Magic in Names and in Other Things

The branch of Magic which now comes under survey plays an important part in modern belief and custom. To bring home the fact of this survival may cause surprise to some, had been talking prose all his life without knowing it. Magic, for the present purpose, is defined as the mana by which the sorcerer pretends to (in some cases honestly believes that he can) obtain control over persons and their belongings, to their help or harm, and also control over invisible beings and the occult powers of nature. Magic works in two ways; as black or maleficent, and as white or beneficent. The black predominates, because of the larger field of mentality wherein it works.