Charters of England. 



Related Subjects. The reader is referred to 

 the following articles in these volumes : 

 England, subtitle John (England) 



History Runnimede 



Habeas Corpus 



MAGNESIA, mag ne' zhe ah, a white, taste- 

 less,, earthy substance, used to some extent in 

 families as a mild remedy for an excess of acid 

 in the stomach and as a mild cathartic. In 

 commerce it is employed in obtaining metals 

 from their ores and in making crucibles. It is 

 a compound of magnesium and oxygen. Mixed 

 with water to the thickness of cream it is often 

 sold as milk of magnesia. It is manufactured 

 in large quantities from magnesium chloride. 



MAGNESIAN LIMESTONE. See DOLO- 

 MITE. 



MAGNESIUM, mag ne' zhe urn, a very light, 

 grayish-white metal, which burns with a bril- 

 liant white light. It can be drawn into wire 

 and rolled into ribbon. Powdered magnesium 



