412 



KNOWLEDGE • 



[Nov. 14, 1884. 



in a very remarkable manner to the truthfulness of development ; 

 and perhaps, if agreeable to you, sir, I may, when my experience 

 is further extended, offer the readers of Knowledge a few remarks 

 on this very interesting subject. — I am, sir, yours faithfully, 



W. H. Harris. 



SUPERSTITIONS. 

 [1509] — Many years ago, when a very yonng girl, I was taken 

 to the bedside of an old lady, a connection by marriage of my 

 family, who had shortly before been seized with a slight attack of 

 paralysis. She was propped up in bed, and in a kind of semi- 

 conscious condition — that is to say, I remember doubting at the 

 time whether she completely recoenised me, though she had known 

 me from my earliest childhood. Iler bed faced the window, before 

 which was the usual toilet-table and mirror. To my astonishment, 

 the latter piece of furniture was covered with a large white cloth. On 

 my inquiring the reason of this I was told by the attendant that it 

 should always be done in the case of a sick or dying person ; it was 

 unlucky for them to see themselves in a looking-glass. The 

 invalid's sister seemed also to see it in this light. Is this idea an 

 universal one with the lower orders in England, or is it peculiar to 

 the Midland counties, where this occurred ? Cosmopolitan. 



PKIMARY COLOURS AND PRIMITIVE COLOURS. 

 [1510]— After reading the articles Nos. 1326, 1388, and 1-133 in 

 Knowledge, it struck me that we are apt to confound the word 

 primary with prijnitivc^ when speaking of colours, and that the 

 former should be used to denote the tints which the atmosphere 

 produces in a ray of solar light in its passage to ns ; as for example, 

 under certain conditions when the rays of the sun strike upon a 

 waterfall we see a most brilliant rainbow between ourselves and 

 the cascade, if we move to one side or the other, the different 

 colours seem to ns to change their places as we change our position 

 with regard to the ray of light. 



The word primitive as applied to colours, does not in this case 

 appear to be appropriate, this expression seems as if it should 

 rather be used when speaking of the three principal colours used 

 in painting, viz., red, blue, and yellow, whereof other colours can 

 be composed. 



Being at the time absent from home, I had no works of reference 

 with me, and the matter had almost faded from my mind, when 

 an accidental conversation recalled it. At the first opportunity I 

 consulted Brando's " Dictionary of Science, Literature, and Art," 

 to ascertain his opinion on the subject. He seems to have come to 

 a similar conclusion as myself, though couched in scientific 

 language. 



Red, blue, and yellow may be called primitiix colours in another 

 sense also, for they are those which are not only preferred, but we 

 may say exclusively adopted, by primitive peoples — that is to say, 

 by certain races in Asia and in Europe, who, living in remote and 

 almost inaccessible districts, have remained very conservative in 

 their manners and customs. The following instances have come 

 under my own observation : — 



In the Spiti Valley, in the Himalayas, and in Ludakb , or Western 

 Tibet (both of these from their position and climatic conditions 

 shut off from the outer world during nearly half the year), the 

 women use these three colours in their dress and ornaments. The 

 upper garment of those of the former place is of dark blue cloth ; 

 red and yellow are introduced in the trimming, the latter very 

 sparingly. The ornaments of both these peoples are composed of 

 red cornelian, coral, rough turquoises, and amber, but some of the 

 richer women in Ludakh introduce small squares of green cloth 

 alternately with red ; on the inner side of the square of sheepskin 

 with which they cover their shoulders both in summer and winter ; 

 and when in gala-dress, they not unfrequently stick the small gold- 

 coloured seeds of some plant on their faces, at distances about half- 

 an-inch apart, which gives a singular eilect to their countenances. 



When in India I observed that though the natives seem to have 

 an instinctive feeling for harmony of colour, as we see by the 

 carpets they produce, yet many appear to be unable to distinguish 

 between light and dark shades of the same colour. I have often 

 been assured by them that two pieces of brown woollen material 

 were identical when there was really many shades of difference 

 between them. 



To turn to Europe. The women of some parts of Albania execute 

 embroidery in geometric patterns on white linen for the adornment 

 of their own under-garments. Even tiny girls of four or five are 

 adepts at this work. As far as I saw, they used cotton thread of 

 these three colours only. They have no pattern traced on the 

 material ; it is all done out of their own inner consciousness. So 

 also in northern lands. Races whom the position of their country 

 has shut off from communication with other peoples use them like- 

 wise. In the museum at Bergen, in Norway, are some specimens 

 of embroidery, perhaps a century or two old, which resemble, both 



in character and colouring, the handiwork of the Albanian peasant 

 girls. Cosmopolitan. 



