The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-20
THE JULY MAGAZINES.
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Smith, who has been its editor from the COM
mencement, will withdraw, and will be sue
ceeded by Mr.. John Foster Kirk, the author
of 1.-The History of Charles the Bold" Mr.
Smith proved himself to be an able editor,
and he gave the magazine literary standing
at the very start that placed it beside the
Oldest and best in the country.
The list of articles in the July number is
as follows
''Petticoat Influence on the Government
of England, by Justin Mccarthy; ''The
Winds, Poem, by Cecil Dare; ''Two Let
ters, Tale, by Mrs. w. A. Thompson; son
the Theory of Evolution" Part I, by Pro-
fessor Edw. d. Cope; ''A Week among the
Mormons," by Miss Annie Morris; ''Shall we
Despair of the Republics" by Rev. Walter
Mitchell; "a Ghost as Modern Convent
ence," by Mrs Margaret Hosmer; 'Lake Su-
perior and the Sault Sainte Marie, by Isaac
Aiken; "Epigram," by Robert M. Walsh;
1.-The Loss of the Oneida" by Henry HI.
Goodrich; ''Sir Harry Hotspur of Humbleth-
waite, novel, Part III, by Anthony Trollope
'Negro Superstitions, by Thaddeus Nerris
Paramount Park" by Malcolm Maceuen;
''Miss Tigg's Secret" by j. w. Watson;
''Russia in Central Asia, by Charles Morris;
''Our Monthly Gossip" Literature of the
Day."
The paper by Thaddeus Norris on ''Negro
Superstition" is one of much interest. This
is a subject with which Mr.. Norris is perfectly
familiar, and the anecdotes he relates are
both curious and valuable. We make the
following extracts from this article:-
= Al.
branded on the door of negro cabins as bar
to witches and the devil. There are also the
''conjuring gourd' and the frog-bones and
pounded glass carefully hidden away by many
an old negro man or woman, who by the dim
light of tallow candle or pine torch works
imaginary spells on any one against whom he
or she may have grudge. There are also
queer beliefs that are honestly maintained
One is, that the cat-bird carries sticks to the
devil, and that by its peculiar note, ''Snake,
snake" it can call snakes to its rescue and
drive away those who would rob its nest.
Another is, that every jay-bird carries a
grain of sand to the internal regions once
a year, and that when the last grain of
said is so taken away from the earth the
world will come to an end; all of which, of
course, is at variance with Father Millers
calculations. Then there is q belief in GER
tain affinity and secret communication be-
animals. Many persons have observed
negro's way of talking to his dog or to
horse "Aunt Bet" will say as she is milking,
''Stan' aroun' now, you hussy, you. You
want to git you foot in de piggin, do you ?'
and the cow with careful tread and stepping
high will assume more favorable position.
Among the mythical animals of the woods
is the moonack. 1t is generally supposed to
live in a cave or hollow tree. The negro who
Nit in &c
doomed. His reason is impaired until he
becomes a madman, or he is carried off
by some lingering malady. The one who
has the misfortune to encounter it never
RECEIVERS from the blasting sight; he dares
not speak of it, but old, knowing negroes
will shake their heads despondingly and
say, ''He's gwine to die; he's seed de moo
mack"
Many of these superstitions, as the efficacy
of the frog-bones and conjuring gourd, are
no doubt handed down from their African
ancestors A few years back the rites of the
''Hoodoo" were practiced and believed in in
the city of New Orleans. Fro N the descrip-
ton / have had from those who have wit
messed the ceremony, it must have resembled
the incarnation scene in Macbeth.
Negroes are naturally suspicious of each
other-that is, of some secret power or in
fluence those of greater age have over them
and will entrust their money and health and
well-being to white persons with perfect con-
fidence, while they are distrustful of those of
their own color. 1 cite the following as a
case in point-its truthfulness 1 can vouch
fora gentleman in Alexandria, Virginia,
had an old servant by the name of Fri
day, who filled the Office of gardener
and n-of-all-work about his premises.
One summer, Friday, from some cause
unknown to his master, was very failing"
He lost his appetite, his garrulity, his loud
ringing laugh, became entirely incapable of
attending to his duties, and appeared to be
approaching his last end. On questioning
him closely, he told his master, with some
reluctance, that he was suffering from a spell
that had been put upon him by Aunt Sina,
the cook, who was some years older than
himself. When pressed hard for some proof,
he said that he had seen her, one moonlight
night, raise one of the bricks in the pave
ment leading from the portico in the street,
near the gate, and place something under it
which he knew was a charm, for he had tried
several times, without avail, to raise the
brick; and that he could not even see that it
had ever been moved. Further that
he had frequently heard Aunt Sina
muttering something to herself which he
could not understand, and on one occasion
saw her hide something in her chest, which
he was pretty sure was a conjuring gourd
All of this, he said, was part of the SPELL
that all the physic he had taken was of no
avail; that he was troubled with constant
misery in his head, and was certain he was
going to die.
His master, knowing how useless it
would be to endeayor to reason him
out of such belief, and being a prac-
tical wag, determined to treat Friday s
case with a like remedy. He accordingly
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