The independent press. (Abbeville C.H., S.C.) 1853-1860, 1856-02-15
roR THE INDEPENDENT PRESS. I
Superstition.

tAoA 4aE iSuEfEHDEST PRESS.
Superstition.
INr. Editor: Is it not strange, passinr
strange, that in this enlightened age and
country, amidst the Developments of sci
ence and improvements OF the day, that su.
perstition should have taken hold upSSirn, the
public mindl I fear it argues the great
want Of a proper knowledge of God, and
the enjoyment Of pure religion among us as
a people. Superstition is the twin sister Of
ignorance, brought into the world by sin at
very carly period. (Gcn. iii u. g. Ir
this superstitious act, Qhc first that we have
on record,) we behold sin the cause, igno-
rance and superstition tho result. How very
foolish was it in ADAM and EVE to
e1deavor to hide themselves from the eye
Of Omniscienre, or flee from the omnipres-
ent God! AS men arc in darkness; and
strangers to the word and works of Deity,
they will be supers,itious; but as they en-
ter into the light Of Revelation. and obtain
a knowledge Of the will and :Rays Of God,
they arc freed from this baneful and distress
sing curse. 81 go.
II is true, superstition has thrown ito, ,hel-
lisl, gloom and its dreary mists over the
human race, in all countries, climesr and
ages. The ancient Jews, though taught in
partial Revelation, were not free from its
idolatrous apostacies. Egypt was its. nur-
sery, where it was cherished in ten thousand
forms. Temples were built, and priests ap-
pointed, while the multi,udes worshipped
Osiris and Isis, which were the two leading
gods of their thirty thousand imaginary de-
tiles, to whom they paid divine honors.-
Why think and write of olden times, while
the more modern history of the world shows
that superstition has held the empire of
mind in its debasing grasp.
One Of the forms ofsupersti,ion is witch
craft. JAMES the First wrote work on
the subject. and the English Parliament
legislated for the punishment of witches
with death. Districts were laid out, witch
finders appointed, cruel, wicked, ignorant
modes were adopted to find out the guilty.
In Germany and England thousands were
put to death.
soothsaying and astrology, another form
of gross superstition. The Romans, ChaI-
deans, Assyriaps, Egyptians, Greeks, Arabs
and the Drahmins Of India have all been
devoted to this supposed art. Closely allied
to this. and built on i, is the whole mis-
chievous and destructive isbric Of fortnne.
telling; and is it not strange aad humiIia-
ting to tell, that even in our own enlightened
country, thousands of otherwise enlightened
persons give their counte,,ance, and often
their money, to old degraded, ignorant, col
ored women, to tell them who they are to,
marry, and what shall be their fiitare for
tunes! 80 4as.
1t is true, there was time when eclipses
of the sun and moon were viewed Will,
great horror. Many would even faint on
such occasionsas Comets were Judged and
considered to be oraens Of wars, earthquakes.
famine Or pestilence. The Northern lights
so frightened beliolders AT one time, that
their imagiuations often fancied they be.
held horsemen, eharioisT and armies. But
the light Of. natural philosophy and the dis
coveties ofsseience have swept aside this
form Of supersti1ion. No one faints at an
eclipse, o. dies ofFHght at the a?Psarsnee
of acoRiet Yet we find supsrstitiop exis.s
among Us 10 forms top low and degraded
for scienceto daRie her angsr: viii but. Is
left lobe corrected f,y common sesse surh
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