ally,
were used among other things to intimidate and awe, and so to the
stones in the High Priest's breastplate, teachers of the law ascribed
magic powers. Priests and saints of the Roman Church founded legends of
the emerald cup of the last supper, and the miraculous virtues of the
sapphire, etc. To uphold the tyrannical power of rulers, jewels of
kings were endowed with the power to heal, as for instance, the
Sapphire of Edward the Confessor. It seems probable, however, that
these beliefs were of gradual growth, becoming more influential as
time and constant repetition and enlargement of the story gave force to
the claim. Any absurdity continually asseverated will finally be
accepted by a large number of people as a matter of fact.
But
not alone are ulterior motives blamable for the foolish superstitions
about precious stones. As there are individuals in every age who in
attempting to grasp the mysteries of existence lose their hold on facts
within the compass of their understanding, and floundering, clutch
myths as answers to their unanswerable questions, so in the ebb and
flow of thought throughout the ages, mankind passes again and again by
waves from the depths of gross and brutal unreason to mysticism. As a
comet passing myriads of miles away, back through its sublime orbit to
infinite space, was a writing on the wall of this poor Earth's domain
to the ignorant, so the change of color in the turquoise by chemical
reaction was accepted as a sign of approaching calamity. These are the
imaginations of ignorance. From this stage men passed to one of greater
enlightenment, in which the beautiful qualities of precious stones
reminded them of spiritual things, and they made of them
