The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-04-06

II superstition Is not 80 powerful or
demonstrative as it was century ago,
wo daily have abundant evidence that it
iis4Wte rs rife end -,sjshstandb tntellec
tnalsprogress more fir4ly Manfant other
elasasof ignorancs: Wathih the past few
|'monthe: ne Payelhad dHcceesive accounts
q expeditions fitted out to tecoveEsburied
than the pretended revelations of clair
voyants. Only few weeks ago, o party
was discovered digging, upon the banks
OF the Hudson, for some supposed buried
treasure of the late Captain Kidd, OF
ireebooting memory; AMI, more recently,
perfect furOre existed in San Francisco
to rip open tho bowels Of Angel Island.
in search Of 500, 900 Mexican doubloons,
asserted. to have been buried there bysnn
ldlotic old negro, who, as is generally the
case, revealed the secret on his death
bed. Even to-day, cheerful old
maniac is delving into the side of New
Hampshire hill, never leavipg his work
day or night, in search Of some tabled
treasure, such as haunted ltheyimagina-
ton Of old-time voyagers after Prester
Johns kingdom. Such Recommendations
as these. who may all be classed as more
or less the victims Of ignorance, do not
constitute the entire class OF :nperstitious
people. On tho contrary, we find them
plentifully represented among the intelli-
gent, the wealthy and the more respecta-
bie, and have oply to search the adver-
tlsing columns of any cosmopolitan
newspaper to be fully convinced that
they, are sufficiently numerous to form
the basis of q profitable trade and good
living to thousands Of charlatans. An
amusing instance in illustration, was
afforded, recently, in New York, by O
police descent, made upon the ''saw-dust
swindlers," the parties who haye been
deiuging the country, for the past two
Or three years. with confidential letters,
Offering to dispose of counterfeit money.
Besides cart-lond Of letters from victims
OF the counterfeit money swindle, oil of
whom were actuafsd by dishonest mo-
tivcs, bundles upon bundles of letters
We're found, written in response TO tho
other extraordinary propositions we see
go freely advertised in the newspapers.
Pretended receipts to make the old
young, the homcy beautiful, to enchain
the affections. to prolong life, to make
immensely large fortunes without labor,
etc. One barrel contained about 90, 600
letters. all written in answer to an adyer-
tisement which promised, for the mode
rate compensation OF thirty cents, to
send 'the portrait of husband and date
Of marringe of any young lady who was
anxious to get married" Hundreds of
these notes were. on beautifully-tinted
and highly perfumed note paper, aud
the writing was of the first order One
letter was from the daughter ota wealthy
New York merchant; others. were from
girls in. the Southern Statssssss. All of
them were q request (enclosing thirty
cents for ways and means in regard to
some nice young man. Not one of the
1000 had been answered, 80 it is to; be
supposed that their authors are still
ignorant iof any premonition Of the bliss
in store for them, and the swindlers are
tho richer by $4,000. Although some Of
the missivcs may have been indited in a
spirit Of fun, yet it is very plain that the
grosscst superstition must have prompted
by fur the greater majority, thus reveal
ing in this single instance. an amount Of
stupidity and folly almost Incredible in
the blazing light of the nineteenth cen.
tury. Here, then, is field to be cult
vated by popular teachers. There is no
Disgusting the fact that superstition is
yet frightfully prevalent, and that. if we
do not burn witches and perform meant
atoms of did6lerie, it is not from any
scarcely Of existing votaries.
Nc,o Orleans Times.
STATISTICAL FAcr.-If all tho bedbugs.
rLts, mice and reaches that have becn slai
by IsAAcsES's 'Sung TOP" wore laid out in
be- twice as long as tho Atlantic cable. Sold
bY alt druggists, N..!. F l6 TN 4.