The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-11-01

HALLOWEEN. There is perhaps no night Ill th
year which has been stamped witt moro pecu
liar character than that of the 31st OF OCTOBER
The games then practiced are clearly a relic o
Pagan times, ;or there is nothing IN tho churci
observance of 'sAll Saints Day to have orlGIna
ted such extraordinary notions as are cohhec'''
w. i, this festival. The idea respecting halloween
is that it is the time of all others when superna
tural Influences prevail. 1t is night set apar
for unver sal walking abroad OF spirits; ana dNi
nation is then believed to attain its highest power
and the gift OF calling spirits from the Vas'l
deep becomes available to all who chose TO aVal
themselves of the privilege. Different rites lol
the invocation of spirits are practlced, by WHICH
the experimenters obtain a knowledge OF theil
future life and learn the result OF their love al
fairs. The ceremonies are now OF light ana
sportive character, but there were formerly
others of a more werd-like and fearful doscrip-
ton, which have fallen into disuse. BURNS
poem OF Halloween gives full description OF tho
tireslde customs of this night, but, in ALL the ell
feet is the same,-the appearance OF the 1uture
husband or wife of the experimenter. Chldreh
born on this evening were supposed 10 possess
supernatural powers, such as the gift OF second
sight, and perceiving and conversing with spirits
invisible to less favored mortals.
ALL SAINTS DAY-This festival, which Is cele-
brated on the first of November, follows tnat oI
All Hallow Eve or Halloween, and takes Its origin
from the conversion, in the seventh century, OF
the Pantheon at Rome into Christian ace Oh
worship, and its dedication by Pope boN1FAcE
". to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs.
This event was at first commenorated on the first
of May, but was subsequently changed to the nrst
OF November, which, under the designation ol AL
Saints Day, was set apart as general festival
Ii has been retained by the Anglican Church. In
the Roman Catholic Churches to-day the services
| will be as on Sunday.
| NovEMBER.--This is generally regarded as 'he
gloomiest month of the year, and was styled py
the ancient Saxons W;nt-n,onaf, or the "ihu
month, from the gales that are prevalent at this
season of the year. 1t was also called the BIOL
monath, or the bloody month, from the large num-
Der of cattle that were then slaughtered for winter
| use.
In more temperate climes there is, perhaps, less
enjoyment derivable from external objects IN NO
vember than in any of the twelve DIVISIONS Oh tne
year; it has been popularly regarded as the month
of blue devils and suicides, but in this climate 1t
is bright and cheerful season. The Indian Sum-
mer frequedtly extends through the entire month";
and the beautiful weather then enjoyed makes 1t
one of the most exhilarating months OF the year.
Except in the sunny South November has always
borne the character of clustering, disagreeable
month, and leaden skies, dense fogs and heavy
rains are not unfrequent occurrences. These
gloomy features are peculiarly applicable to the
climate of England, and were happily described
| by the inimitable humorist, THOMAS HOOD, in the
| following stanzas:
| .No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease
No comfortable fuel in any member;
No shade, no shine, no butterflies no Dees;
No fruits. no flowers no leaves no buds;
November.
RETRBUTIvE JUsTICE.-An old colored man, who
had sold his crop for $780, went up to Graver's
wagon yard to buy some supplies. While there,
he was accosted by Joe Mitchell, q fashy colored
youth, who, finding out that he had money rung
in with him, and having succeeded in winning the
| old mans confidence made off with the money.
The case was Immediately reported to the Detec-
tives, who soon arrested the guilty party and s53
in money and goods were recovered. Mitchell was
turned over to the Court tried and convicted, on
last Wednesday morning. He will sentenced in
few days, and will be prevented from indulging
in his grasping propensities for some time.
The CHARLESTON ZRITUNa.-Our sprightly Ger
man contemporary, in its last issue, says:
ssWe are very much gratifed at the kindly notice
the daily press of the city have taken of our enter
prise, and desire to express our thanks for the
same. Besides the object OF furnishing an organ
| in their own language to our German countrymcn,
we have deemed 1t Of great assistance in the
| measure OF immigration, to possess medium of
correcting many misrepresentation that are now
disseminated in Germany by partizan press, sub
sidiZed by Northern and Western agencies In
this view it may perhaps appear proper to such
even OF our fellow-cltizens, as are unac1nalnteu
with the language of our paper, to encourage its
circulation and advertising custom. But those
especially that have their children taught the Ger
man, should put our Zeitung into their hands as
valuable auxiliary Of instruction. They may take
our assurance that nothing will be admitted into
our columns that can be in the least Objectionable.
We have determined to avoid all criminal details,
and to write and select only such articles as shall
be really useful. We would rather be instructive
than spicy and entertaining. If it shall ap ear
then that our enterprise is deserving Of approval,
let the public not fail to award it,"
The ARTEsIAN WEIL.-About the year 1S45 it
was decided in Council to have an artesan well
bored, which should supply the city with water,
and the superintendent OF the work was assigned
| to General A. Fl. BRISBANE. He commenced bor-
ing in the lot at the corner of Meeting and Went
worth Streets but met with success, and, after
trial of some months, relinquished the attempt.
Major WELDON the present engineer and superin-
| tendent, was appointed in 1S4S, and commenced
operations on the same lot. The first well was
pleted in 1854, having been sunk to depth Of
1850 feet, and yielding, from S-inch bore, forty
gallons per minute at the surface, and twenty-five
gallons at height Of 10 feet The we'll now being
bored was commenced in 1856, and in 1860 had
reached depth OF 1900 feet. At this depth the
| quick-sand was reached, and by the influx OF
water this sand was forced up the tubing nearly
800 feet. In endeavoring to remove this sand a
bucket was caught, and the suction was so great
that it could not be removed. The war soon inter-
rupted all proceedings and for some years the
work was abandoned and the scafolding allowed
to decay. BY the present Council an appropria-
tion OF $4,000 was made for the prosecution of the
work, and new fixtures and apparatus were fur
nshed Major WELDON has labored steadily to OK
tricate the bucket, and would have succeeded but
for some distractions that have recently been
| lodged in the tube. The appropriation was not
sufficient to continue the work, and, for the past
few weeks, it has practically been at an end.
The recent report OF the Retrenchment Com
mttee advises the discoutnuance OF all work on
the artesian well, and recommends that man be
appointed to keep the lot and property, at salary
of twenty-five hundred dollars per month. This
is sad blow to those parties who have fondly ex-
pected to have our city supplied with water from
these wells but the experiment has been tried for
many years, and large sum of money has been
literally sunk in these wells without obtaining
the anticipated result. For some time the arte-
sian we'll will be but monument of the past, and
it will depend upon the future prosperity of the