Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-05-24
GOOd.Lnck HOrseslIOes.


The metallic shoe which man invent
ed to guard the horses feet has proved
to DO of great value since put TO its in
tended use. But tradition tells us thai
il is not for this value alone that we
should prize the simple device, and in
forms us that IL pc sesses virtues which
we may use for the more noble and
glorious purpose, that of guarding our
selves against i'll luck. From the great
number of good-luck shoes exhibited in
this country at the present time, 1t is
evident that many people believe in
the potent virtues ascribed by tradition
to the good-luck shoe. Finding horse
shoe and mailing it to door or other
place in order TO keep away witches or
i'll luck, is one of those frailties OF the
human mind not alone confined TO
this country, by ranging over large
portion of the earth's surface. History
fails to tell us who first discovered the
mystic power of the horseshoe, and
leaves us in darkness as to when that
power was first utilized, but cites us to
sufficient landmarks TO enable us 70
trace the good-luck shoe into great an
tiquity.
and horseshoeing, informs us that the
earliest account we have OF iron horse
shoes to be attached to the horses hoofs
by means of nails was written in A. ID.
$50 to OIL. But as the iron age is said
TO have commenced some 800 TO l, 800
years before this time, it is possible and
quite probable that iron shoes for the
horses feet were invented and used
long before we have any written &C
count of their use. Consequently il is
possible that the virtues of the good
luck horseshoes were discovered nearly
5000 years ago.
In this country some people use any
thing having the form of a horseshoe to
guard them against i'll luck others
want shoe that has been used on some
noted horse. while the more jealous
believers in the good-luck shoe will use
none but cast-off shoes that have been
| found or stolen.
Burns, in travelling through central
Asia, remarks: Passing gate of the
city observed it studded with horses
shoes, which are as superstitious en-
blems in this country as in remote
| Scotland. A horsc-shoer had no GUS
| toners. A saint to whom he applied
recommended his mailing pair of
horses shoes to gate of the city. He
afterward prospered. and the horse
shoers of Peshawur have since propiti-
ated the same saint by a similar ex-
pedicnt, in which they place implicit
reliance"
Aubery tells us that in his time it is
very common to nail horseshoes over
| A I, - a. l. L.
the power of witches that enter into the
house. Most houses of the west end of
London have the horseshoe on the
threshold II should be horseshoe
that one finds. He adds: Under the
porch of Stanfield church in Suffolk I
saw title with horseshoe upon it
placed therein for this purpose, though
one would imagine that holy water
would alone have been sufficient.
Specimens says history will be
shown of two old horseshOes- of
the 18th, the other of the 10th century
which had been fastened to the church
door of Saint Saturnine in France. 1t
used to be the custom in Devonshire
Cornwall, Eng, to nail to the great
west doors Of churches these old arti-
Giles to keep off the malicious witches,
one of whose special amusements it was
to unite the winds and make them fight
against the churches,
Church doors appear to have been
rather favorite depots for horseshoes in
ancient times. At Schwartzenstein,
about half league from Rastenburg,
Prussia, two large horseshoes with an
antique history were to be seen hang
to the church walls. From the same
source we also learn that there was to
be seen at Ellrich in Germany, in days
long gone by, four horseshoes of i'm
mense size nailed to the door Of the old
church. Tradition further informs us
that these shoes fell from horses feet
that drunken count rode into Saint
Nicholas church during a time when
vespers were being chanted. On reach
ing the altar the horse and his rider
both fell stiff dead, the shoes dropping
from the horses feet, and the shoes
were preserved for ages as memorial
of the event.-SeM r. Bane n Detroit
| Post and Tribune.