Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-04
TRADITIONS AND SUPERSTI-
TI0NS.
An Interesting Chapter-Signs and
PrOdiSies-LeSeDds and Myths.

In early days the reality OF sorcery
scarcely questioned, only few daring
ones dsputing It's legitimacy, and its
hold on the minds of all classes was SO
strong that it led to the fearful perse-
cutions of thesixteenth and seventeenth
centuries. The sorcerers or magicians
were supposed to know things secret
and future, to command the spirits of
the elements, TO heal the sick, to pro-
vide charms and talismans which should
mysteriously sway the Will Of others, to
render ones self invulnerable, to raise
tempests, to constrain the devil into
| service, to possess the philosophers
stone and the elixir of life" Happily
for us the "black art" no longer holds
a place in the history of mankind
With the refining and enobling inhu-
ences of Christianity and civilization,
and the advance of intelligence, it has
disappeared. The sorcerer, wizard and
witch are among the things that were,
or exist only as a fable to the vulgar
and ignorant. A well-known writer
has said, Nothing dies without In
some way leaving a trace of its exist
ence;" and although magic has
been dispelled, superstition, its
ineal descendant, still lives, and the
name Of its followers is legion. 1t is
astonishing IN this age of knowledge
and progress to find how many persons
allow themselves to be influenced by
omens. Il am not at all superstitious,
says one, although / don't like to
commence my undertakings on Fri
day" IF looking-glass gets broken
in the house l can't help feeling I'M
easy" says another, who would stoutly
deny that she actually considered it
ominOus. 1t Is really amusing and in
teresting, and i am not sure but that
it is also instructive to note some of
the prevailing legends and supersti-
lions, many of them so trivial and
ridiculous as to shame a believer Of any
intelligence; others harmless, fanciful,
and pretty, and calculated TO inspire the
simple and uneducated with a devout
enthusiasm which might stimulate
the faith Of the disciples of a purer be-
lief. We must give the German and
Brittany peasants credit for the pretti-
est Of these, and they are 50 devoutly
believed in and reverently repeated to
children's children, as to deserve a bet
ter place than being placed among theOr-
binary superstitiOns Of the ignorant. Let
us listen to a few out OF the multitude
of them. 1t was from the weeping will
low, they say, that the rods were made
which our Saviour was scourged with,
and from that time II has dropped its
branches with shame. While our Sa-
viour was bearing his cross a robin flew
down and took one thorn from his
crown. and it pierced its breast and
dyed 1t red. The Mother of God was
once going over a mountain and ire
mendous storm came on, so
she stood under a hazel tree
and remained safe; and because
It protected her she blessed 1t, and for
endless time 1t Is sacred. No tighten
ing can strike 1t, and from it may be
taken magic wands. Very long ago a
a man went into the forest TO cut wood
on Sunday morning: Having chopped
what he wanted, he tied it together,
thrust a stick through the bundle,
threw it over his shoulder, and was on
his way home when there met HIM on
the road a man going to church. Ac-
costing the wood-cutter, he said: ''Dost
thou know that on earth this is Sunday.
the day on which God rested from his
works after he had created the world,
with all the beasts of the field and also
man? Dost thou not know what Is
written IN the Fourth Commandment,
Thou shalt keep holy the Sabbath
day." The questiOner was the Lord
himself, The wOOd-cutter answer
ed: Whether It be Sunday on
earth or Monday m Heaven,
what doth it concern me or thee"
For this" saith the Lord, ''thOu shalt
forever bear thy bundle of wood; and
because the Sunday on earth Is pro-
famed by thee, thou shalt have an eter-
nal Monday, and stand in the moon a
warning to all such as break the Sun
day by work" From that time the
man stands in themOon with his faggot
Of brushwOod, and will stand there to
all eternity. On Christmas eve at mid
night a child born on Sunday hears
what the angels IN heaven are saying,
and understands the language of the
beasts of the field, but if some one
stands over it and repeats the Lords
Prayer no harm can come to 1t. In
Iryiug's s'Mahomet" we find the fol
lowing: "At the age Of three years,
while Mahomet was playing in the fields
with his foster-brother, two angels IN
shining apparel appeared before them.
Gabriel, one of the angels, laid MahOmet
gently upon the ground, and opened
his breast. but without infiicting any
PAIN. Then taking his heart he cleansed
it from all impurity, wringlng from 1t
those black and bitter drops of original
Sin inherited from our fOrefather Adam,
and which lurk IN the hearts Of the
best Of his descendants, melting them
to crime. When he had thoroughly
purified it he filled it with faith, knowl-
edge, and prophet light, and replaced 1t
in the bosom &c the child" Nearly all
the precious stones have sUperstluons
connected with them. Some OF the
famous diamonds are said to carry with
them good O. bad luck. and fortunes OF
nations and families iaFG been intiu-
enced by them. Seraplus ascribed
u .kc diamond the power Of driving
away ''incuees ard succabos, " objects
uuknow to us. The emerald at q low
heat changes color and becomes Opaque,
and by many this change is believed to
indicate false witnesses. 1t is also sand
to have healing properties, especially IN
all diseases OF the eye. This was a
stone of ill-omen to CoTtez, since the
Gift of SO magnificent 4 oneto his bride
so reused the envy of the Spanish
queen as to withdraw from him the ia
vor Of her court. The ruby was con-
sidered to possess many magical pro-
perties. According to Boethius it was
an amulet aSainst poison, plague, evil
thoughts and spirits. TIE jacinth pro-
duaed sleep, the chrysohte assuagsi
wrath, the sapphire procured favor with
princes. and was also the fayorite stone
| OF Scripture. The tables on which the
ten commandments were engraved are
said 90 have been made Of 1t. The car
buncle was supposed TO have dropped
from clouds during flashes Of lightning.
The Jews imagined the sardIus amy
red stone) to be a preventative against
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