Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-09-18
For the Nert
Ghost Stories.

The evils resulting from ghost stories are
very various, but spiritualism, with its table
tipping and rapping, and all the various
phenomena of that sort which we do not
claim to understand or explain, nor yet be-
lieve, is responsible for far more widespread
mischief. Those who allow children to hear
marvellous stories of spirits, or to read books
on the subject, do them great harm. The
minds of children are very susceptible and
also very credulous. Ignorant persons are
always superstitious, and there are others
who are naturally superstitious, credulous
and timid. Such persons especially young
persons, should be kept away from all such
things as have a tendency to increase their
timidity.
have known families in which stories of
mysterious lights, voices and whisperings
seen or heard at dead of night, and stories
Of unearthly shapes seen, are freely told be
fore young children. The result is the chill
dren are nervous and perfect towards. They
would on no account go into a dark room or
60 to bed in the dark; and | know girls a
dozen years old who still sleep in the room
with father and mother, through fear of
spirits. | am grateful to my mother, who
taught her children to investigate whatever
they could not understand, and none of us
ever knew fear. If mysterious noise is
heard at night it should always be ascer
tanned what caused it, if possible; and
have never yet found it to be impossible.
remember staying with neighbor whose
husband was away over night. She was
the most timd woman | ever knew, and all
the children were perfect towards, of course
In the night a sudden noise awoke us, and
the children screamed, the woman vanished
under the bedclothes, and trembled like a
leaf | rose at once, and taking the lamp,
which was burning, proceeded to look into
the adjoining rooms, perfectly sure of find
ing the cause of the disturbance. The wo.
man jumped up and buttoned the door after
me to keep out the intruder, at the same
time begging me not to expose my life in
that way. Opening the cellar door | saw
two or three belligerent cats vanish out the
window, and some bottles of yeast which
| she had placed on a shelf before the window
to cool were lying in the dirt, and one
broken, which told the story. Had she
been alone she would not have slept another
wink, and the children would have been
sick from fear.
| A servant girl in our family was very re-
luctant to go to bed, and at last confessed
that she was afraid on account of strange
noises which she heard in her room. She
said it was whisperings and meanings and
screenings, and some one had told her that
several persons had died in that room, and
she believed their spirits haunted it. Fail
ing to convince her by reasoning, proposed
to sleep there night and hear for myself
The noises discovered were made by some
tall rose bushes outside which nearly GOV.
cred one window. They had recently been
trimmed, and the stiff ends of the branches
| l.,,t b., I'D t,la ha
glass, sometimes very lightly, which was the
whispering and moaning; and sometimes
when a gust of wind struck them they
scratched vigorously, which was the scratch
ing. A few stiff branches were cut off, anC
that ghost was laid.
At another time, two girls in my family
we're frightened almost out of their sens,
at seeing a tall, white object like person
walking slowly on the opposite sidewalk.
seemed to totter and sway, and was com
pletely white from head to foot. They saw
it one very dark evening about nine O'Clock
and it vanished as suddenly as it came, ant
no reasoning could satisfy them that the.
had not seen a real ghost. We found on
that it was only Abby H., who lived op
posite, very tall girl, who thinking it woul'
rain, went into the garden and took up som
sheets from the grass and holding them u
high to keep them from the ground, cam
out upon the sidewalk and went in at tn
front door to avoid the wet grass. "Onl
! that and nothing more"
, All of us might relate similar stories i
abundance, but merely mention these fact
to show what very small thing may b
distorted by tmid person into somethin
! fearful This is the mothers especial work
First to know no fear herself, but let tn
children see her always brave and reasoning
and then she can easily control the fears {
others. Begin when child is quite younl
by sending it into dark rooms, taking
y into the cellar without light, and in variol
t ways let it be an accepted fact that there
$ nothing to fear, and much suffering may
;, prevented. Some ladies seem to think it
IS proof of gentility to be afraid OF snake,
h a mouse, and of course their daughters wi
y be afraid too. This is foolishness, for v
It have no poisonous snakes in this regio
y where we are liable to come in contact vii
y. them. As for mice and toads, they a
g perfectly harmless, and if children are
h lowed TO catch and handle them as all youn
IS unscared children like to do, they will new
$, fear them.