THE EVIL EYE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2009, 25 August 1892, Page 40

THE EVIL EYE.

Folk-lore tales are full of stories about the operation of the evil eye and of recipes for defence against its power. A large proportion of these are connected with the use of fire or the colour of red, that being in all magic the equivalent of fire. This supposed value arises from the old worship of the sun, or from the ha' red which all evil things are thought to have of the fire which is to consume them in the pit of woe. A red string about the neck or arm is the most ordinajy device, but red berries as of the " rowan tree," or mountain ash, are still more highly prized. Among the Scandinavian nations, the Scotch, and particularly with the gipsies,

THE ROWAN TREE has a standing of its own, apart from its use in connection with the evil eye. That special meaning reaches back to the old Pagan faith, and need not be considered here. In Italy, and among the Latin races generally, the horseshoe, or its equivalent, is chiefly relied upon to counteract the influence cf the evil eye. If a horseshoe is not at hand, a forked twig, or even the fingers of the hand parted, is counted of great value. A very amusing instance of this credulity, and one that has become historical, will serve to show the ease with which the reputation of having the evil eye maybe given, and the impossibility of getting rid of it, In the

early years of his papacy, when -he was adored by the Roman people,

PIUS IX was driving through the streets of Rome, and chanced to look up to an open window, where a nurse was standing with a child. A few moments afterwards the nurse let the child drop to the pavement below, and it was killed. Instead of laying tho blame to the carelessness of the nurse, it was laid to the malevolent influence of the evil eye, and the fancy became universal among the lower classes in Italy that the Pope had the evil eye, and it lasted until his death. Travellers who knew of the belief were often amused to see people kneeling to receive

THE POPE'S BLESSING, and at the same time holding the fingers forked to break the maleficent power of his glance. When Pius JX gave up his liberal theories and fell back to the old accustomed methods of government, there was an abundance of Liberals who took ifc as proof positive that he was possessed of an evil Bpirit. One of the remarkable things about this snperstition is that it is often attributed to

WHOLE PEOPLES by others who dislike or hate them. In ancient times the Thebans, the Illyrians, and the Thracian women were so regarded. In these latter days the Christians of Asia Minor have the same feeling about the Turks, and the Turks about the Christians. — New York Sun.