580 



KNOWLEDGE 



[April 21, 1882. 



liavo left hi* (tons without their pyminitlal horoscopes. 

 Even if we fcUi>|joso ho I'litertaincd RUi:h jealousy of his 

 brother Chephreii, as Orientol (and some Oceiilental^ princes 

 have Ihh'ii known to enU-rtuin of tlieir near kinsfolk and 

 pnilialile successoni, that would be hut an additional reason 

 for liaviii(; his hrother's horoscope- Pyramid erected on such 

 a si nil- as tin- astroIoj;ers and priests considered suitable in 

 tlie case of such near kinship. For by means of the obser- 

 vations madi' by th(^ astrological priesthood from Cliej)hren's 

 lioroscope-platforni, Cheojis could learn, according to the 

 astroloj^ical doctrines in which he believed, the future 

 fortunes of his brother, and even lieaVile to rule the planets 

 in his own defence, where their configurations seemed favour- 

 able to Chephren and threatening to himself. 



7. But it may be urged that, beyond the general state- 

 ment that the Pyran ; '.j were intended as the tombs of 

 their respective builders, we learn too little from ancient 

 writers to form any satisfactory idea of their object. 



It so happens, however, that the only precise statement 

 handed down to us respecting the use of the Pyramids — 

 not merely of the Great Pyramid, but of all the Pyramids — 

 accords with the astrological theory in every detail, and 

 ■with no other theory in any degree. For we learn from 

 Proclus that the Pyramids of Egypt (which, according to 

 Diodorus, had existed 3,600 3-cars before liis history was 

 written, al)0ut 8 B.C.) terminated above in a platform, 

 from which the priests made their celestial observations. 



Observe how much is implied in tliis short statement : — 



First, all the Pyramids had a use independent of their 

 final purpose as tombs, a use, therefore, during the life-time 

 of their future tenants, and presumably — one may say 

 certainly — relating to the interests of those persons. 



Secondly, this use was precisely such as we have been 

 led to infer with all but absolute certainty, already, from 

 the study of the Great Pyramid. 



Thirdly, the astronomical observations were made by 

 priests, and were therefore religious in character — a 

 description which could only apply to astronomical obser- 

 vations made for astrological pui-poses. In all pro- 

 abilitv, the priests who made these observations pro- 

 fessed a religion differing little from pure Sabaism, or 

 the worship of the heavenly host. But it must be 

 remembered that astrology was the natural offspring of 

 Sabaism. Wherever we find an astronomical priesthood, 

 there we find faith in astrology. But to say truth, Where 

 among ancient Oriental nations was such faith wanting ? 

 The Jews had less of it than other Oriental nations, but 

 they were not free from it. As they had all their religious 

 observances regulated by the heavenly bodies, so they 

 recognised the influence of the "stars in their courses." 

 If they believed the heavenly bodies to be for "seasons" 

 (of religious worship), and for " days and years," they 

 believed them also to be for " signs." This also was the 

 view of the ancient Chaldeans. " It is evident," says the 

 late Mr. George Smith, " from the opening of the inscrip- 

 tions on the first tablet of the Chaldean astrologj- and 

 astronomy, that the functions of the stars were, according 

 to the Babylonians, to act not only as regulators of the 

 seasons and the year, but also to be used as signs, as in 

 Genesis i. 14; for in those ages it was generally believed 

 that the heavenly bodies gave, by their appearance and 

 positions, sig7is of events which were coming on the earth." 



In fine, while there is no other theory of the Pyramids 

 generally, and of the Great Pyramid in particular, which 

 has either positive or negative evidence in its form, the 

 astrological theory is sujiported by all the known positive 

 evidence ; and strong thougli such support is, it derives yet 

 greater strength from the utter failure of all other admis- 

 sible theories to sustain the weight against them. There 



are ditliculties in the astrological theory, no doubt, but they 

 are difficulties arising from our inability to understand 

 )iow men ever had such fulness of faith in astrology as to 

 devote enormous sums and many years of lalx)ur to the 

 ]>ursuit of astrological researches, even for their own 

 interests. Yet we know in other ways that astrology 

 really was accepted in those days with the fulness of faith 

 thus implied. While, however, the only serious dieSculty 

 in the astrological theory thus disappears wlien closely 

 examined, the difficulties in the way of all other theories 

 are so great, that, to all intents and purposes, they are 

 not so much difficulties as impossibilities. 



DOMESTIC VENTILATION. 



A LESSON FROM TUE CO.VL-PIT.S. 



By W^ Mattieu Willia.ms. 



rr^HE problem of domestic ventilation as compared with 

 A. coal-pit ventilation involves an additional requirement, 

 that of warming, but this does not at all increase the 

 difficulty, and I even go so far as to believe that cooling in 

 summer may be added to warming in winter by one and 

 the same ventilating arrangement. As I am not a builder, 

 and claim no patent rights, the following must be regarded 

 as a general indication, not as a working specification, of 

 my scheme for domestic ventilation and the regulation of 

 home climate. 



The model house must have an upcast shaft, placed as 

 nearly in the middle of the building as possible, and com- 

 municating with every room, either by a direct opening or 

 through a lateral shaft. An ordinary chimney built in the 

 usual manner is all that is required. 



There must be no stoves nor any fire-places in any room 

 excepting the kitchen, of which anon. All the windows 

 must be made to fit closelj-, as nearly air-tight as possible. 

 No downcast shaft is required, the pressure of the sur- 

 rounding atmosphere being sufficient. Outside of the house, 

 or on the ground-floor, on the north side, if possible, should 

 be a chamber heated by flues, hot air, steam, or water pipes, 

 and with one opening communicating with the outer fresh 

 air, and another on the opposite side connected by a suitable 

 shaft or airway with the hall of the ground-floor and the 

 general staircase. Each room to have an opening at its 

 upper part into the chimney, like .au Amott's ventilator, 

 and capable of adjustment as regards area of aperture, and 

 other openings of corresponding or excessive combined area 

 leading from the hall or staircase to the lower part of the 

 room. These should be covered with perforated zinc or 

 wire gauze, so that the air may enter in a gentle, brokeai 

 stream. i 



All the outer house doore must be double, i.e., with A 

 porch or vestibule, and only one of each pair of dooiflr 

 opened at once. These should be well fitted, and the: 

 staircase air-tight The kitchen to communicate with the 

 rest of the house by similar double doors, and the kitchen 

 fire to communicate with the upcast shaft or chimney by as 

 small a stove-pipe as practicable. The kitchen fire will thus 

 start the upcast and commence the draught of air from 

 the warm chamber through the house towards the several 

 openings into the shaft. In cold weather, this upcast action 

 will be greatly reinforced and maintained by the general 

 warmth of all the air in the house, which itself will 

 bodily become an upcast shaft immediately the inner 

 temperature exceeds that of the air outside. 



But the upcast of warm air can only take place by the 

 admission of fresh air tlirough the heating chamber, thence 



