CONCERNING SUPERSTITIONS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 89, 8 January 1908, Page 4

CONCERNING SUPERSTITIONS.

(By Jennv Wren.)

: Doliy it as wo may, superstition, in some form or another, has an abiding plnco in'tho human breast, v Despite all tho learning, tho' philosophy, tho cultivation of common sense,' that the centuries have made our own,'..this roll? of tho dark oges..still >haunts tho ropesses of our minds> and governs,.-perhaps unconsciously, many of our actions.. , It: is a fnr.cry from tho' days when our.early, ancesv tors ondoavoured to .placate .their', savago gods by - human saqrifices to these of - tho twentieth contury, but tho-samo idea can bo traced from then to now. ;

Strange to .say,, it is. not women only ,who lay. .such stress, . upon . theso ', latter-day. pracles, Watch a crowd, dense or. otherwise, walking.along,a footpath wliero a. ladder is reared against. a wall. For about three who go under it thero aro six who mako a detour qiiito out of : their way. in order to get by— anything .to' avoid ill-luplc, ;which would probably, consist ,of. a, shower of. mortar or possibly a "falling' brick or two.: Quite as many men as wOinon avoid going under. Some people find it impossible to: pass a horse-shoo wherovor. they may chance to see it lying,' even if it should involve getting olf a bicycle. . Then comes ;tho performance: of throwing it over tho left shoulder and wishing.' If anyone, unconscious of the proceedings, should chanco to .be just behind at tho time: of throwing it'cannot ho considered a fortunato . occurrence, as' the horse-shoo invariably makes for them;' No -, woman, if ''she '-'can',. possibly help it, will over get married in May. This'is indeed flying in _the 'facc of Erovidchce, and' should the marrihgjo by overwhelming circumstances take pluco in that fated'month she will feel as. she goes through- with' it ' that all tho powers of ovil are , gathering togother, ready to descend upon her head. ■ ; ■■' ' It is Well known, of course, that Friday is a 1 most unlucky .'day .to undertake ventures of any, kind.'. Many women have mis.sed golden opportunities rather' than' ,bogiri any'thing on a 1 Friday. If''they , lose their ! train or thoir boat,-; i,t is ,all ' because they started their journey- on that'-day;'of all'' others.; Many saildrs,' evennow, ; are not forid'of be-, ginning' their .'voyages-'-on : a Friday. •' It : is said by {the Arabs that Adam and Evo atd the forbidden' fruit aud' were turned out of Paradise oh; that day, - also: dying on- a Friday.. Why ill-luck should'bo connected with the; dying o'n' a 'Friday hard to see. It looks as though troublo were still oxpecte'd to pursue ""our unhappy first parents in their future careers. r ,

■ Tho modern custom of christening a ship lias come; down from -very\ ancient times. Then .were' offered up' to' placate tho divinities, garlands of flowers hung about the' figurehead rcjircsonting', tho power under whoso'protection the'ship was placed, and libations- of wino poured out". - After,' all, there: is very little of the ancient corcmony changed; . • . .-. ' ,

; Have you ever seen a girl or a woman walking along tho street stop suddenly, half wheol till she is looking over her left shoulder at some object in the sky, and then, with the greatest solemnity and:-.ceremony, proceed to .bow nine times in succession: Thero is no.need to wonder if slio has-become suddenly -bereft'of- her . .senses. - She ' has j sight of the. now .moon, and is trying to secure .good-luck for': tho.' month", by first of all turning her money, three times (if she has-any about her),-wishing'hard" for-some-thing-.- special, and boying niiie; times. . • The magic rites' performed; shbgoos 'on her way happily,, .feeling : that fortune '.. will smilo brightly upon her till the ; next. new: moon appears. - It is most unfortunate to seo it .through glass, or even through .the brashes of trees; always space is'needed for tho-first view of. the .pale silver crescent of fate. ■ ■ . ■ •'

Who among us, that has spilled salt, does not eithor openly or! surreptitiously - cast some oyor the, left shpuldor,;hoping'by doing so to annul the ill-fortuno that; inevitably follows the, act, and ".thero. must'.be'very-; few in the world who have not gloated over the accidental, finding,of a; fourrleavcd clover- or shamrock.: It is .pressed . most .carefully and put- away with -our -greatest treasures—a maspot-indeed. >1; •

TJio.. "first. foot". pn Now; .-Year's.. morning • w dookecl it forward, 'to ; vwith. t]ie greatest; interest in. nearly. eyery/,part ; of'-the - world. Dark, peoplo-are welcomed with great cordiality, particularly if , they .'liavo remembered, to bring-with tlieiii a crust.'of'bread, not that- it is to gratify.'the pangs of hunger, but merely 'to.- ensure- prosperity to tho household during-the. coming year. We owe that;to tho'Scotch; people,' among; very many other .customs.-. . ■ • ,

Mothers may not i think when they givo their, baby tho usual toy of coral and bells that ( in olden days coral was hung around the infant's neck as a guard against fascination, and. also as andridication of health. AVlion the coral changed, colour'and looked palo the .wearer, was sick; when; it regained colour,'health, was restored. '

In Brittany, that strange haunted land of old-world customs, traditions, and beliefs, there is on tho coast a/'Bay of the Departed," and in: tho dead of night fishehnen, it is -said, aj-o summoned by unseen .powers to' launch a boat and. ferry over to- a sa'crec! island tho-souls of . men. 1 Tho boat-is so crowded .with tho invisible freight .'as to be quite low. in tho water, and is accompanied on her way by the wailing of the drowned. On at Sein,' invisible beings are said to number invisible passengers, and then the wondering,. awe-struck crow return to await tho next supernatural summons to ferry the ghosts over to the storied isle, one'of tho ancient homes of tho Druidesses.

Many, books could 'be.Tilled-with the superstitions peculiar to different nationalities. Possibly the people of Celtic origin aro more stooped in therti than any other,' having a larger share of imagination, mysticism, love of Nature, and possibly—more credulity. .