The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-01-18

We're IL not for this feeling this leap-year ira
dition had long since been forgotten All IA
lions have their FOLKLORE: persons and pIaets
are invested with powers which inspire Tue
Ignorant %peasantry with dread, and ca'l,e
them to shun those places. There IL 81 stflk-
ing similarity all the world over between the
popular legends and Traditions OF dtiitTent
They are reproduced with slight
d differences or circumstance aud place to suit
the different localities. DIR. Mackenzie. VINO
seems to nave given considerable time TO
ferretlng out the origin Of
LEGENDARY LORE"
has n very interesting chapter on The anhlect
in his Bits Of Biafney." Washington Irving
has Iocnll2ed several legends rs American,
but his Rip Van Wrinkle" has long since been
traced to Herman origin. Some years aRo n
supplemert ia the Thousand and One
Nights.'' containing an Arabian tale calico
the Sage HeycHr, WAS published at Paris
i he translator noted the curious fact that this
Oriental story contained man Incidents ex-
actIy similar TO passages In the Iife OF H4op.
Sixteen pages Of details Of "a visit made hy
Heycar are the same. word for word, with the
account OF n like visit made by Etpp. The
Arabian NightsE Entertainment which have
charmed us all 1T youth. aud rarely fall to de-
light liz when we return to them In maturet
years. Is full OF such stories. illustrating the
sanguiuary character OF Eastern belief and
practices. VINO among us cannot recall the
scenes Of youth, when, gathered around the
blazing hearth, we haze listened to some
weird story or watched with bated breath
tho result Of some "Hailpw-Eve' charm?
These were the days of happiness, and.
OF course, every rural maiden hRd II
sure, infaltlblo charm for telling tho future
husband. On the eve Of the New Year the
anxious damsel prepared for sleep by piH-
ming to her pillow five long leaves, one at
each corner and one In the middle. III sue
dreamed OF her sweethenrt shs was sure 10
marry him before the end OF the Year, but to
make 1t n dead-sure thing the candidate for
mntrimony must boil an egg hnrd, take out
the yolk and fill It's plaes with salt. just be
fore going to bed she must eat "a suit, shell
| and all, and neither speak nor drink after 1t.
| n that wouldn't insure n vivid dream there
surely can be no virtue in charms. Aud in
this connection IT. may be prope to remark,
tho more ! investigate the subject and pom
der over the thousand and one charms by
which girls may peep Into the future and
solve TO them the most interesting question
Of their lives, the more deeply atn j I'M
pressed with the conviction thai great injus-
tice Is done to woman by denying her the
| privilege which tradition gives her during
Temp year. For of all women she is most To
he pitied who has u hesitatiug lover. who
boggles about %"poppipg the question lie
IA worse than n bold one. How perfectly sat
i-factory WAS tho conduct of that brave old
Puritan who rode up to the door of the
ORR OF HIS CHOICE,
md, having desired har to be- called ont to
him, eaid: Rachel. the lord hath sent me
to mnlry thee2' when the girl answt rNd
with equal frankness, The LORDS Will be
some"
What n blessing to the household Is such n
woman-one whose spirits are not affected by
wet days or little hlsappointmepts.
As women have not to any grnRt eX-
tent availed themselves Of their privilege
in popping the question" we are unable Ia
say how they would 10 H.; but it Is safe tG
say they could scarcely do worse than many
men have done. as the following will prove:
An Irish girl. who WAS very anxious that
her seatter-brnined brother should not be- r..
fused by a young Englishwoman with whom
he was desperately in love, tmplored him tf
PROPOSE with the seriousness becoming tlf
occasion. He avowed no would behave as i
he was netting rs chief mourner ut his fath,
ef's funeral. and actually took his lady love
after church, to see tho family vault, ant
there, In q sppulchral voice, asked her, Il
she would like to lay her bones beside hi
bones" 1t Is enough to say she agreed.
A very neat way ia for the gentleman. hftel
dancing u number OF times with n young lady
to say III over he became a benedict h
would like his wife to look exactly like am
dress precisely as she does This may bs q
proposal or not. When, however, II shy man
having got his mother to plead his cause
says tn his beloved one, with n tremulous
Rasp, won't you do the thing my mother
u. ked?" there Ia no doubt abont hi wanting
her for his wife. More than one proposal ha!
| IJtFtl IIlfitlb ny hHitt FfI lbA btF lt'' ~ ~
marriage service, "Wiit thou have this MAJ
to be thy welded husband2' and passing tn
book and pencil during the sermon to the tn
vOred one, and it sometimes, Oftener thal
not, comes back with n faint but still visible
stroke under the II will" A young man o
poeticai turn sends the following to q coquet
tish maid.
Oh. lovely maid. thou art tho fairest slave In al
Gods mart.
Those charms to win, with all my empire
would gladly part.
Ono kiss g nd. to pierce like lire thy TOO re
luctant heart.
It may be interesting to the young ladie
who arc not already aware of thu ttftttFtAn
fact that ~leap-year empowers them 10 h'
something more than "nop the question.
Notes and Queries for 1856 contains the fO
lowing: "lf u young lady
SHOULD SO A FORGET HERSELF
MS to suggest q union between herself and
bachelor acquaintance, who should be uncty
enough to decline her proposal, she cout
thereupon demand from him the gift OF a me-
silk dress. But to claim this dress with pft
priety, she must at the same time be th
wearer of q scarlet pettIcoat, which, or tn
lower part of which she must exhibit TO IT,
gentleman, who, by the law of leap-year, !
bound to present to the lady a silk dress +
cover the scarlet petticoat, and assuage NJ
displeasure Mt the rejection of her proposal.
This item Of feminine folk. lore may prov
exceedingly useful to the male readers OF IN
Star In putting them on their guard darin
the year. For it Is not probably without Q d
termined significance that the wearing OF re
petticoats Is made ono of the chief noveltif
Of ladies' dress during the winter season. L
fact, 1t may reasonably be inferred that tn
ladies law of leap year Is about To be tnfllcte
upon the gentlemen In It's most expensiy
silk dress form.
From the above 1t can readily be seen tina
those vacillating bachelors who have mar
, aged for years to steer clear OF Hymen'
J tolls will be made to play or nay. 1T IL IL
, deed wonderful how many have 80 Ion
managed to bid defiance to the many charm
, ing women who have, year after year, show
with dazzling brilliancy In the magnihceI
; entertainments Mt the gay capital; some
/, them rivaling In beauty the famous sgn'
Sorel, whose beauty was go striking that
D caused Henry II, King Of France, to trenbl
when he first heheId her.
From careful consideration OF the variou
: dangers arising from this leap year priv
: lege," | am inclined to think Mr.. Meagies ~
9 vice to the beadle Is worthy OF imitation. at
that whenever we see a young lady IN ~
t fig" with q scarlet petticoat coming down Il
street, we shall show our best discretion /
turning. and running away.