The Troy herald., 1878-07-31

OupA sslUoo0s
who still cling With Tie utmost tenacity
and bull.heH,lednem 70 long exploded
theories Of the effects Of the supernatti.
mi, and believe implicitly % they do In
heaven that mysterious causes control
the affairs Of life, despite all of educa-
ton and enlightenment and the repeated
sweeping away Of these cobwsbs Of the
Il d . common belief that the moon
exercises q marked control upon veget-
able matter; that those growing above
the ground must be soweI In the light,
and those to mature beneath the soil In
the dark Of the ''silver orb" when In
ihct the time Of planting has no more to
do with successful yield than Il has
with the growth Of rocks. Given good
soil, proper cultivation, freedom from
weeds and plenty Of food, and they will
produce bountif,il return despite such
foundatlonless snperstitions, and the "oM
man" the cliild,en are wont to discover
will laugh at the idea ~ the verieA
inoonshine!
With sailors such things are. very com.
mon. A l,ome-shoe must bc nailed 10
the heel Of the foremast q ship must
never have its keel laid or he launched
or sail OH Friday; the Sabbath 10 lucky
time for leaving port killing black ca
OH boarl will produce terrible storms, II
not shipwrecks; = minister among the
passengers In u bad omen rats will leave
u ship about to be lost; sharks will fot
low q ship II there IL to be death u
lOard, anI 10 on through tlousaii
variations.
"Hauntedr houses arc 90 common a.
10 be scarcely worth the mentioning.
Every locality has at least one, and i
village lacking this exquisite topic 70.
haif-rnising-gOssip In to be pitied. Tie
old belief that the head must lie TO the
e,,st, and the doors and windows opened
for the passage of the spirit later leav
ing the body) u not altogether abolished,
and the senseless superstition that NO
one can die upon feathers. certainly not
II any of them are from wild birds. has
its advocates.
Don't kill a toad! It vii, make the
COWS give bloody milk, Is asserted by
many who should know better ard yet
1t would puszle the most profOw / phi.
losophers to trace the "conncctiv ( link"
between the batracl,ian (even { '.ough of
the geniaes brefo) and the bovine. II
the butter don't come easily, drop a red
hot horse shoe into the clurn, and sing
"burn your nose, burn your nose," and
some old witcli's prOboscis will suffer
Wnd your labor be made easy! Don't
cut the nails Of q young child; It will
make q thief Of It! Don't look ut tue
new moon over your left shoulder; 1t IL
very unlucky.
10 repent even a hundredth part of
the fl0ating superstitions would fill an
entire paper. Some people. ancient
danes especially, have "sign" for every
thing, or rather mako of everything q
"sign." Strangc how the relies Of witch.
craft have endured the light of centuries;
how education and science and religion
have rot been able to Danish them how
such intangible things ~ ghosts and
tsp oks" and dreams influence the live.
Of .hose who are looked upon as sane
} w age doats upon them and children
re taught
'Undcr the tree.
When the fire out doors burns merriiy,
There the witches are making tea"
and this We presume IL the reason why
women find their fortunes predicted by
the grounds ut the bottom Of tho cup!
It Is high time such nonsense was
banisl,cd, and forever. They belong ia
unlettercd ages, and should not he tol.
crlted in the present. The mother who
permits her cl.ild to hear such rubbish
is not ft for her place, and the nurse
who retails 1t ought to be sent to the
pillory. We earnestly protest against II
In these days of q higher civilization
G freedom from the thn,lldoln of dark.
uss tl,at ever surrounds ignoran ce.
DON'T LIT your chil&lren's minds be stained
by amy such nonsense, and don't proclaim
yourself fool by advocating It,,