The Romance of Salt

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18159, 25 October 1930, Page 13 (Supplement)

The Romance of Salt

((By Balbus In Great Thoughts.)

MK. GANDHI’S defiance of the salt laws seems, at first sight, in- _ comprehensible and puerile. * Salt is so plentiful and so easily obtainable in Great Britain nowadays, that it is difficult to realise the important part played by this mineral in the history of commerce and religion. " , Salt is a necessity of life to most nations, especially" to grain-consuming people. In India, the consumption of salt varies from 7 lb per head per year In Rajputana to a little more than 16 lb per head in Madras. It is a government 'monopoly throughout that vast Empire, and as the gross yield of tax is approximately £3,500,000 yearly", it will be understood that any infringement of the law, apart from its religious significance, is a most serious matter. Salt is very difficult to obtain in remote parts of the interior, and the cost of freightage makes it an Expensive and Sparse Luxury. A traveller in Kashmir relates how he came across a group of natives sitting round a small block of rock-salt, eating their frugal meal. In order not to waste a grain of the precious substance by breaking it, each man carefully licked it from time to time with his tongue. „.. .. In ancient times, salt was called the emblem of immortality as it w"as known to be incorruptible. Its name is taken from Salus, the Roman goddess of health, and many days in the year were set apart as festivals in her honour. Salt was an important ingredient at these ceremonies, and thus it is easy to realise how a sacred significance became attached to it. The Greeks and Romans regarded salt as being almost as precious as gold; and soldiers, officials and workmen received all, or part, of their wages in this substance. From this practice is derived the popular phrase, "to earn one’s salt.” Moreover, every meal that included salt created a Bond of Piety and Friendship between the participants. Covenants were ordinarily made over a sacrificial meal in which salt was a necessary element: and to this day the Jewish Covenant of Salt, is the most sacred of any. Copies use bread and salt to confirm an oath: and in the East important compacts are ratified and confirmed bv salt It is recorded that the sepoys were largely restrained during the Indian Mutiny because they bar! sworn loyalty, by" the salt, to Oneen Victoria. . * The present-day superstition that it. is unlucky to spill salt is a survival of the

Importance in Commerce and, Religion.

A Certain Preventative.

day's when salt was used In all oblations to the deities. The dropping of a sacrificial instrument was bad omen, and It is exceedingly probable that the same feeling prevailed in regard to salt. Any sudden movement of the victim,.while standing before the altar, was regarded with terror, probably because the salt placed on its head would be spilt. It is dffficult, however, to explain the general custom of throwing'the spilled salt over the left shoulder, unless It is a relic of the belief that evil spirits lurk behind our left, while the good angels are at our right. The fact that the Burmese, at certain festivals to-day, throw food over their left shoulder to propitiate the Evil One somewhat strengthens this supposition. For some inexplicable reason, salt cams to be regarded as a

Charm Against Evil Influences.

It was put into holy water; and a pinch was put into the mouths of newty-bom infants to guard them until they were baptised. Before milking the cow, a few grains were scattered into the pail; a pinch of salt was thrown into the fire before churning to ensure the butter being good; and if milk boiled over, a little salt w-as put Into the pan to prevent harm overtaking the cow. In the Isle of Man and Wales salt was the first thing taken into a hew house, so that no evil spirit might enter the dwelling. In Scotland and Ireland, two small plates, one containing earth and the other salt, were placed on the breast of the newly dead, the earth representing the body which was corruptible, and the salt standing for the immortal SP!ri Salt Is also used for the purpose of love divination. Tor example, if a girl wishes to win back the cooling affections of her lover, she should throw a pinch of salt into the flro on three successive Friday nights, and repeat a certain incantation, which will quickly charm her errant knight to her side. Salt is also used as a precaution against falling in love in Bohemia, where a mother throws a little behind her daughter as sha leaves the house; and this is said to be

It will be admitted that salt is a precious substance, that it is a necessity of life, and that it has a religious significance throughout the East and other parts of the world. Thus, Gandhi’s defiance of the salt laws has a far more significant meaning than popularly supposed, as it strikes insidiously at the foundations of law and order throughout the Indian Empire