American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-09-07
Sovereign Remedies.

In spite of the boosted enlightenment of
the nineteenth century, and in the face of
the signal advance of medical science, the
number of sUperstitiOus remedies now in
use among the common people, especially
in England, is surprisingly great.
This is a charm for the cure of the
ague; it is to be written OIL a piece of pa
per. read solemnly, the paper then folded,
knotted, and never thereafter opened.
''When Jesus saw We cross, whereOn
His body shout be crucified. His body
shook, and we Jews asked Him had He
the Ague? He answered and said ::
Whosoevcr keepeth this in mind or wri-
or Ague,' so Lord help Thy servant trust
ing in Thee
This. however. calls for an exercise of
faith. with very little work. Another
remedy for the same is more tangible, if
not quite so pleasant to the palate. 1t Is
nothing more or less than to take a spi-
der, the larger the better, envelOp it with
coating of dough or preserved fruit. and
then swallow the bolus. Its virtue is said
TO be so great that the inhabitants of the
Emerald Isle are credited with its use at
the present day: as also of the following,
which is said to be quite as certain in its
ef1ects-and it no doubt is-tO the insect.
which is put into a bottle, that is then
corked tight and buried. As the insect
VINO will soon entirely recover.
Such Il remedy is certainly preferable
to the one preceding it. or to eating a
large slice of bread, on which candle-snuff
has been spread with butterand molasses.
a popular prescription in some parts of
England, and which is made more effect
i've if the patient washes the mOrsels down
with water from the nearest church-font.
For bleeding at the nose, a toad is to be
killed, and carried in bag suspended
from the patients neck. The length of
time for which this is to be worn is not
stated, but the remedy is one which.
with variations" Sir Kenelm Digby
recommends for many ailments.
In the Orkney Islands, when any one is
attacked with hemorrlage, or bleeding at
the nose. the nearest old crone is sent for.
who slowly mutters over the sufferer:
Three virgins came over Jordan land,
Each with bloody knife in her hand;
SteI:', blood, stcm-I.etherly stand;
Bloody nose Tor MOUTH, in Gods maine, mend!''
In DevOnshire, they repeat the follow
ing: .sOur blessed Savior was born in
Bethlehem, and baptized in the liver Jor-
dan;
sThe waters were wild and rude,
The child, Jesus, meek, mild, and good. ,
He put his foot into the waters, and the
waters stopped and so shall thy blood, in
the name of the Father. Son, and Holy
Ghost. '"-Appletom' Journal.
A Tight Squeeze.
The late Mr.. Lyman Raymond, foT
many years much-respected merchant at
Bridgewater, Vermont, used to relate the
following anecdOte of one of his acquaint-
ances. and vouched for its truthfulness.
A miller in small town in Vermont
was, at intervals, temporarily insane for
several days together. and at those times
he imagined himself to be in another world
the world that is to come-and the
Judge of all the earth. He built a large
platform nearly ten feet from the ground,
and seated thereon in an armchair. with
ponderous Bible in hand, he imagined a
large concourse of people to be before
him. and proceeded to question them con-
corning their former occupation, conduct,
ETC., answering the inquiries himself. At
length he came to a miller residing in an
adjoining town, and questioned him thus:
what was your occupation in yondcr
wOrld?''
"A miller, Sir"
Ibid you ever steal any grain:''
YES. Sir
what did you do with it,"
Used it myself. Sir
'.You may 90 to the wron" side of the
question: said the pretended judge, un-
hcsitatin"ly.
Finally. after judging all others, he pro-
ceeded to treat himself likewise.
What was your occupation in yond.
worltl?'' he asked of himself.
"A miller, Sir
IBID you ever steal any grain?''
eyes. Sir
''What did you do with it?''
Made bread of it, and gave the bread
to the poor
Then he Eesitated, scratched his head
and seemed to be engaged in deep thought
for several minutes, and finally said:
"WeD. you may 90 to the right side of
the question. but = it - is "A - tight
squeeze '-Ha1pes,s' foy. September.