The independent. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Kan.) 1860-1874, 1863-12-12
for the 9atle folk.
GHOSTS AND WITCHES.

One Of the most injudicious acts
that a parent or guardian can COM
nit, is to tell or allow TO be told be-
fore his children, the astonishing
stories of ghosts and witches. which
make up SO large part of the even
ing conversations of certain old per-
sons, whose minds are filled with
such things to the exclusion OF more
useful information. Children who
listen to those weird narratives OF
fictitious occurrences, early imbibe
one of the worst forms of supersti-
tion, and it is frequently the case that
these early impressions last through
all subsequent life, and color and
darken many of its brightest hours.
All, with what distinctness do we
remember scenes Of this kind, which
were engraved upon our memory
almost in infancy. Aged people
gathered around the hospitable fire.
the old fashioned fire, before the gloo-
my stoves were vogue, which burn
ed SO brightly on the hearth. Phan-
toms were made to walk before our
+. Young Imagination, and ghosts were
called up from their quiet rest, to
haunt the mind for nights after
wards. Witches, too, tied knots
in horses names which could not be
unraveled; cows were suddenly seiz-
ed with fatal maladies and died in
night, because some poor old bag OF
woman became angry at their
owners.
Who cannot recall such expert
ence as thesel who has not listened
TO similar tales! But what is as sin
pular as the stories themselves, is the
fact that they are always repeated
a, night! We cannot call to mind
single instance in which daylight
was made TO blush by witnessing
such an event. Night was the cho-
sen time for these wonderful revel-
atoms, as it is for the appearance OF
ghosts and the journeying of WITCH
es, though the latter did sometimes
walk abroad in the day time, to make
their threats.
. Yes, it was always at night; and
we we'll remember how often we
have had our feelings so wrought
upon as to almost make the hair
stand on end; and as for going Out
into the darkness, that was almost
too severe a tax upon young couy ,ge
II forced out into the night for an
armfull Of wood, or for any other
purpose, fancy painted a thousand
hideous or frighful images, and we
would imagine whole troops of COB
Inns at our heels, expecting every
moment TO hear their unearthiy
scresching in our ears! Better be.
lieve We made tracks for the house
under such circumstances! Even .
ghost would have had a smart race
to oyertake US after we were under
Roadway.
As for the dreams which followed
these evenings Of astonishing stories
we can only say that they wer'
peopied with skeletons dressed il
white, dry, skinny, sallow old won
en-, and heaps Of suffering cattle il
the agonies of death, with a regi
ment Of imps holding a jubilee owe
their dead and dying carcasses!
How many ofmy readers can cal
to mind nights of similar unrest
when the excited Imagination bro
armies Of spirits about their pillows
The impressions made by thes,
tales upon almost infantile minds i
most unfortunate and pernicious
They remain through life; and tho
in ripper years the judgment pro
nounces against them, and reason
ridicules.yet 10 some unguarded mo
ment, when reason is at rest and
judgment asleep, the mind will be
surprised by its old enemy, supersti.
lion, aud for a time made subject &c
its rule.
Such things ought not to be. Pa
rents should be careful how they
expose their children to such bane.
ful influsnces. With some organi.
cations the effects of such stories
never cease. but continue ever after
TO cast their spell over the mind
and seriously destroy The enjoyment
or cripple the powers Of the victim.
No torture is more acute than that
produced by mental suffering, and
none Of this species Of pain is more
dreadful than the slavish fear which
has its foundation in superstition.
Parents cannot be too careful in
keeping ghost and witch stories from
the ears Of their children. They
ought to put every person out OF
their houses who should attempt to
repeat them, ii they will not behave
by. aeA;le admonitions. Children.
never d. you believe a single ghost
or witch story you hear. They are
all fabficaiions, and intelligent peo-
u Ill "a L., c~c-he &ell:, ..,~L