228 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[October 1, 1900. 



nosticate very satisfactorily without having any know- 

 ledge of Uranus, as his influence is only very obvious 

 on rare occasions, and most probably the astrologer 

 would at these times attribute his failures to irregulari- 

 ties or mistakes in his calculations, or to some slight 

 variation in the planetary influences. 



The power ascribed to Uranus has been an-ived at 

 by the carefully rendered judgment of the leading astro- 

 logers upon the aggregate obser\-ations and comparisons 

 of the students of this science. Astrologers cannot tell 

 whether there are planets beyond Keptune for the simple 

 reason that their enormous distance would render them 

 of none effect, if existing, and if there are any within 

 Mereui-y's orbit they are too small to have any effect. 



It mav be asked if Uranus affects so little why should 

 not Saturn have considerably less influence than is astro- 

 logically ascribed to it. To this it can be said that 

 Satui-n is much greater in mass and nearer in distance, 

 and these are facts which must be considered, as the 

 influence does " vary directly as the mass of the acting 

 bodv, and inverselv as the square of the distance. " 



240, Holloway Eoad, N., B. Cratley. 



September 5, 1900. 



[Mr. Chatley writes so temperately that although the 

 subject of astrology seems to me, except as a matter • 

 of folk-lore, to be one of utter worthlessness. I feel bound 

 to briefly reply to him. I would not have him suppose 

 that I consider all astrologers necessarily conscious im- 

 postors. Astrology itself is certainly a fraud, but many 

 of its followers, in the present as in the past, have no 

 doubt been perfectly honest. 



Mr. Chatley says that the astrological influence of 

 the planets does vary directly as the mass of the acting 

 body and inversely as the square of the distance. Here 

 he is distinctly at variance with all ancient astrologers, 

 and I fancy with the great majority of modem ones. 

 The masses of the planets have only been determined 

 within the last 200 years. Their relative distances were 

 of course known earlier, but neither distances nor masses 

 enter into the construction of ancient horoscopes, and 

 are certainlv very often if not always omitted from 

 modern ones. 



Mr. Chatley has probably overlooked the fact that 

 if it be true that astrological influence be subject to 

 the same law as gravitation, then the sun is some five 

 million times as potent as Mercury, and the moon is 

 thirty thousand times ; Jupiter one hundred and eighty 

 times ; Venus and Saturn only twelve and fifteen times. 

 Mars will average as weaker than Mercury, and will 

 have almost the same mean potency as Uranus ; but 

 though Mars will occasionally come into very effective 

 positions for a considerable part of its orbit it will rank 

 much lower than Uranus, and often be feebler than 

 Neptune. The influence of Uranus, so far from being 

 occasionally effective, will be veiy evenly steady. 



I think then it is abundantly clear that the law of 

 gravitation finds no place in astrology. Yet if wc 

 assume that the influence of the planets is irrespective 

 both of mass and distance we shall find ourselves con- 

 fronted by a more serious difliculty still. 



It is, however, sufficient to take Mr. Chatley "s own ad- 

 mission that the original observations, if there ever were 

 any such, upon which the rules of astrology were based, 

 have perished. Those rules, therefore, are accepted now 

 adays simply in blind unreasoning faith, and therefore 

 " astronomers do not care to waste time on an examina- 

 tion into astrology', for the reason that there is nothing 

 in it to examine." — E. Walter Maunder.] 



TO THE EDITORS OF KNOWLEDGE. 



Sirs, — Mr. E. W. Maunder does not appear to have 

 got beyond the five senses in his criticism of Astrology, 

 and I am quite certain from his remarks that he has 

 never given the subject any serious study. The TRUE 

 astrologer believes that the sun is the body of the Logos 

 of this solar system, " in Him we live and move, and have 

 our being." The planets are his angels, being modifi- 

 cations in the consciousness of the Logos. Astrology 

 explains the harmony of the spheres, and a correct 

 knowledge of its teachings must elevate and raise every 

 individual consciousness. 



It is vei-j- easy to pull down, but a far more difficult 

 task to build up. If anyone chooses to call Jupiter 

 malign, and Saturn benefic, as Mr. Maunder suggests, I 

 will contradict him, and, what is more, prove it. You 

 can settle any dispute with regard to the truth of 

 astrology by accepting a test case, and publishing the 

 result in Knowledge. But to convince a prejudiced 

 person against his will is, I feai', a hopeless task, but I 

 am willing to do all I can to prove that astrology is 

 true and not false. Alan Leo, 



Editor of MuJern Adrulogy. 



9, Lyncroft Gardens, 



West Hampstead, London, X.W. 



[I did not expect so prompt and authoritative an 

 acknowledgment that I was right in stating that 

 astrology was only a survival of paganism. Mr. Chatley 

 will see that Mr. Leo conclusively answers him. The 

 physical sciences deal simply with the objects known 

 to us by the five senses. If he is to be an astrologer on 

 Mr. Leo's lines, he must leave the evidence of his senses 

 behind. To such a demand men of science, and 

 Knowledge in their name, can pay no regard. 



E. Walter Maunder.] 



THE ZODIACAL LIGHT IX RELATION TO THE 

 CORONA. 



TO THE EDITORS OF KNOWLEDGE. 



Sirs, — As an amateur who in a humble way takes 

 delight in the study of " Astronomy Without a 

 Telescope, I read with much pleasure Mr. Maunders 

 article on the Zodiacal Light, and it occiured to me that 

 this light may arise from the same cause and partake 

 of the same natiu-e as the mysterious light that plays 

 about the moon's edges during a solar eclipse. This 

 may seem bold for an amateur to suggest, but the 

 thought carries reason with it when we reflect that every 

 sunset is an eclipse of the sun — to the observer — that is 

 to say, every time the sun sinks out of view the observer 

 sees it being gradually eclipsed by the rising horizon ; 

 and every morning he sees the sun rise into view he 

 sees the eclipse passing off. 



Early astronomers held the opinion that the corona 

 was due to the solar beams being refracted b}- the at- 

 mosphere of the moon, but modern investigators t€ll 

 us the moon is devoid of atmosphere. In this case, by 

 the way, why is the moon not battered out of existence 

 by comets, meteors, and the various fiery fragments that 

 scourge the heavens, seeing that the earth is protected 

 by an atmosphere ; and by what means (if these 

 celestial batteries have been falling on its surface for 

 countless ages) has it not become overweighted, lost its 

 equilibrium, and fallen from its high sphere into the 

 lap of mother earth? But admitting the moon to have 

 no atmosphere; when we know that light is capable 

 of being reflected from any body whatsoever, no matter 



