The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-06-11

INTO the nres ana looked ABOUT, as mucu no
to say, what do you think Of that
MIsCxLLAxY.
THE PHILOSOPHY OF SUPERsTITIoNs.-l
Many curious and absurd superstitiOns will
some traditional or philosophical origin
and explana. ion. That of thirteen persOns1
st table one will die within q year, is
distinctly traceable to our Lords last sup
per, where there were thirteen. and He
died. The splitting of salt is derived from
man, or having eafen Of his salt, binds You
to him. In the Indian mutiny the fact OF
having eaten of John COmpaDy's salt kept
many men faithful and 1t was constantly
thrown in the teeth Of those who broke
faith with us, "that they had eaten our
symbol of friendship would be considered
unlucky. Stammering at beginning q
speech means that IL you begin i'll you are
likely to go on ill and end badly. That
animals should be killed at certain time of
the month is most likely founded on the
fact of their meat keeping better at one
time than another, or being less likely TO
be purified by q weak and waning moon
than by strong and waxing moon.
Washing hands in water that has been used
by another, causing them either to kiss OF
quarrel, has bsen referred to PLATE wash
ferred to the older use and custom which he
illustrated, of washing an evil deed off his
hands into the water, which would con-
taminate the water or any that touched 1T.
How many ladies tell you to bow to the
new moon; that it is unlucky to see the
new moon through glass; to turn piece
of money in your pocket for luck the first
time you see the new moon which was
! at least as ancient as the time of job, who
emphatically declares that he has never
| kissed his hand to the moon. A great deal
of curious matter ia to be found in these
notions. Among fishermen there is belief
that salmon weighs more when dead than
when just caught, apropos of q man weigh
| ing more when dead than when alive, and
| which is very likely true, as when the lungs
are inflated q man really weighs less,
otherwise why does he float higher in wa
teri
The Princess Pauline de Metternich, who
now lives at the capital of Austria, devotes
her whole time and energy to. collecting
funds for the relief of the suffering French.
Early one morning che sent one of her
footmen with the list Of contribution to
Mr.. o., a wealthy banker, who at the
time was yet in bed. The list ia presented
to the nabob on o silver tray. He looks at
it, hands it back, yawnipg and saying,
ooh. if the princess herself had come, l
should have subscribed five thousand
FORMS" Early on the following morning
the banker was awakened again, and a
closely yelled lady was ushered into his
presence. She removed her veil, and the
astonished banker saw that this fair visitor
was no other than the Princess de Meter
Mich. You told my servant yesterday,
she said to him, you would subscribe
five thousand forms if l would call on you
myself. Here am, and here is the list. >
There was no help for it. The banker had
to subscribe the sum, and the princess left
rejoicing.
QUEER Ep1rAPHs.-There is censor Of
epitaphs in Paris who declares that out Of
two thousand and odd epitaphs submitted
to him yearly five or six hundred are i'll
spelt, as many more ungrammatical, and Q
hundred or SO "perfectly grotesqye." In
"Here lies Mdme. Adeline C, good
wife. She would have done for her hus.
band what the pelican does for its young
"Mdlle. Marie Louise E.: She was
an angel upon earth. What will she be iI
heaven!!!!" (The four points of exclama.
ton are in the Originally .
"M. F. H, aged forty, deeply regret
} ted by his widow and by his brother, WHIT
is knight of the Legion of Honor"
"Emile c., three years and a half
: His life was one of selfdenial and sacri
fee"
, man! Ohe Ma'am Joabertp were his Las
words"
f A good anecdote is told of Captain Tenn
, pie, of the United States steamer Tennes
see. At the attack on Fort Fisher, hi
r ship took fire from shell in the next roor
r to the magazine. One of the little messen
4 ger tug-boats was plying about the ship
And sns finally hs,eS s0 haF shSVs,'de csps sal
the tug captain. 1--WE are on fire." sal
9 Temple, "next to our powder msgazint
= and thought it might possibly interest o
: to know that we are likely to blow up i
Q about three minutes unless we get the FL
q under" The suddenness with which til
. tug-captain rang four bells. and the tn
y plunged on a bee-line was laughable,
. spite of the critical nature of tho situation
y A PRACTICAL JoKE.-The worst jok
# that was ever perpetrated on scientif
It men took place recently at Louisiana, Nj
d A man was sick with rheumatism, OF some
IL thing, and a fellow went around to I'll
= doctors aud professors and things, and tol
10 them that it was the queerest case q
h record. He said the man had no feelin
If You could stick pins in his body all owe
L. and he paid no attention to them at al