New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-09-05
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PINS AND THEIR EOLK-LORE.

| Why nortll-country people are 20 persistent IN
their refusal to give one another pin II Is not easy
| to discover even they themselves cannot aive
| the origin aud reason OF this superstition. When
as <ed iOr a piu, they invariably say " lOu may
| take one; but mini do not give it, Another fact
| associated with pins VIII doubtless interest those
OF the TAR SIX aOoui 60 enter Oh the happy state *
InatTlnOny Thus, II Is still prevalent belief in
certain places that the bride IN remoyins her bril-
dal robe and chaplet 9t tie completion Of the mar
rage ceremonies. must take special care 10 throw
away every pin worn Oh this eventual Cay. Evil
fortune. ii II affirmed VIII. sooner or later nevi-
tabIy Oyertake tie bIlce who keeps even one pm
used Ia the marriage toilet. Oe 100 to the brldes
maids If they retain any 81 them. their chanccs
of marriage vii. thereby be materially lessened and
ANYHOW they must g!yo up all nope OF being
welded before the following " hItsun tide. On the
ether Land. In SUISSE u bride on her return home
from chdTcn Is often at once robbed II al the pins
about her dress by her single friends present. from
the belief TIA! whoever possesses one VI them will
be married III The couise OF year Much excite.
ment and amusement ale occasionally caused by
the youthful comp ItOTs Tor this supposed charm
ard the bride herself Is not unfreQuently tie victim
u rather rough treatment
Among the Wa2,cgl properties Of pins NAY
mention their supposed efficacy IN the cure Of
tain Diseases. Thus, IL LceeetershIIe, 10 tie case
OF warts the patient Is taken 10 ash tree, where
pin IS frs stuck INTO TIE bark, aud withdrawn
Wart 10 IrdusliXrd Win II Till he feels pam, and
q en- the pin l. again pushed into the tree Every
wart thus treated Is said 10 die away gradually
until they entire y disappear. A few years ago, We
are told, that some tees might be seen thickly
studded over with pms, each the index of cured
Wart. In place OF "a pm, "a nall driven INTO all
Is reported To cure tOothar he. OloucesterSblrs
remedy consists IN rubbing the warts with snaIl
after 1t has been pierced win pln as many times
us there are warts As the snail by degrees wLer,
away so II il believed that the wart impregnaied
with Its matter viii do the same.
One OF the most popular species of enehantmeutto
which pins have been pied, Is their supposed IN.
tluence III counteTactlng the III effects Of wIcbcTa,
An Interesting case 81 tns KIND occurred within The
last few Yeas in Sex which Mis-. Latham la, IT,
coried IN the FOX Lore Record" A la IS OBJ.
served upon a cottage hearth, quart tott { flei
with pins; ana Oh lEqUling they We're pu.
there, WAS requested not to touch the bottle, as
was red hot, and because, II she nd 80, she would
spoil the charm !" " nat enarmf she asked. IN
some surprise. Why, ma'anl." replied the woman,
it has pleased GJd 10 aillct ny daughter mere with
falling his, ana the doctors dId her 10 Z Od; 50
was recommended 90 90 10 a wise woman residing
near GuldfOrd and she said. If she was well pad
tor IT, she could tell me what allied the g.rl, aad
what would cnIc her. SO | SAID was agreeable,
and she told me that people atli cted with falling Us
were bewiGcbcd. and hat must get as many pins
would iii quart bottle. and put them INTO it,
and let II stand close 10 the iir, upon hearth,
until the pms were red hot. As a. this took
place. they would prick the heart Of the Wlch WHO
had brought this allicton my poor giIl and then
she would be glad eDOu1h 10 Remove IT. A medl.
cal pTact lOner OF TIE same nelg JrhOOd IA Illus
tTatlOn of this superstition, narratos that when
house IN PulOOrough was undergoing thorough re-
par. bottle containing upward Ot 700 pins was
round beneath the heartustone If one OF the rooms
every PIN being bent. ana some OF them nearly INA
curve. This mode of cuchanuHcnt app, ar, 20 have
been OF common occurrence, and the WOrkineD wlO
were engaged In dong up the house ia question
affirmed that they often made similar discoveries
repairing houses Another curious case of counter
acting wltchcrait ~ n-stickng" occurred al
recent period IN the parish of HontOn Cyst
Landlord having lost one OF ms tenants, certain re-
pairs aud Improvements were found Necessary 70
prepare for the next In carrying out the wOrk
chimney had To be explored, when. IN the course OF
the operation there Vas found carefully secreteia
pigs heart, stuck all with thorn prlckcs. Ing
j. supposed 10 have been done 10y the direction Of
some wise or cunning person. "a means Oh
taking revenge on the witch 10 whose iDcaDaiions
the party considered some mischief due ~ belief
that The heart Of the li-wSher wOdld be- piercoJ w
like manner. until II finally became as puiseiess aa
that OF the pig.
In divlDation, pins are generally dropped into
wells ana 0mcnS gathered from the direction ~
which they fail. In the north OF England there are
the wishing wells INTO which, if the passers Dy
only drop crooked PIN and breath their wish, they
may rest assured OF Its tuilment. Near N0o'eh
III NOrihum berand, on the TANKS Of the Chey2is
there is spring of water locally known as I'm
Well y; ana the Worm Well" at Lambt0n. bas i0i
many years been popular resort for PIP dlyuation'
ST. Helen's Well. near Seton, Is no less famous
Young people, from time inmemOrlai, have been III
the habit of casting pins or pebbles into IT, sna
making representations from the circles formed on
the surface of the agItated water. In MANY wen
may be found the pins which have been dIOppe"V
maidens DESTROYS OF knowing " when they "eio "
DO married" One writer tells us how he once VIZ
messed Oh May morning group OF boautiiai gui'
perform the cermOny of pln-droppinE al hauIVa
Well, near PeBzance. Two pieces 81 straw, aOou.
an inch long each, were crossed, ana tue pii .a
through them. lnls cross was then dropped Ivy
the water, and the rising bubbles carefully coubt
Us they marked the number OF years when Nou'u
pass ere the arrival of the happy day. People a.
formerly were accustomed. 10 visit lhs wei "1u
wash III its water when suffering from ,unar rs
maladcs All over the Highlands Of Scotland ,uo.s s
are holy healing wells, at which tie reasahtIy raw
)1, rings Of pms aud nails.