The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-11-18
SUPERSTlTlONS.
New Orleans City Iten.1

An Eastern paper Of influence, in 9
recent article upon insanity, quotes 9
number of peculiar facts which tend tc
show that most men with remarkable
minds are more or less prone to pretty
superstitions or delusions. There is nc
need to 60 far back in order to rake Out
examples of the fact from the ashes o.
history; our own age is full of them
Napoleon believed somewhat in the
influence of the stars, and declared that
when u certain star shone brightly II
betokencd victory; when it twinkled
dimiy, it meant defeat. Abraham Lin
coin declared that he saw his double
in the glass,-his wrath, pale and livid,
looking over the shoulder of his true
retiection-before his murder. Lord
| Castlereagh used to see a spectral child
at night carrying candle and having
phosphorescent nimbus about its
head. When the halo ceased to be
visible about the phantom's head, the
! nobleman declared his deatl would
shortly take place; aud he killed him
self soon after. Commodore Wander
| bilt believed that he was aided by spir-
| its in his vast speculations; aud Gar
| field considered "that certain combina-
tions of numbers had mysterious and
occult relation to certain matters in his
life." We doubt whether such beliefs
are at all confined to those who have
faith in the supernatural; they are
certainly common among free-thinkers,
and dubtless there have been eneinent
atheists who could be charged with
certain superstitious proclivities. Much
is duo to early impressions-to the
mysterious fancies we have in child
hood about what we can not under
and;-much also to the cultivation of
imagination. Out ola hundred highly
cultivated men, who profess absolute
disbelief in the supernatural, we sus-
pect that at least ninety would candidly
confess they are more or less affected
by superstitious fancies at times. They
may disbelieve in them, laugh at them
but the fancies will return at intervals,
like dreams we laugh at in the morn
ing, but dread to behold again the
coming night. Furthermore ideas of
this sort are more or less contagious
except to unusually positive minds.
If one lives with superstitious people,
or frequents the society of superstitious
friends, their beliefs and ideas will
usually effect him more or less in the
end. He will involuntarily acquire
the habit of avoiding certain things
supposed to bring i'll luck, or of seeking
what is supposed to bring good luck.
Break down these customs, their prac.
tiser will find the effort more difficult
than he ever imagined. There can be
no doubt that the belief in iII-fuck will
bring ill-luck in many cases; those who
expect evil and look for misfortunes
unconsciously create their own misery.
The story of the steamship company is
well known. Having found the super
stition of sailors regarding Fridays
interfere seriously with business, and
even indirectly cause the loss of vessels
and of property, the ship-owners deter
mined that the ships should always sail !
on Friday. The superstition was finally |
broken down in that instance, and |
nothing very frightful occurred. A |
curious fact about superstitious beliefs
is that they are sternly discountenanced
by all Christian churches, and neverthe-
less flourish in defiance of both reason
and religion. Superstition, in fact, ap.
pears to be a natural failing of the
human mind, common in all countries
and universal with all races. Whether
it will ultimately disappear with the
growth ofhuman progress, it is difficult
to say; but it is certain that in the
nineteenth century there are compara-
lively few men, even among the most
skeptical, who are not more or less
tinctured with it-few minds, however
strong, not affected with some little
weakness, marked with some little
Speck OF madness.
ESPOSIT0 IDENTIFIED.