MARTYRS TO CUSTOM. QUEER THINGS WE DO BY INSTINCT RATHER THAN REASON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 55

MARTYRS TO CUSTOM. QUEER THINGS WE DO BY INSTINCT RATHER THAN REASON.

Why does a dog walk round in a little circle before lying down? Because his ancestors had to beat out a hole in the grass or the snow to make a comfortable bed. Why does he lay his nose on his paws? Because his ancestors had to keep their noses clear of the dust or snow. Why does a cat wash herself so carefully? Because her ancestors had to be clean, or their prey would smell them and escape. Instances might be cited by thousands of ancient habits preserved by animals long after, they have ceased to be useful. Now, man does exactly the same thing without knowing it — preserves innumerable habits for centuries after they have ceased to have any meaning.

Man as a street-building animal is guided by instinct far more than by reason. A builder .is accustomed to houses. with, windows all over. Suppose he puts up a corner house where windows ••are only needed on tha front. Still' he makes imitation windows on the side wall, with lintel.- ledge, and sills, and in cases actually paints sashes and. curtains inside the frame. No matter how hideous 1 the result, he is accustomed to windows on every wall, regardless of cost.

Posts are planted at street corners to keep vehicles off the pavement.' ' Old cannon were often used as being both useful and ornamental — ships' guns sunk to the trunnions, and « round-shot lodged in the muzzle to keep out refuse. The supply fell short, but as cannon were popular they were made on purpose for corner-posts. Look at a corntr-post now, and you will see that it is shanetl and banded like an old gun, with a half-ball on top in memory of the round-shot in the muzzle. Look at any iron railing. The posts are shaped like spears, shaft and tip, in. memory of some ancient, forgotten linage of weapons. Spears were used for the 'fencing of tiltyards in the tournaments of the Middle Ages.. On gateposts you will frequently find a slone ball. Who would ever suppose that the balls on the gateposts were the heads of the family enemies? It was once the custom lo stick your enemy's 1 gory head as a trophy on the gatepost. On the gates of towns were stuck the heads of traitors, criminals, and other offensive persons. In Old London, for instance, the Bridge Gate and Temple Bar were always decorated with ghastly lelics of the kind. And the memory of the custom survives ou the gateposts of modern suburban villas. On the back of a man's ooat there are two buttons, because our ancestors needed them as rests for their sword-bells. No»v that women wear an imitation of men's coats they have the buttons too, yet it never enters thoir heads that they are only useful fa- the swnvd-belt. And the modern dress for sword-play has no tail buttons. Wliea railways first came into use road-

coaches were mounted on flanged wheels and hauled along the track by the locomotive. Look at any railway compartment to-day, and you will see that it is moulded and painted in imitation of a stage-coach. Its seats, shape, windows, doors, and hat-racks are imitations of the forgotten mail-carriage.

The hairdresser's shop has a painted pole in front. That pole was the sign of the old barber-surgeon, and meant "blood-let-ting done here." How would a modern surgeon like such a sign in front of his house? Nearly every carpet- has a flower pattern, because in the days before carpets the floors were usually strewn with rushes, interspersed on State occasions with living flowers. At the head or foot of every business letter you will see the address of the person to whom it is written, because in the days before envelopes came into use the sheet of the letter was folded up, sealed, and addressed to its destination. On the flap of an envelope you will often see a stamped mark in imitation of a seal, because long after envelopes were invented people distrusted the gum, and still used wax far security. Animals have innumerable useless habits, but for every one of theirs we men have a hundred almost unaccountable whims.