Wilmington daily commercial., 1873-07-30

some curious ones, and add to recent list,
few more, which are not, as l believe, include
in the lists of other localities. l.4. f.
The belief in omens among the ignorant ant
unlearned is almost universal. By associatip,
with the ignorant and euperstitious in early life
many persons get 30 accustomed to regard Ger
tain signs az true that when they afterwards be
come educated, it is hard to eradicate early i'm
pressions.. which they know to he false, from
| their minds.
gentleman having an attack Of acute lumba
go was gravely Informed by graduate OF college
that to carry raw potato in his pocket was ,
snre preventive frem such attacks. And wher
laughed at for the superstition. the graduate sale
| ii was " fact and that " half the members OF
Congress carried raw potato in their pockets y
Two days before heavy rain, one of the heav
lest this season. a lady OF education aud refine.
ment said to me she was sorry to see the moon
| quarter 20 far North. " why" said l. 20 II
is sure sign OF dry moon" do not suppose
she changed her mind when, two days after the
rain literally poured down in torrents, till the
streets we're hoOded and this was again and still
again repeated within the same week until
another observed, " 1t seems to rain very easily
| af er euch dry time as we have had"
1t matters not whether "sign" ever comes
| true or not II an ignorant or superstitous
father or mother believes it, it is perpetuAted
| from generation to generation. Most OF the
| supsrstitious signs believed in by tile white peo-
/ pie can be traced back to an uuenlightened an
| cestry in the several nations from whence they
| came, or else the superstitions have come from
mingling with the colored race, who, having been
kept in ignorance, have transmitted the curse
OF superstition to their white oppressors Many
OF the crimes of the ignorant, well "a their in
dlViduai eufferlngs grow out of some eupersti-
| tious notion, One man has died who firmy be-
loved that he had snake in his leg aad who
spent all his earnings except what he used for
drink. to obtain relief through the incantat ions
OF an exorcist. Every week, at just such an
hour, the exorcist would perform his iuoanta-
tiODS, SOmetimpH le WOuld the aarp al
most out of the mans leg, with the aid Of whis-
key, and then the horrld thing would slip back
again and so. without relief, the man died.
Another man who believed in the power of
"twigs" to turn the hand where water was to be
found dug ninety feet, in obedience to this
perstitior, without finding water. Four rods
from thcre he found lasting water at the depth
of sixteen feet,
Gees Nine" well known to some who will
read this article, blasted and DUG through
dirt and rock, distance of seventy feet, direct
ed by the dip OF a ''hazel magnet" in the hands
OF an expert, two men working steady aud
boarding the travelling expert for four or five
months, when he gravely informed them that
chest OF gold had removed some fifty feet where
the digging and blasting was renewed, until tue
expert was missing on the arrival of Spring, and
the folly ceased
Tho very low and ignorant have sigu for al
most everything Moon signs are very nunier-
GUS ; for instance:
II you the new moon through the limbs or
btduCHes Vi d tres u lh Ddu LUCK 10 bb0 tue
new moon over the right shoulder is good luck
to see it over the left shoulder is bad luck
Potatoes planted in the full of the moon go to
potatoes; Il in tho quarters,to tops.
So OF all root crops Seeds must be sown
calves, pigs, and babies weaned in tue moon
The man IN the moon has much to do with the
affairs of onr earth. aocurdI'is ~ tueso silly
dreamers. They think nothing OF the induance
of the light of the 1on, or its attraction, but OF
the sign. whether it the head, lolns or feet.
chimney took fire on the last quarter of the
moon. ''WIat shall we do r. sli1 poor creature
wrnging her hands, I'VE shall surely go into
poverty" why, it is nothing but the chin
ney' said bystander. Yes. but 1t is such a
bad sign to have the house take hre in the old
of the moon"
II you meet pig, whom going on visit, you
are not welcome, but il you meet Il sheep, you
are welcome.
The signs connected with Friday would make
a small volume. To sum them up il is bad luck
to start a journey, commences any business shear
sheep, kill a beef, buy farm, sign deed or
marry, on Friday.
Ii you commence a garment on Friday you
will not live to wear it OFT II you SOW seed you
will not live to eat the grain il you start jour
ney, it will not be prosperous, or If voyage you
will be wrecked. Ii you eat meat on Friday,
your stomach will be filled with violent pain.
Baby signs are very numerous. II baby do
scends before it ascends (stairs for example,) it
will never rise in society bat descend. Ii it as
cends before it descends, it will stand higher in
society than its parents.
But il Won wash his hands before he is six
months old, he will be a thief 30 they must be
wiped.
Ii you cut baby'a nails before it is year old,
it will be light fingered.
II you make the child any garment when it is
sick, it will never recover.
II you break looking glass the party to whom
it belongs will lose his best friend.
II you kill a buZZard, or fish hawk, some ter
rihle calamity will come upon you.
II you meet funeral procession, and do not
take on yonr hal, the evil spirits that accompany
the procession will be angry, and You may lose a
cow, or pig, or meet with some other loss.
If you present any sharp instrument to a
friend, it will cut the friendship between you.
1t is Ill luck to ind a knife or any cutting in
strument.
II you miss your mouth in conveying food in
to it is an evil omen. II you put your left foot
out of bed first in the morning, everything will
go wrong during tho day you will be cross; if
you put ont tho right foot first you will be plea
SAINT, l know mother who always said to her
children. be sure and put your right foot out OF
bed first tomorrow morning.
Young girls in some localities, as well as some
not 20 young, have many signs, and try them
too.
Take teaspoonful of salt and teaspoonful
of Indian meal aud swallow it and go to be d
without speaking, and you will dream of your
future companion
Count nine stars, three nights in succession.
and whatever name is first montlonet, II that OF
the opposite sex, will be your husband or wife.
Wash your face and hands in cold water, on
going to bed and you will dream OF your future
companion.
Count the joists in your bed chamber and go
to bed backwards, and you will dream of your
future companion.
Go to fence and pick nine splinters, and re-
tnrn to the same door, walking backwards, and
put them in the fire and let no one know it.
Whatever name is mentioned while they are
burning will be your future companion, il of
the opposite sex.
Put piece of wedding cake under your pill
low, on going to bed, and you will dream of your
future husband.
When you sleep in a strange bed, name each
OF the bed posts with the name of favorlte and
whichever one you dream of will be your hus-
band.
Whatever you dream the first time you sleep
in house will surely come to pass.
II you hear a dog howl in the night, it is
sign of death.
A death watch, (Which is very small spider
making noise like the slight tick OF clock) is
a sign that you are going to die.
II you 81 art to go anywhere and turn back, 1t
is bad luck. But if you sit down after going
back and spit on the hearth, the bad luck is
broken.
II your chair falls backward when you rise from
it, you will not marry in year.
II you break a needle i'll making garment 1t
will be a wedding garment.
II you begin to make garment for yourself,
| on Saturday, you will not live to wear it out.
Our weather prophet says three white frosts in
| snecessiye nights will bring rain.
/ haxya ann mn nAa1 xroYf twill a