The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-01-22
.Suncrxsit;ap.

/
erence b. it spoken, we doubt the truth of
this Glctsm exceedingly. Men Of the present
day feel their hair bristle up with awe, when
they see MAenrapy, in the character of H,snrr.
start at the ghost Of the royal Dane. and give
themselves up 10 all the illusions of the scene.
when they witness the reyelries of TtrAxtA
and OBEsoS, and tho queer mischief OF Puck.
Ii they can thus synpatlizc with the creations
OF an author who wrote three centuries we
cannot soc why they shotld not sylnpa thise
with the creations OF an author who wrote
three weeks ogo, provided, only, the latter
wrote as well rs the former. The truth is,
there is a pronencss to superstition inherentin
the mind of man, and those are by no means
the least affected who most affect 10 despise
il, 1t Is common remark that infdels are
the most credulous of the human species. and
by consequence, the most superstitious. They
viii believe anything but the Bible. They
give ready credencC to any miracle that is not
recorded in the sacred volume. A desire to
pry into the mysteries OF the Invisible world
is natural TO Gs all, and where desire is very
strong, belief comes very readily. Our
reason tells us that there are no such crea-
lures rs witches and fairies. Yet let our
reason be as powerful It's 1t may, it never COM
/ pletely gains the mastery over the impressions
/ left upon our minds by the tales of the nur-
/ cry. Set 1t in opposition to our Imagination
! md the struggle produces sort OF twilight of
The mind, in which we half believe and half
discredit, and which lasts through the remain
der of our lives. Whatever oHssoS may have
thought or said TO the contrary, there is Il vein
II superstition running through the human
mind just as perceptibly now as in the reign
/ Of Queen ELIzABgrH. He, himself, though
undoubtedly q powerful rcasoncr, believed in
the Cock Lane ghost.
We should be very 10th TO admit that we
! are more superstitous than the minority of
! men. Ii were TO tell us that he had
! cen an apparition, we should not believe
| him. II he were man deficient in truth, we
| should think he had lied. II he were
| Of undoubted veracity, we should believe his
| imagination had gotten the better OF his judg
| ment Yet We have never been able 10 sec
| why the appearance of an apparition should
! he set down as an impossible thing. The
! Scripture does not tell US that it is so. On
| the contrary the Witch of Endor raised the
! apparition of the prophet SAMUEL at the bid
dIhS OF Saul And why are we bound 10 be-
| licvc any thing connected with another exist
ehce impossible unless the Bible tells us il is
so All We know OF another world, we get
IAoiii tiiat DOOM ana we KNOW no more OF 1t
than exactly what ii has told US Nav the
world knows nothing of Supreme Being,
except through that volume We hear a
great deal, indeed. about the God of Nature
from certain philosophers who iii card the
Bible? Bnt how would they have known
anything about him. except through the Ri.
bic The God OF ABRAHAM of Isaac and of
JACOB is not only The true and only God. but
la Is lao oil oIl
drawn their images of the Supreme Being The
Greeks Were The Wisest of ancient nations in
all mortal wisdom. They had not the Bible,
and what sort of a God have they left for our
admiration SOCRATES alone seems TO have
approached somewhat to the conception of the
self-created, scif-eXistiug. eternal, and ON
npotent Being, Of whom The Jews knew by
revelation from The separation of ABRAHAM.
and SOCRATES was put 10 dea tn for teaching a
false religion. If God himself had nor or
daincd that lnan should have 40 conception
of him. except such as he derives from Holy
Writ how does il happen that The Indians of
America, and the SaNages of Polynesia. do
not have rs just Il conception OF Him n
modern philosopher? For our own part,
believe the Bible implicitly and iii matters
connected with the other world, we believe
nothing impos 7ible which it does not pro-
nouuce 10 be
In the mind. we verify believe Of every hui
man being, the Judgment keeps up struggle
with the imagination, which ends only with
| life. We never get over the lessons we mbibe
from servants. who are our earliest ms true
tors. our reason tells us, for instance, that
ghosts do not rise from the grave for the plea
sure OF sauntering about church yards of
dark nights Yet few men would volunteer to
pass night in n church yard. We know that
| Friday is as good day 10 begin Journey or
| to commence an undertaking as any other
Yet we have seen very many persons of sound
discretion, who would prefer any other day
of the week for such . purpose. Our reason
tells us that stepping over a fishing pole does
not entail upon it bad luck for the day Vet
we have seen many fisherman whom il an
noyed very much 10 step over his pole. We
feel assured that ii bodies no i'll luck 10 turn
back after having commenced 4 Journey. New
erthelessr we confess 10 very considerable
rcpusnancc on that score, arising entirely from
the teachings of the nursery. So with regard
to good and bad luck. We have seen many g
man who was very DESTROYS TO dream about
the numbers of lottery tickets we have
known several who purchased In consequence
of dreams. Others again select particular
the impression that they arc lucky men. All
this is superstition reason tells us it is So
But in spite of reason it will cling 10 us.
OF all the Glasses of superstition, PRESENT.
ments are the hardest to eradicate, and the
least within the reach of the judgment Men
have Il presentirnent that they shall die of a
disease very triiing in the beginning, and when
they take up that notion they are rarely ever
false prophets. A very dear friend of
own--a gentleman OF excellent sense and I'M
impeached character-well known in his day
TO many persons sill living in this city--in
the bloom OF youth, full of life, hope and
yigor both of body and nind-became i'm
pressed with the belief that he should die in d
certain year nine or ten years Off He felt no
uneasiness upon the subject. 1t made him
none the less cheerful or attentive to business
His friends used sometimes 10 rally him on the
subject, but il was always one on which he
was not disposed to jest The year came
passed through its first stages-and sure
enough. in the month of November, he died
just as he had anticipated. This was very
rare case. In general these presentiments
never are realized. On the contrary they are
oftener most ludicrously falsified by the event
Yet neither failure nor ridiculc can cure the
patient of his superstition.
The New York Militia.
The first effect of General SANpFoRDs offer
of ha First Division oft he Nav XorLr Mil