Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1876-03-09
Curiosities of Superstition.
BY THOMAS J. BowDITCH.
From the Troy, IN. Y, Tim
Thara saems n ba an absnrditv +.

lief, that counterparts to it cannot be
obtained. As, for instance, the be-
lief prevailed in some parts OF Eng
land that person may cure himself
of boils, by crawling around newly
filled grave. In some parts of Scot
land the following barbarous expedi-
ent is sometimes had recourse to for
children infected with worms.
A quantity of the garden worm is
collected and tied in cloth bag, and
then cruelty submitted to painful
and lingering death by exposure to
the influence of slow fire, by which
they are gradually roasted alive
Their decomposed remains are then
applied, as salve, to the stomach. OF
the child.
In the English cheese counties the
belief is that child who sucks a
white COW will thrive we'll
1t was an ancient practice, particu-
larly among the Jews (see Ezekiel
xvi, A TO salt new born child, and
it is thought that the baptismal SER
vice in the Catholic Church, which
includes the putting of small guam
tity of salt into the infants mouth,
it traditional from this. In Italy it
is believed that the salt drives away
evil spirits.
In Scotland, even among persons
of station and intelligence, there is a
very strong objection in marrying
in May. The Scotch adage runs
"From the marriage in May
All the BARNS die and decay"
In Europe during the middle ages
the belief in magic rings was almost
universal. Some of them, like that
one which Gyger, King OF
Lydia, found in a grave, were sup
posed to possess the power of making
their wearers invisible. Others were
regarded as charms and talismans
against witches, demons and diseases.
A copper ring, having dog and lion
engraved upon it, preserved its
wearer from the pestlence with the
figure of hare, it was defense
against the devil, and with a cock
atrice it was tallsman against the
evil eye.
A ring Of gold was though to cure
st. Anthony's fire Of erysipelas. A
ring made Of silver collected at the
communion services cured convul
sions. A silver ring made of five six
pences collected from five different
bachelors aud constructed by bach
elor blacksmith, cured fits, provided
none of the givers kenw for what
purpose they gave the coin. A ring
made of silver contributed by twelve
young women, constantly worn on
the finger, cured epilepsy. The collie
was cured with the "help of an octan-
gular iron ring, on which eight words
were engraven, and by commanding
the bile to take possession of an un.
| fortunate lark"
Still darker,i if possible, was the
superstition that rings made of the
chains of criminals, or from three
nails or screws which had been used
to fasten coffin, or had been dug
up IN a graveyard, could cure mani.
| fold diseases.
These superstitions obtained Gre
dence among the classes-they found
place in the minds of high bred PEG
pie like Sir Christopher Hatton, who
sent a ring to Queen Elizabeth to
protect her from all infectious airs
1t was not to be worn on her finger
but to be placed on her bosom-"the
chase nest of pure constancy."
Louis Napoleon, in his will, empha
sizes the solemn declaration "With
regard to my son, let him keep as q
tallsman the seal | nsed to wear at
tached to my watch" This piece Of
fetichism would appear to have form
ed yet another link between the I'm
perial exile who had passed from oui
midst, and those Latin races whose
cause he affected to represent, whose
superstition he certainly shared.
The ancient Romances degraded a
priest because his mitre fell and un.
made dictator because a raj
squeaked. Caesar crossed the Rubi
con because on the opposite bank
he saw a man with a fine figure
His nephew felt confident of winning
the battle of Actium, because he met
a peasant by the name Of Nicolaus
mounted on an ass. Wolsey was
warned of his doom by crazy-head.
Sejonus by flight of crows. Doctor
Johnson objected to going under a
ladder. Montague avoided giving
his left foot priority in putting on bis
stockings. Alexander was believed
to have united the Gordian knot with
his sword. For good luck's sake,
Augustus wore some portion of a
ea-calf Charlemagne some trinket
of unknown value. Mohammed was
all fate Bonaparte all star and des.
tiny.
Not many years ago it was be
lieved that a badgers tooth sewr
within the waistcoat would bring
great luck at cards.
In some parts of Sussex, England
there is a superstition that if you put
on your right stocking, right shoe and
right trouser leg before the left, you
| VIII never nave lOOtHdCut. Lao
Wentworth, in letter written in
1913, to her son, Lord STAFFORD
spoke of the efficiency of wolves
teeth in gold, to assist children in
cutting their teeth "They are
very lucky things for my twoe first
one did die, the other bred his very
i'll, and none of ye rest did, for | had
one for all the rest"
Cromwell believed in September 2
and Louis Napoleon, in December
2. Sully called himself Felix, the
favored child of fortune, and limo.
leon turned his house into temple Of
chance. Alexander, if we may credit
the account given by Quintus Cur
thus, was terrified by blood flowing
from inside his soldiers bread dur
ing the siege of Tyre, in 332 B. c.
His son, Aristsnder, foresaw in thi:
crimson effiux of the vital stream out
of the commissiarat happy issue tor
the Macedonians and the warrior:
thus never took Tyre.
The learned Bacon, Luther, Pascal
GUY Patin Milton. DR.. Johnson. and