The Arkansas advocate., 1834-07-04
 TEE WALKING Gr1TEEn AN NO. pIII.

CT or nut to proceed. The universal earth
 with its teemlng millions of living and dead. IS before us, from the lime when t was first arranged out of chaos. The lost nations ot antlquity-the swarthy hordes of Ind and Africa, and the paler millions of Europe. all are gathered around US, bearing inc Gods of thelr idolatfy in their hands, and speaking tous oftheir wild and mysterious, yet dreamy and magnificent creeds. SUPERSTITION. is ths wide field wherein we stand-none was ever more extensive. To detail It's history would be to recount the crimes and folles ot all manklnd,. present and past--to de- scribe its nature and extent would be to look into every heart, almost, that ever hreathed on earth. II ia not eur purpose to speak now of it's ravages--the destruc- ton and death which have attended its con- tinual march over earth. That IS some what out of the range of subjects which We proposed to ourselves. We design to glance at the superstitlons of the present age as they exist in different parts of our country and among different classes of men. It may be thought useless, and perhaps un- warrantable to hold up the pfeiudices and strange beliefs of men to ridicule, out we do indeed believe that he who could succeed in eradicafing superstition from the minds of the people, would be most truly worthy the name of philanthropst. These beliefs, these supershtious ideas, may seem harmless and innocent, but they spring from diseased state of the mind, which, when acted upon and excited, is productive of the most bale 4s1t fT1s I
 ety. "The ineradicable, poisonous weedp of superstition overshad5ws the heart, like Upas of Java. It choaks its fountains, 1t blights its verdure, it disposes 1t to tanati- cism and misery. 1t is this diseased state of the mind which we would remedy. It's present consequences are slight, but its pos sible consequences are terrible. Ii fits men for inhaiing the spirit of bigotry, for wear ing the chains of the priesthood, for becom- ing slaves with the name of freemen. If we needed an example of the blasting effects of Superstition, We have 1t before us- Mormonisfn Is a living and an abasilIg rnon- uncut of the extremes of folly and absnrai- ty to which ignorance acted on by knavery can carry the human mind, even in eur own country.
 It Is certain that as education and en- Iiigh,enment extend their benign influence. the foolish and absurd superstitions and beliefs vanish from the people, and are only remembered, to excite our wonder that they ever existed. If, therefore, education be blessing, superstition IS curse. Thus much for our reasons for taking up this subject.
 It will be hardly possible to make any di- vision of the subiect-but we propose, in the first place, to speak of the common su- perstitions of the West. These are of more immediate importance, and they are besides more numerous and extensive than those Of the East We know both portions of the 1 Union, and we care not who hears US say, that, in regard to superstition, the common 1 people of the West are far behind those of the northeast. It Is owing to the general diffusion of knowledge there, and to the want of 1t here--,for, much as we like the West, we are not disposed to fatter it's people at the expense of the trith. The ancient be- liefs and notions which clung to the minds Of the fathers stlll cling to those of the ehil- dren. in this country---while in the East they have been gradually dissipated, till only few lifgering remnants remain.
 l Ii seems 10 be taken as an axiom, that every unluely event which happens, has its l forerunner, it's omen. Whenever person l IS to die, some singular noise IS certain to be heard, foretellng the event which IS about to happen. For example, 10 dream of two or three moons at once, Of ot mar riage, or to see a dog lying on his back. IS sure sign that some of your relations are about to die--and if you have no relations, it is sign that they mould die immediately if you had them. The creaking of bed post, and the ticking of a little bug in the wall, are also certain signs--and not long ago knew whole family thrown into hys- terics, because the father was sick, and strange noise was heard at midnight Some
 of the old women there were dozen III the house) compared 1t to groan some to a clapof thunder, but all agreed that II was an awful noise. They told the man, of course, and he sent for a preacher. There was fld- de in an empty trunk, and one of the strings had broken. It was q sign of something
 no doubt but the man recovered.
 1t IS Il received opinion that fl man ,s
 drowned, and his body not found, one ot his shirts thrown into the running stream,
 will be sure to stop exactly over the body. l A bundle of fodder, cut at particular tune
 of the moon, will have the same effect It must be cut at jus. such time, tor the moon 1 is very potent in this country she runs men crazy, and regulates the growth of po- ltatoes. If a woman has to churn little too llong. the cream is certainly bewitehed, and