The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-11-10
Bill Arp on Nature and supergtitions.

Bill Arp OF Nature and Supsrstitions.
There are some curious things about
Indian corn, and one is where do the
red ears and the speckled ears come
from when you don't plant any but
white corn; and another is, why don't
we find an ear with an odd number of
rows on itp You can find q four-leaf
clover, but | have never found the odd
row on an ear Of corn yet. 1t is always
fourteen, or sixteen. or twenty, or ONE
even number, and / would like to I'M
derstand what corn knows about mathe-
mates, and what objection nature has
to odd numbers. But nature is full of
mysteries. | was looking ut some hon.
eycomb the other day, and wondered
how it could be made so true and uni
form and perfect even under a micro
scope, and yet be all made in the dark.
And | would like to know how the
lightning bug kindles the fire SO
suddenly, and I've noticed that there is
not only light in it to show him how to
pushes him forward and always up
ward. He rises as he lights, which is a
good emblem. When a man sets him.
self up as a preacher, or a teacher, or a
statesman, and undertakes to throw
light around upon the people he ought
to SO live by precept and example that
he would rise higher and higher as he
Illuminated. And right before me in
front of the piazza are two vines climb
ing q cane-one a madeira and the 9TH
err q jessamine-and they cross each
other at every round climbing in OPP
posite directions, and / have tried to
make 'em reverse, but they won't. You
may tie one with a string, but it will
squirm and twist out of it and go &C
cording to its nature. This weather is
good for some things. / never saw as
fine q prospect for turnip and sweet po-
tatoes, and then the flowers keep on
blooming, and 1 don't have to water
'em every day like 1 did last summer.
But these dog-days are very unpopular,
for they say that fresh meat won't keep,
and milk turns sour, and children have
boils, grown folks have headache, and
mosquitoes sing around and snakes per-
ambulate. They say that dog-days be-
gin when the dog-star rises with the sun
and lasts about a month, and the an
clients who worshipped the stars believ-
ed hat when the dog-star and the sun
got so close together they went to fuss
ing and the malignant influence of their
quarrel was felt all over the universe.
This superstition has been handed down
to us from the generations who have
gone before, and it shows how long a
superstition will hang on to our nature.
1t is like seeing the new moon over
the left shoulder, or through the brush of
q tree, or like beginning a journey, or
to make q new garment on Friday. 1t
is astonishing how we let these sense
less superstitions take hold of us, even
when we don't believe in them at all. l
stayed over night once with a man of
more than ordinary sense-a strong
minded, we'll balanced man-and when
l asked him why the carpenter who
built his new house didn't cell up that
hole overhead he said he wouldn't let
him, for it was bad luck to finish 3
house, and that plank was left off on
purpose; and when that nan forgot any
thing and went back after it he always
made a cross mark OF the ground and
spat in it before he turned round.
There is a clever old woman living
near us who makes lye soap for my wife
and she makes it by the moon, and de-
clares most solemnly she can't make
good soap any other way. And Green
Foster told me that if a man had a big
lot of children and wanted his hog meat
to make a heap Of gravy he must kill
his pork in the dark Of the moon, for
then it would shrink and juice away;
but if he wanted it to swell up and
make a big show he must kill it while
the moon was on the increase. I'm
sorry l didn't know that when / was
raising my flock, for they were power
full fond of gravy, and it was a trouble
sometimes to get enough for 'em with
out a great sacrifice of meat.-AHanta
Constitution.