[There can be no objection to " Cosmopolitan " using the word 

 " primitive " in the sense in which it is employed above — that 

 red, blue, and yellow are primary colours, though, it is a grave 

 error to suppose. Crimson-lake, gamboge, and Prussian blue (as 

 Rood points ont) suffice approximately to represent all colours in 

 painti7ig, though blue light and yellow light do not produce green 

 light, but white, and the mixture of red and green light produces 

 yellow. In the present state of our knowledge all evidence points 

 to the fact that the real primary colours are red, green, and violet. 

 — Eu.] 



LETTERS EECEITED AND SHORT ANSWERS. 



Henry Palmer. Thanks. Ton will see that it has been utilised 

 — E. L. G., Wm. Aston, J. H., Alfred Buss, J. T. Wood, J. Gbeevez 

 Fisher, H. Askey, M.A., W. Towler, J. E. Gore, and W. E. Sadk 

 write to say that the " Figure Puzzle" in letter 1490 is nothing but a 

 magic square. Mr. Towler adds a long extract from some article or 

 essay detailing bow the Egyptians and Pythagoreans held the magic 

 square in great veneration, dedicating it to the then known seven 

 planets, and engraving it on a plate of metal " in sympathy with 

 the planet." (I wonder how they managed this with Mercury?) 

 The square thus dedicated was enclosed in a regular polygon in- 

 scribed in a circle, divided into as many equal parts as there were 

 units in the sides of the square, with the names of the angles of 

 the planet (?) and the signs of the zodiac written on the void 

 spaces between the polygon and the circumference. No single 

 correspondent, however, attempts to show the connection between 

 the figures in the (quite obvious) " Magic Square," and the 

 tremendous magical power attributed to them, which I 

 understood to be the specific subject of the question of " Lover 

 of Things Occult."— H. W. Wilson (The Lyceum, Com- 

 holme, Todmorden). For the nth time Mr. Proctor has entirely 

 ceased to lecture. See p. 62 of the current volume of Knowledge, 

 and the paragraph (in capital letters) which concludes the heading 

 to the correspondence column. — Samuel Kinns. Forwarded to the 

 conductor of this Journal. — W. S. B. wants to know how, in the 

 " Game of Fifteen," to obtain the consecutive order when, after 

 arranging three rows, the last row reads 13, 14, 15 ? — Jas. Eraser. 

 Your object-glass is certainly not achromatic ; and hence not worth 

 spending any more money upou. Even, however, assuming that it 

 did transmit a colourless image, the eye-tube of an ordinary ter- 

 restrial eye-piece would give far too low a power for the observation 

 of Saturn's rings. These might be seen — or rather perceived — as 

 a single ring with a first-class two-inch objective and a power of 80. 

 You have been trying to view them with a very indifferent one on 

 a magnification of perhaps 8 or 10 ! — Neo. No. The day can not 

 by any possibility have been lengthened since Neolithic times to an 

 extent which would have caused a difference of 6° in the point of sun- 

 rise; in fact it is a moot question whether it has ever lengthened at 

 all. Moreover, the length of the dayhasnothingtodowith the point 

 of sunrise, the only operative factor in changing which is the 

 alteration in the obliquity of the eclipse. Under any circum- 

 stances, however, this could merely shift such point a little over 

 2° in 0,000 years, and this, I fear, will not help you much. Too 

 must address any order for Knowledge to the publishers, and not 

 to me. You state that you "enclose stamps," which you do not. 

 — F. W. RuDLEB. Received with thanks. — Hallyards. Never 

 mind the phrase. Ars prohat artificem, and your fellow readers 

 will judge you by what appears in print from your pen. You are 

 too flattering. In connection with your American friend, I may 

 quote a dictum of a fellow-countryman of his, apropos of a man 

 who had made a certain statement in his presence, " I don't say he's 

 a liar, but if I met him walking down the Broadway of my naytyve 

 city of New York between Ananias and Sapphira I should say that 

 they were an uncommon nice family party ! " — A. K., Aifrei> 

 Buss, and W. Mathias further add to tie noble army of solvers 

 of the "Magic Square" in letter 1,490; Mr. Mathias pointing ont 

 in addition that the numbers, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 17, which occur 

 frequently, are (in connection with days) " turning points in all, 

 or most, human diseases ; " whence the superstition of this ocult 

 power may have had its origin. He also suggests the following 

 problem. Arrange the numbers from 1 to 16 in a square, " so that 

 the sum of any row, column, or square of four numl>ers may be 

 34." — John G. Richardson forwards his subscription for one year 

 to the Editor, who has had in turn to send it back to the Publishers. 

 thereby causing wholly needless delay. I am almost tired of 

 reiterating that I have nothing, proximately or remotely, to do -with 

 the business management of Knowledge, and that it is not I, but 

 the Messrs. Wyman, who sell it. The other matter in your letter 

 shall have immediate attention. — Geo. Luff. Stamps sent on to 

 Publishers, to whom you ought to have addressed them, and not 

 tome. 



