But Astrology is not exhausted in the study of individual horoscopes, for there are other departments of this extensive science. The influence of the planets upon the weather, as embodied in Astro-meteorology; the rise and fall of Empires, political changes, the outbreak of wars, of revolutions, of epidemics, as defined by State Astrology so much in repute among the Oriental rulers; the occurrence of tidal waves, earthquakes, and other seismic phenomena, all form a part of the complete equipment of the practical Astrologer. It would be superfluous to recite here the numerous and strikingly accurate forecasts which have been made by modern exponents of the science, but it is only right to say that they reflect considerable credit upon their authors, for the above-mentioned departments of astrological learning are by no means in the same efficient state as Genethliacal Astrology, to an outline of which this work is devoted. Anciently it was otherwise, and even in the East at this day they hold some secrets of traditional knowledge, concerning which they are unduly mysterious and of which we have only the evidence afforded by more exact prediction upon certain points. Prejudice and Ignorance are the twin giants which bar the path of the world’s progress to-day, even as they have ever done. Step by step they have been beaten back, baffled by the light of Reason, harassed by the arrows of Truth. The world is redeeming its ancient heritage. All that is now required to establish the paramount truth of Astrology as a science is an impartial and thorough investigation, preferably at the hands of scientific men, of its methods and principles. Not that the truth is to be ratified at the hands of modern scientists, seeing that their own teaching constitutes a mere shifting orthodoxy, liable at any moment to undergo a fundamental change in theory by the discovery of a single new fact--but that to such men rightly belongs the duty of disproving the claims of Astrology to be considered as a science, for it is a fact to be regretted that certain members of their body have written against the subject in a spirit of prejudice and without adducing any data in support of their contention, which ill becomes any man of scientific pretensions and is above all things detrimental to the cause of Truth. CHAPTER V A POPULAR ILLUSTRATION In order to summarise and illustrate the principles which have been enunciated in the course of this work, I shall avail myself of the horoscope of Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, who was born on the 8th of July, 1836, at Highbury, the time of birth being stated to have been at about 2.30 in the morning. Calculations have since enabled us to fix the exact time of birth as at 2 h. 36 m. a.m. I subjoin the horoscopical figure for that time, the calculation of which is as follows:--