The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1880-12-14
Misrenaan.'
A FEW sUPEIssTITfoNs.
How Certain Little Occurrences I'M
Everyday Life are Regarded
Their Influence Upon tile Weak
Persons who are Induced by
"Omens" to do Foolish Things. ie
Philadelphia Times.

waking O0W0 CneStnuLs street recentlv1
In pouring rain handsomely dressed
lady was seen TO stop suddenly, and
STOPPING on the wet pavement pick up
carefully common pin. ss 'a
Accidents sometimes occur to the
feminine toilet which render a pin, for
the instant, one of the most valuable of
possessions, and the natural supposition
was that auchs : osehsd tsfallen the lady
in question. But no, she merely Drop
ped the pin into her purse and quietly
] went her way, while We recalled the
rhyme from Mother Goose, more thrifty
than practical:
See pin and pick it up, eH
All the day you'll have good luck;
See a pin and lot 1t lay,
Bad luck you'n have all day.
The superstition is 3 common one,
shared by all classes. and doubtless origi-
mated in past ages, when pins were
scarce and valusble. We often hear IL
quoted as an instance Of Stephen Gil
rard's economy that he was never known
to pass pin without picking it mp. hut
the question is an open one whether the
fact was due to motives Of thrift or sim
ply to the old superstition.
This is the season OF building and 1t
is curious to observe how, when ladder
is erected against wall, many persons
lin fact, the majority of passers-by-
90 round il, out int, tue street, rather
than pass under, although danger Of
life or limb from SO doing there is ahso-
lutely none. And OF those who stur-
dily walk under probably more than one
remembers uncom fortably the i'll luck
which is said to attend the act.
The evil rerute which attaches to Fri
day is well.nigh worldwide. Among
sailors the prejudice against this day is
especially prevalent.
In order to disprove and counteract it
in some measure wealthy English ship
builder once built vessel which was be-
gun on Friday. finished on FRIDAY, chris
tened "The Friday" and launched m
Friday II was with much difficulty
that men were found to man her, but
tempted by high wages crew was at
last obtained and she sci sail on Friday.
| Unfortunately for the success Of the ex-
pertinent she was never heard of again.
SUPER. TITIoNs ABOUT DAYS
Besides the prominence which Friday
has attained, every day OF the week has
it's superstitiops attached and is OF good
or evil omen. With most OF them the
reader is probably familiar, vet an arti
fcie Uf sthfs kfni wodid hardly sbe~ e6m-
plete without some enumeration Of the
most common:
Sundays child ne'er lacks in place;
Mondays child is fair in the face;
Tuesdays child is full Of grace;
Wednesdays child is sour and sad;
Thursdays child is loving and glad;
Fridays child is loving and giving;
And Saturdays child shall work for hi,
living.
Sneeze on Monday you sneeze for danger;
Snseze on Tuesday you kiss stranger;
Sneeze on Wednesday you sneszs for letter;
Sneeze on Thursday for something batter.
Sneeze ON Friday you snseze to your sorrow;
sneeze on Saturday your sweetheart to-
morrow;
Sneeze on Sunday your safety seek.
The devil will chase you the whole of the
week.
Gut your nails Monday you cut them for news
Cut them On Tuesday pair of new shoes;
Out them on Wednesday you cut them for
health;
Gut them on Thursday twill add to your
wealth;
Cut them on Friday you cut them for woe;
Cut them on Saturday Journey you'll go;
Gut them on Sunday you cut them for evil,
For all the week long you'll be ruled by the
devil.
The last two omens regarding Sunday
must have originated in the days when
it was a penal offense for man to kiss
bis wife on Sunday, and when Melchis-
edec Jones was put in the stocks fol
calling on his sweetheart one Sabbath
evening.
There are intelligent aud welI-educa
ted people whom nothing can induce to
try on mourning garment when not in
black themselves.
The writer has heard lady upbraid-
ing herself with the keenest remorse on
the death of her sister, because few
DAYS previous she hal tried on black
Grape hat belonging T., friend visiting
at the house. TO reason with her and
endeavor to prove that any connection
between the two events was impossihle,
comforted her bat Ii tls-and to-day it
is probable that none of the family would
upon any consideration do the same
thing again.
Every one knows the origin of the
custom of hurylng the dead with their
feet TO The East, custom universal
among Christian nations, and adopted at
first that as the Lord is to come in the
East the dead may arise and stand with
their faces 10 him in the resurrection
The u.age OF centuries has rooted this
custom so deeply that it Is little wonder
that when It is departed from the super
stitlous slade their heads and prophesy
that no good will'come of II. Some of
US, indeed. who do not in such case ac-
iuallv expect another death in the fam
ilv must confess 10 feeling as though
our dead could not rest quietly il laid
otherwise than in this time honored po-
sition.
SETTING THE HOUSE IN ORDER.
| Probablv insurance agents are the
only people who have any 'dea how
many men, sensible in other respects,
are kept from insuring their lives by the
fear, either on their own part or on tia,
Of some member OF their families, thai
the act might shorten their lives, and
there ere sober business men who die
aud leave their estate to endless liiiga.
tion rather than make will, because o.
the vague fear lest thus "setting theil
honse in order" hasten the day OF death
i From the same fear many men refrain
from altering or adding to an old house
and we have known man prominent il