318 THE CURIOUS LORE OF PRECIOUS STONES
minds
of all who are gifted with a touch of imagination, or romance, if you
will. The longing for something that appeals to this sense is much more
general than is commonly supposed, and is a not unnatural reaction
against the progress of materialism, against the assertion that there
is nothing in heaven or earth but what we can definitely apprehend
through our senses.
It
is this persuasion that should be chiefly considered in any attempt to
tamper with the traditional attribution of the stones to particular
months or to the zodiacal signs. Once we allow the spirit of
commercialism pure and simple to dictate the choice of such stones,
according to the momentary interest of dealers, there is grave danger
that the only true incentive to acquire birth-stones will be weakened
and people will lose interest in them. Sentiment, true sentiment, is
one of the best things in human nature. While if darkened by fear it
may lead to pessimism, with all the evils which such a state of mind
implies, 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 commercialism. For this reason, the interest
as well as the inclination of all who are concerned in this question of
birth-stones should induce a very careful handling of the subject.
Quite
true it is that there are now, and have been in the past, several lists
of these stones, differing slightly from one another, but all are based
essentially either upon the list of foundation stones given in
Revelation (xxi, 19) or upon that of the gems adorning the breastplate
of Aaron and enumerated in Exodus (xxxix, 10-13). For convenient
reference, we give the latter according to
