Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1879-10-04
Witches Night.

Egyptians had oracles where their gods
were supposed to answer the questions
of men by dreams and other ways: the
ancient Greeks also had famous oracles,
which people came from far-off lands to
consult; the Romans killed certain fowls
or animals, and guessed at the future by
the looks of their interna! organs; the
Hebrews and the Babylonians had their
own peculiar ways Of finding out what
was to happen. The world has not yet
outgrown the longing to look ahead.
The Hindu to-day sets lamp afioat on
his sacred river, and judges of the future
by the length of time it burns; the Chi
naman consults his "wise men," who
pretend to understand signs; the igno-
rant African takes notice of the cries of
birds and animals; the English-not
long ago-tried to learn by help of what
they call witches;" and Spiritualists,
even now, believe the predictions of
..medium.''
No serious attempt to look into the
future has been made for a long time by
intelligent people, and the old customs
have become a troublesome trying of
"charms," especially on one night of
the year. 1t is curious enough that the
night selected is the eve of the festival
of All Saints, which was established in
the seventh century by Pope Of Rome,
in honor of all the saints who had no
particular day assigned to them. The
Romans brought this festival to Eng.
land; there it became All Hallows, and
the evening before it, Halloween or
oil hat t,a ,rxht
cred to charms and games. In the sew
enteenth century, England gave up the
night to feasting and frolicking. Nuts
and apples were plenty from one end Of
the island to the other, and " Nut-crack
Night - was the name given to it.
In England, the revels were for fun,
such as diving for apples floating in a
tub of water, and, of course, getting
very wet: or trying to snatch in the
teeth an apple on one end of a stick,
which had a lighted candle at the other
end, and, being hung by a string, could
be spun around very fast, so that the
Of the fruit: or a playful fortune-telling
by naming nuts, roasting them before
the fire, and watching their conduct
when heated-whether they burned
steadily, or bounced away, or burst with
noise, each movement of the charmed
nut being Of great Importance.
One nut test was tried by grinding
and mixing together a walnut, hazel
nut, and nutmeg, making into pills, with
butter and sugar, and swallowing them
on going to bed. Wonderful dreams
would follow (Which was not surpris-
ing).
In superstitious Scotland, the night
was given entirely to serious and some
times frightful attempts to peer into the
future by means of charms. One way
of trying fortunes was to throw ball
of blue yarn out of 4 window, and wind
it into a ball again from the other end.
Near the last something would hold it
fast, when the winder must ask: "Who
holds?" The answer would name one
who was to have importance in the ques-
toners future.
Another Scotch custom was pulling
kale-stalks." A Young person Went
into the garden, pulled up the first kale
or cabbage stalk he touched, and carried
il into the house. The whole future was
read from that stalk: the size indicated
the stature of the future partner in life:
the quantity of earth at the roots show
ed the amount Of his, or her, fortune:
the taste of the pith told what the tenn
per would be: and when the stalk
was placed over the door, the first
name Of the person entering was the
fated name.
The Island of Lewes, on the coast of
Scotland, had some curious customs.
Young women made 'dumb cake"
and baked it before the fire with certain
ceremonies and in perfect silence, ex-
pecting to see wonders; and the people
also sacrificed to a sea-god called Shong,
throwing a cun of ale into the sea and