540 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIX. No. 1006 



on this subject probably the most comprehen- 

 sive library in the world. That Dr. Kunz 

 treats the subject sympathetically is to be 

 expected; that he will lead others to similarly 

 regard it is a probable and desirable result of 

 his book. Whoever thinks that superstition is 

 dead among civilized peoples and that only 

 in an age of darkness could a belief in the 

 powers of such insensate bits of matter as 

 gems gain credence, should read the chapter 

 on " Ominous and Luminous Stones " and 

 learn how the innocent and charming opal, 

 regarded entirely without prejudice in the 

 sixteenth century, came, in the nineteenth 

 century, to be invested with fear and dread. 

 All jewelers know that the superstition re- 

 garding the opal at the present day seriously 

 interferes with its sale even among the most 

 enlightened. Dr. Kunz evidently would not 

 desire to perpetuate superstitions regarding 

 precious stones, but that they should be in- 

 vested with sentiment he approves. Thus in 

 the chapter in birthstones (a subject which 

 he treats exhaustively) he says : 



" Sentiment, true sentiment, is one of the 

 best things in human nature. While if dark- 

 ened by fear it may lead to pessimism, with 

 all the evils which such a state of mind im- 

 plies, if illumined by hope it gives to humanity 

 a brighter forecast of the future, an optimism 

 that helps people over difficult passages in 

 their lives. Thus, sentiment must not be 

 neglected, and nothing is more likely to 

 destroy it than the conviction that it is being 

 constantly exploited for purposes of com- 

 mercialism. For this reason, the interest as 

 well as the inclination of all who are con- 

 cerned in this question of birthstones should 

 induce a very careful handling of the subject." 



And again, 



" Sentiment may best be expressed as the 

 feeling of one who, on a warm summer's day, 

 is rowing along a shady brook or resting in 

 some sylvan dell, with nothing to interfere 

 with his tranquil mood and nothing to spur 

 him on to action ; thus he has only suggestions 

 of hope and indulges in rosy views of life. 

 Eeality, on the other hand, may be likened to 



a crisp winter's morning when one is filled 

 with exhilaration, conscious of the tingle of 

 the cold, but comfortable in the knowledge of 

 wearing a tightly buttoned garment which will 

 afford protection should the elements become 

 disturbing. Superstition, lastly, may be said 

 to resemble a dark, cold, misty night, when 

 the moon is throwing malevolent shadows 

 which are weird and distorted, while the cold 

 seems to seize one by the throat and arouse a 

 passionate desire to free one's self from its 

 grip in some way, to change a horrible night- 

 mare into a pleasant dream." 



It is probable that it is in the explanations 

 which he gives of the causes of the " curious 

 ideas and fancies " which have gathered 

 around precious stones that Dr. Kunz makes 

 his most important contribution to the sub- 

 ject of his book. So far as the present writer 

 is aware, this has never been attempted be- 

 fore so carefully, or at least with so keen 

 a sense of the mutual relations of the vari- 

 ous factors involved. Thus the results of crys- 

 tal gazing are shown to be due to hypnotism; 

 fancy for birthstones to tradition; the powers 

 of colored stones to color effects, and so on. 

 Besides those already mentioned, some of the 

 subdivisions of the subject treated are, " Talis- 

 mans and Amulets," " Engraved and Carved 

 Gems " and " The Therapeutic Use of Preci- 

 ous Stones." 



As a compendium of the virtues and 

 powers ascribed to precious stones, this 

 work is probably not entirely exhaustive, 

 but it is not meant by this statement to 

 imply that the book is not comprehensive. 

 An exhaustive catalogue of the various 

 attributes of precious stones would prob- 

 ably lack the readableness with which Dr. 

 Kunz has succeeded in investing his work in 

 a remarkable degree. In typography and illus- 

 trations the book exhibits the sumptuousness 

 which has always marked Dr. Kunz's works. 

 Some further indication than is given of the 

 size of the objects represented in the plates 

 might be desirable and one could wish more of 

 the jewels to have been represented in color. 

 These are, however, but slight shortcomings 

 in a book which can hardly fail in any part 



