The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1870-06-30
Popular supsrstitions.

we cup from an exchange the lollow-
ing gossip about some of those remnants
Of old superstitioDs in which no one
avowedly believes, while very few are
entirely uninhuenced by them:
Yes, sir, you will fud very few people
who do not entertain some superstition
or other, though perhaps very few will
admit it. ! hope no one viii adopt any
new ones f;om reading these remarks,
lnd | would like to impress upon pa.
rents the importance of hiding their
supcrslitious beliefs (if they cant over
come them , from the children, for su.
perstitions are certainly useless, and
often ipconvenieut, If they are no worse.
l was maintaining that nine persons
out of ten held some superstition, when
gentleman insisted upon it that he
hadn't a single one. ! lay in wait for
hnh, and at last l caught him. lie
didn't like to count the carriages at
fuDeral! Why? ooh, don't know"
A superstition, Mr.. Blank. Many wait
until whole funeral procession has
gone by, rather than 60 between the
carriages to cross the road.
A lady INSURED me she hadn't sin.
gle superstition One day her little
girl took up her mothers hat, which
was black Grape, and was going to put
il on her head. "Minnie," exclaimed
the mother, "don'tput that on" "WhyY"
said the child. because I'd rather
you would not" Then turning to me
she said, soto Uoce, somehow or other
never do like to have the children put
on any of my black Grape things" Su.
perstition, Mrs. Blank. Then if dog
howls at night, how many turn pale.
"Some one in the neighborhood is going
to die, sure" / must say was aston
ished one evening when dog howled
outside our windows, to see a really
good pious old Methodist lady deliber.
ately take off her slipper and turn it
wrong side up upon the rug. "Why,
Mrs. Meekandmild, what is that for I"
"Oh, they say if you hear dog howl
you must take off your slipper aud turn
it up" "Well, win your slipper be
enough to save the lives of all 10 this
house, or must each one Of US follow
suit y "lsn't it ridiculous 7" she said;
but noticed she allowed the slipper to
remain there until she was quite sure
that the dog had taken himself off out
of hearing. Even the old Dutchman
believed in that superstition, for he told
a friend, "De dog howl tretful last night,
and ven l take up mine paper this
morning, vot you links Somebody
died in Philadelphia :"
Then, how many believe that if the
scissors, knife, or any other sharp thing
fall to the floor and stands up straight
some visitor is coming. Why, I've
seen young ladies in the early morning
put down their sewing and take the
crimps ou. Of their hair an hour or two
earlier than usual, just because theiI
scissors fell off their lap and stuck W
straight.
If a blue bottle comes suddenly into
the room and whizzes around pretty in
dustriously. they say "a stranger i,
coming" q should say stranger haG
Gomez
One lady told me she wasn't super
stitious at all. But" she added
"there is one thing that do not like L
do, aud that is to break looking glass. y
| said, well, I don't suppose any one o
us would occupy ourselves with tha
little performance just for amusement
"0h, but" she went on TO say, II nevel
yet broke looking glass, or knew O
any one else breaking one, that the per
son breaking it, or some relative, didn'
die"
Some won't sing before breakfast fol
fear they should cry before night
Others wont give knife or scissors Il
a friend without making him give ,
penny or some amount of money for il
lest it should "cut love-" A gentleman
once asked me if l had three cents abou
me. said, "Yes, aud l mean to keey
them" "No you won't--you'll give
them TO me for this knife"-(a silver
mounted beauty, and very cheap for the
money)-so | purchased the knife frcu
him, and we remained very good friends
| was walking with lady the Other
day, and "stubbed" my toe against ,
stone. She turned and asked me Will
which foot | stumbled. Wonderingly
| asked her what possible difference il
made. She smiled, but insisted upor
knowing; so told her it was the right