Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1877-01-28
SuDerstitiOns.

Deny it as they may, there are but
few mortals but what have a grain of
superstition in their composition. 1t
may be that you, reader, are one Of
those who are not infallible in this re-
gard, but we will wager atrifle that it is
with a feeling of inward satisfaction
that you view the moon over your
right shoulder, and that you congratu-
late yourself at the suspicious augury.
Who OF us but h~esitates before start
ing on a journey? We have a friend
who has a mortal terror of drawing
on his left boot first, solemnly affirm
ing that dire misfortune would be his
lot for that day il that incident should
occur. A sensible little woman ofour ac-
auaintance says that in case she should
perform her ablutions in water used
by her husband, domestic broils would
ensue. To avert the matrimonial
quarrel it is only necessary to eject
saliva into the mutual layatory. What
a pity that all the little tempers that
jar the matrimonial state were not so
easily avoided. If you spill the salt
cellar, throw a pinch over the shoulder
and you will avoid the trouble which
that accident entails. Three candles
burning simultaneously in a room
predict the death of a member of the
family. Whether this extends to kero-
sene and gas, We are unable to say,
and our researches throw no light on
the subject. A strange cat that init
mates an intention of making your
house her home, should be harbored
and fed, as it is a precursor
of good fortune. Dreams are fer
tile in omens, and open up a range
of superstitions too vast to delve into.
There is still another class of beliefs
that trench on the ntoterta medicd, IN
Guiding specifics against certain dis
eases, and are evidently a relic OF pop
ular faith in charms and amulets. A
buckeye carried in the pocket is a rem
edy for hemorrhoids. While suffering
from the agony of a decayed tooth, a
gentleman kindly informed us that if
we would trim our nails on Friday
we would find relief, stoutly averring
that il cured him when all other rem
edies failed. The most popular rem
edy of the day is the potatoe. What
constitutes the peculiar virtues OF the
|succulent vegetable is beyond our
ken, but as a specific for rheumatic
affections it works like a charm.
Every other male biped in
Eureka carries one in his peck
ct, and will discant for hours TO
the unbeliever as TO its peculiar vlr-
tues, impressing on the listener the
fact that as it withered ard dried up
his limbs became supple and his health
restored. Among the sporting class a
species of voudoo worship obtains,
the word popularity rendered "hoo-
doo," and by some subtle means a
baleful influence is exercised by one
individual over another. The act of
sitting in close proximity, or placing
the loot on the round OF the gamblers
chair communicates this charm, and a
series of inferior hands at cards, or a
bad run of luck at the faro table pro-
duces a similar result. We have known
gamblers to leave a table and seek a
negro woman whom they paid to
charm them to good luck once more.
We might pursue the subject dd M
fnitum, but will not tire the reader
further. All the above superstilions
and beliefs we have no doubt have
come within the range of every ones
knowledge.