The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-30
Superstition in English Society.

Nothing could have been more I'M
fortunate than the death of the Princess
of Wurtemburg last Sunday, except the
occurrence of that sad event four or five
days earlier, which would have brought
wreck and every other disaster upon the
royal wedding. As it was. the main ex-
element was over when the news reached
Windsor The wedding had been cele-
brated, the royal banquet held. all the
royalties and "Serene Transparencies''
had dined with the Queen, and most of
the men among them at the banquet of
the Royal Academy before the terrible
news arrived and broke up the fair meet
ing in most admired disorder. No sooner
did L hear the news than the words nj
tered by my neighbor in ST. GEORGES
Chapel on the wedding day flashed
across my mind. This lady. who is a
very grand dame de par Ie monde. no
sooner saw the bridesmaids than she
turned pale TO visible extent despite the
artistic skill expended upon her charming
countenance- What could they have
been thinking of Pr she asked me. "Just
thnk OF their putting violets on the
bridesmaids frocks. They must be
mad " had seen that the gowns were
topped up with primroses and violets
and thought that. saving that the effect
was rather ''bunchy. the flowers looked
wei on the white skirts. 1t seemed
quite otherwise to my neighbor. who
vent on 20 say: .,Vioiets at weddingl
Absurdi That IL. s..aless IN ~x~xe .. sxsSs.s7s,s
partist wedding. The violet, by virtue
OF its hue and associations. is flower of
mourning. 1t is put onfuneral wreaths
1t IS used to deck not bride but a
corpse. No good will come of it. / am
sure. wonder they did not put on a
parure of opals while they were about it.
But there is sure to be some misfor
tune.'
On Monday Idined with my neighbor.
who at once uttered that portentous
phrase, II told you sou 1 was not
quite so astonished as might have been.
for know how superstitious the British
matron, even of the highest rank, very
frequently is. The younger .sdamozels. =
who read Herbert Spencer, and Mallock.
and Darwin, are in many cases free from
superstition, or indeed belief of anv
kind, but their mothers incline strongly
to the fancies and preiudices which are
still articles of absolute faith among the
bourgeoisie- Women of the lower class
always have a dream book hidden
away, and not spoken of before their
HUSBANDS, ana scores of them actually
write every year to the Astronomer
Royal to have their s.stars put right >
1t is hoped that compulsory education in
board schools will put an end to this
miserable rubbish in time, but my per-
sonal experience is decidedly against the
speedy eradication of superstition. I
have seen man of fair mite diligence and
great fortune turn back on his way 10 a
horse-raee because the first woman he
met on going into the street. had a
squint-eye- This, in his opinion, was
fatal. To meet .'squinty-eyed'' wo-
man the first thing in the morning signi-
fed bad luck all the day, and no amount
of persuasion could induce him to con-
tinue with the party. Concerning we'd
dings and wedding engagements. ladies
have superstitions concerning other
things than violets- Opals are so fear
fully aalucky TO give to bridegroom or