# Journal of American Folk-Lore/Volume 11/Issue 41/Folk-Lore Scrap-Book

FOLK-LORE SCRAP-BOOK.
Canadian Folk-Lore. In the "Globe," Toronto, Ont., Mr. David Boyle, curator of the Archæological Museum, Toronto, has undertaken to superintend a series of articles treating of "Canadian Folk-Lore," the introductory chapter bearing date of November 13, 1897. The articles offer a mass of matter obtained from various correspondents, setting forth the survivals of popular superstition in Canada, consisting of signs, omens, beliefs relating to spirits, witches, and ghosts, popular medicine, animal and vegetable lore, and the like. It appears, as was to be expected, that the majority of these ideas, being of old English origin, correspond pretty closely to notions in vogue in the United States, the proportion which can be credited to local invention being very small. Below are cited certain of the items which seem to be especially worthy of note, as less completely matter of record; the date of the journal containing the information is appended.
Forms of Boys' Oaths. "In my own boyhood the only one employed was, 'as sure 's death,' but another old countryman informed me that where he came from it took the form of 'as sure 's h—l.' In Toronto the custom for the boy asseverating is to wet the point of one finger on his tongue, then to draw the wet finger down the breast of his coat, saying meanwhile: 'Now it 's wet, and now it 's dry; may God cut my throat if I tell a lie.'" (November 13.)
"The little boys of my acquaintance have different oaths to that of any told by your correspondents. A Bluevale hopeful, if he trades a jackknife or a whistle, always makes the bargain steadfast by saying:—
Red leather, Bargain forever.
And with regard to verifying a statement a small boy must say:—
Criss cross, Apple-sauce,
accompanying the words with the crossing of the heart, which is found, I should say, from seeing some children cross themselves in most any region of the trunk.
"A schoolmate of mine, whenever I had a yarn that seemed to him incredible, would say: 'Do you wish to die?’' If the story were true, I answered 'Yes,' not meaning that I longed for death, but that death to me had no additional terrors, as I had told the truth.” (December 18.)
Omens of Bad Luck. From a collection given by Mr. Boyle as contributed by Mr. A. J. Ritchie (December 11), we cite, with a few omissions, in the case of familiar omens, those given as significant of ill luck:—
Boots or shoes raised off the floor or ground.—Placing the feet on the table.—Walking over white flag-stones.—Walking under a bridge or ladder.—Walking under an elevated railroad when the train is passing ​over.—In removing, to clean the room or house you leave.—To kill a spider.—To find a spider in your room in the morning.—To meet a cross-eyed person first in the morning. (Bad luck for the day.)—To carry ink about or spill ink.—For a woman to meet a red-haired woman early in the day.—For a man to meet a red-haired man early in the day.—To have a woman as a caller first on Monday morning.—To have a flock of crows fly over your head.—To hand salt to another person. (Bad luck to the other person; also, a quarrel.)—After sitting down to the table, to change your place.—In dressing, to put on any article of clothing inside out.—To stub the left toe.—To be born under certain stars known as unlucky stars.—To turn a bed on Sunday.—To use poplar in any piece of furniture in a house or camp, or for a lumberman to snub his raft to a poplar.—To look into a mirror before retiring.—To find a horseshoe pointing away from you.—For a cock to crow in the evening.—To go directly through a house without stopping or sitting down.—To meet an old woman.—To find a five-leaved clover.—To see the moon first through glass.—To have a gentleman with a flat foot call on New Year's Day.—Not to kill the first snake you see in the season.—For a strange cat to come to the house.—For a preacher and a white horse to travel in the same steamer.—To meet a lean pig.—On finding a cricket in your room at night, to kill it.—For a bride to wear rye-grass. (She will be fickle.)—For a bride to wear cherry blossoms. (They are emblematical of deception.)—For a groom to wear lavender. (He will be distrustful and jealous.)—To marry on the thirteenth of the month.—To marry a man whose initial is the same as your own.—To see a hare, dog, lizard, or funeral on your way to a wedding.—To see a lady-bird on the way to a wedding, and have it light on the groom.—To see a lady-bird when you are on the way to a wedding, and have it crushed. (Disastrous.)—To see a snake when you are on the way to a wedding.—The day after the wedding belongs to the groom, and if it be fair it is unlucky.
It is also unlucky to postpone a wedding.—For a bride elect to put on all her wedding attire at once before the wedding.—For the bride to put on her left shoe first. (Unhappy life.)—For the bride to look into a mirror after her toilet is complete.—For a bride to assist in making her dress or her wedding cake. (Unhappy life.)—To drop the ring during the ceremony.—To lose the wedding ring.—To break the wedding ring.—To have a married person to stand up with you at your wedding.—For either the bride or groom to receive a telegram on the wedding day.—For newly married couple to break any piece of pottery at their first house-moving.
Omens of Good Luck. Among omens cited as lucky are the following: To have an extra knife, fork, or spoon at the table.—To drop the scissors so that they fall into a crack.—To have a cat follow you, especially if he be black.—To have a cricket in your house or room.—In entering a church, to enter by stepping in with your right foot.—To find a piece of old iron.—To find a spider in your room at night.—To meet a cross-eyed ​person first in the morning signifies good luck to some.—For a bride to wear heliotrope, ivy, or clover. (Signifies faithfulness.)—To see a spider, toad, wolf, or lady-bird (if the last-named alight on the bride) on the way to the wedding.—For a bride to dream of fairies the night before the wedding.—To kiss the bride at the ceremony, and before her husband has kissed her.
Letter to Rats. The ancient custom of banishing rats by means of a letter has already been discussed in the Journal of American Folk-Lore, vol. v. p. 23. Another example is furnished by a correspondent (December 11), who recites how a farmer of South Walsingham, according to advice, "wrote a friendly letter to the rats, telling them that his crops were short, that he could not afford to keep them through the winter, that he had been very kind to them, and that for their own benefit he thought they should leave him, and go to some of his neighbors who had more grain. This letter the farmer pinned to one of the posts in the barn for the rats to read, and, strange to say, in two days every rat left his premises."
Miscellaneous. "In the case of a recent death in Toronto, all the pictures in the house were turned with their faces to the wall, the clock was stopped, and the household Tabby had a bit of crepe tied round her neck." (November 13.)—"Lightning will never strike a birch-tree.—To insure its bearing again, one should thank the tree from which fruit is gathered." (December 11.)—Nick a calf's ear if you wish it to prosper.—Bluevale brides consider it a particularly bad omen if the sun does not shine on their wedding day. But it might as well not shine, if its rays do not fall on their unbonneted heads. I know of one woman who was married under not the most auspicious circumstances. The day was rainy and dismal; the sun shone but once, then only for a moment! The bride rushed out of doors to receive its rays. Since then prosperity has been good to her and hers, and all on account of the sunbeams falling on her bare head on her wedding day." (December 18.)
The gathering of Mr. Boyle promises to reach considerable dimensions.