Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-01-15
DAILY EVENING STAR.
THE BUGGABOO.
By THE MILFORD BARD,

s'The mightest minds that ever shed their light
Ger the worlds dark interminable night,
Have how'd at Superstition's gloomy shrine.
With all the zeal that marks the mind divine:
Have started at the phantoms fancy made,
Nor saw the weakness that their fears betrayed"
A distinguished philosopher has said, that
early impressions seldom or never fade.
The question may be asked, why are some
persons so much more superstitious
| much mere fearful in solitude and darkness
than others The question is easily an
swered. The tales of ghosts, goblins, and
buggaboos which are told in the nursery,
and eagerly listened to in early life, are the
prolific source of more than half the SUPER
stition that sits like an incubus on the
human mind. The horrible stories related
to children in the nursery by the ignorant
nurse, and even at the freside by parents,
have caused many child to be afraid of
his own shadow, and made many a man a
coward through life. Who has not sat in
childhood by the winter evening freside
and listened to tales of ghosts, uutil he was
afraid to 60 to bed, or even to look round?
Remember, parents of this enlightened age,
that these impressions never fade: but
cling to the mind through after life, causing
many an hour of anxiety and terror Never
suffer the nurse to frighten your children
with the tales of ghosts and goblins, and
they will never fear darkness more than
light; the solitary grave-y yard will have no
terrors for them; neither will they start
with alright at vague object in the dark
knowing the evil effects of nursery tales
myself, once requested my mother not to
suffer the nurse. or any other person, to
poison the mind of young brother, then an
infant, with those superstitious stories.-
The Injunction was strictly observed and
the boy grew up entirely free from fear, and
unshackled by superstition. The terrors
which haunt the minds of other children,
troubled him not. He felt no alarm when
he entered the dark room alone, or traversed
the lonely church-yard. AS proof that
his mind was not imbued with that fearful
ness so common to children, will relate the
following test to which subjected him when
he was but ten years Of age.
On table in the room where wrote. sat
human skull, which 1 had brought from
the University of Pennsylvania. One night,
about eight o'clock, said, Tom, what will
you ask to 60 up to my room, alone in the
do brin <l, el,, III, -
table? Will you do it for dollar?''
YES"
"Will you for half dollar!" l inquired.
eyes"
"Will you for quarter %
Why, brother, John," said he with
smile, 81 ana not afraid I'll bring it down
for nothing"
And away he went, though it was so
dark that he had to grope his way but in
few minutes he returned, bearing in his
hand the identical human skull
"Uh." exclaimed his young sister, 81
would not have done it for the world.''
Aud indeed how many children can now
Uc lOuuu WHO WOulu 1ecl no terror In per-
forming such task Yet that skull was
nothing more than piece of wood of the
the same size. There is no inherent cause
of alarm in dead body. That horror
which pervades the mind, originates in the
early impressions which are said never fade.
Some of the greatest men that have ever
adorned the pages of history or dignifed
the world, have been as superstitious as the
most ignorant. 1t is false idea to sup
pose that none but the ignorant are super
stitious. DR.. johnson, who has been aptly
styled the great Leviathian of English liter
ature, was firm believer in ghosts, and
excited great alarm in London at one time
in consequence of the appearance of one in
that city, great notoriety to which was given
by the Doctor. it is we'll known that the
celebrated John Wesley, the founder of
Methodism, was no less believer in these
airy visitants and bugbears of the brain,
than was DR.. Johnson; ample proof of