THE FATE OF BABIES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XX, Issue XVI, 16 April 1898, Page 472

THE FATE OF BABIES.

Raphael, the English prophet, who, in addition to weather prophecies and advice to farmers to kill pigs during the first qarter and full of the moon, gives startling predictions of a personal character, also tells you just what to do and what not to do every day in the year, and prophesies the fate of any child born on any day. The morning of January 1 appears to be an extremely lucky period of the year, for you are told to ‘court, marry, ask favours and push thy business before noon.’ Whether the young lady would say nay if you popped in the afternoon, does not appear. But that deduction may be made from the premises. It seems that women’s society will be dangerous on Sunday, February 27, for you are told to be very careful on that day and to ‘avoid female company.’ Sunday, March 27, that is last Sunday, is what may be called a mixed day. ‘The A.M. is favourable, the P.M. and evening very obnoxious,’ says Raphael. Directions like this run through the whole year, and if you want to know whether you will succeed or fail on any particular day all you have to do is to turn to that day and see what Raphael has to say. Thus if, when June 13 comes, you are thinking of proposing to a fair damsel, you will doubtless refrain from doing so until the evening, for the prophet tells you to ‘avoid women and keep quiet until 5 p.m., then ask favours.’ But the most startling information is that which relates to the fate of any child born during the year. Though we are warned that the information must not be taken as correct in every case, as the hour of birth will sometimes make a great difference either for better or worse, and in accordance with the nature of the hour, whether it be a fortunate or unfortunate one. However, Raphael claims that the information given is such as will occur in about nine cases out of ten. but he cheerfully adds that lie cannot tell whether a child wilt live or die, as that depends entirely upon the hour of its birth. WERE YOU A MORNING BABY? The best hour in a general way for a child to be born is said to be from 11 a.m. until noon, ‘for at that time

the sun, Mercury and Venus must be well elevated or near the meridian.’ Children born in the morning are generally more fortunate than those born in the evening. Morning children usually become their own masters; afternoon or evening children are generally content to work for others. Sunrise is also a favourable hour for male children to be born. From two in the morning up to noon is a favourable time, and the worst time is from sunset to midnight. Yet persons born then are usually fortunate in the employ of others, and will stay for years with the same master; in short, they have not a very ambitious turn of mind, and are content to pass their lives in obscurity, whereas the child born in the morning is of a restless, ambitious nature, courting responsibility, and not content In holding an inferior position. The prophet, however, hedges on these general prognostications and states that they are liable to exceptions as the ‘planetary conditions are sometimes such that an afternoon or evening child will have a much better career than a morning child.’ January 1 of this year seems to have been a lucky day to have been born on. For the children born on that day will, it is claimed, be ‘active, well conducted and grow up to be prosperous in their undertakings.’ January 4, on the other hand, seems to have been an unlucky day. Among other pleasant idiosyncrasies, a, child born on that day will be ‘very headstrong, turbulent and unruly.’ FORECASTS WEDLOCK AND DIVORCE’. Raphael’s prophecies are not, however, confined to behaviour and character traits, for he informs us that if the child born on that day is a female, she will be unfortunate in wedlock. In fact, wedlock is a favourite topic in prophecy with him. Thus he tells us that a girl born on February 27 will get ‘a very bad and cruel husband,’ and, in fact, any child born on that day will have a ‘very unfortunate career, and generally be in tears and trouble.’ Pleasant, isn’t it? Of course, in these days of divorce, our prophet could not confine his forecasts to only one marriage. So he cheerfully informs us that if a child born on March 2 be a female, ‘she will

get a bad husband and will marry more than onee.’ Whether or not the successive husbands will all be bad, deponent sayeth not. Our temperance friends would probably object to the prophecy solemnly promulgated under date of March 25. ‘A child born on this day should avoid water.’ Our prophetic friend evidently does not believe in the union of spring and autumn, for he tells us that a girl baby born on March 31 ‘will marry an elderly man and be unhappy with him.’ A girl born on May 21 appears to be cut out for a heroine in melodrama, for Raphael says she will be ‘in danger of disgrace, yet marry well and happily.’ UNLUCKY LEGAL HOLIDAYS. The constellations do not appear to be specially auspicious for our legal holidays. For instance, a child born on Washington’s birthday this year will meet ‘much opposition and many false friends, and when it thinks its position most secure, it will fall; if a female, an unfortunate wedlock.’ A child born on the Fourth of July will be ‘active, but very untruthful, and not very fortunate* in its undertakings.’ Nor is Thanksgiving a good day for girls to be born on, for, according to Raphael, they will ‘experience a great deal of trouble in love and wedlock.’ Even Christmas is not a lucky day, for a child born on this day will be’ ‘lazy, indolent, fond of travel and company, and generally poor.’