The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-07-25
SUPERSTITlOUS CREDUL1TY.

ADDISON q century and half ago an
still prevalent A screech-owl hootin
at night alarms the hearer as the roar O
a lion would do. A rusty nail or
crooked pin is invested with prodieiou
powers. The ticking Of the death
watch" is prognostic Of the death Q
some one dear to us. The loud crackin
| OF furniture in room or the breaking @
a lo0king-glass-both of which accident
are often caused by a sudden change q
temperature-is horrifying, and cause
US to expect the death of
near relative. Sudden chills com
ing over us signify that an enemy is a
that moment moving on the place Wher
our grave will be some time.
The practice of seeking for water b,
means of magic applications is very com
mon in all parts of the world. TIL.
process employed by these practitioner.
usually reverend-looking old men
whose appearance is calculated to ALA,
mistrust is to take in their hands in pe
culiar manner triangular branch O.
witch-hazel or willow, with which the,
pass over the ground until the wand
turns in their grasp, with the angle point
downward, under which exact spot
found. These water-witches assure
you that when they come to
the right places they cannot con.
troll the wand, the strength of the in.
hucnce on it being various, and accord
ing to the depth Of the water from the
surface operated on. In many mining
regions the same methods are applied to
lind mineral deposits, the wand employed
being usually made OF thin and flexible
metal prepared for the purpose, for
which magical virtues are claimed.
10 discover lost articles it is usual to
spit on the palm of the left hand, and
stf1ke the deposit sharp blow with the
tore-tinger of the right hand Then by
following the direction in which the
tarthest particle of the spittle has been
splashed we shall find the thing sought
This means, however, Can be used only
within the circumSCribcd limits of a
room or playground.
with regard to charms, here are some
which are still in common use: If when
walking you get a pain in your side, lift
stone, spit where it lay, replace it and
go on, neither speaking nor looking back,
and the pain will leave you Are you
afraid OF spooks or any supernatural hob
g0bllns, press your thumbs into the
palms of your hands and the ghosts will
not come near you. To make your vine
gar sour write on a piece of paper the
names of the three most vixenish women
you know, throw the paper into the cask
and the vinegar will become as acid as
you can desire. Purslain placed in your
bed will prevent visions, especially Of ill.,
omen or discomfort. Sew four-leavcd
clover in any portion of your wearing
apparel and good luck will follow you
wherever you go.
Our farmers SOW their flax on the one
hundredth day of the year; their clover
seed in March, when the almanac sign is
in the Crab, so that the roots may spread
and hold fast, and the frosts of winter
cannot draw them out. Fences must be
made when the sign is up, else they will
sink down in the ground. Houses must
be shingled in the down sign to keep the
nails from coming up. I know very
line old woman, believer in signs
for planting gardcn-truck, who once
planted her potatoes in down sign, and
when she came to dig them declared that
she would never plant them so again, for
they got down so deep that she could
scarcely find them. Timber must be cut
in certain signs to keep it from rotting.
Cattle and hogs must be slaughtered
when the sign is up so that the meat
may swell when cooked Potatoes must
he planted in Libra, so that they will
weigh heavy or grow large. They can
also be planted in the Lion, to make
them grow strong and large. Peas and
beans must have their poles stuck when
the sign is. So with hops, or they will
never climb. Cucumbers must be planted
on the 1st of May for the first crop;
for the second crop plant on Whitsuntide,
when there will be a tremendous yield,
because there is always large crowd of
people keeping that holiday.
The belief in lucky and unlucky days
and numbers is equally widespread.
Whoever happens to have been born on
any of the unlucky days, unless provided
with a talisman to ward off the evil, must
take "pot luck" and play grab game
all the days of his life. No business of
must bc commenced on Fri
day, save that of hanging, trimming the
nails or cutting the hair. Do not move
on Saturday, for if you do you will not
stay long. Saturday is also an especially
day to be married on.
These superstitious beliefs are kept up
in the same manner in which they were
to us from our Scandinavian
teaching them to children
too young to question their truth. Old
people sit by fresides and tell ghost
stories until every listening child's eyes
grow large and glistening with fear.
Thus impressions are made on the plastic
mind which years of study and intelli-
gent reasoning do not always eradicate.
How many persons are afraid to go into
the dark alone or to pass graveyard in
the night! How many neighborhoods
on this continent, as we'll as in Europe,
have their haunted houses, with local
traditions, which are related with at
least the affectation of belief! NV inter
est in the subject has led me to invcsti-
gate the causes Of the noises and visions
more than once represented to haunt
certain places. In several instances
where l have expressed this intention l
have been met with earnest arguments
to dissuade me from making the attempt
Several of these explorations were made
ment. Such inquiries have brought ME
noises heard about the so-called haunted
houses are produced by rats, mice, flying
squirrels, owls, hawks, bats and other ami
mails which usually harbor in deserted
buildings. The extraordinary noises are
made by cracking or decaying timbcrs,
falling plaster, bricks, ETC., but sometimes
by thieves who resort to these places for
the purpose of hiding their plunder, and
who seek to make the suspected places
avoided by the people of the vicinity.
The lights seen lowering aud fitting
around haunted places, whether houses
or dark, dismal retreats, are often car
ried by the persons referred to, and their
occasional appearance strikes terror