The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-10-26
Bill Arp on Nature and Sunerstit

Bill Arp on Nature and Superstitions.
There are some curious things about
Indian corn, and one is where do the
red ears and the spccklcd ears come
from when you don't plant any but
white corn; and another is, why don't
we find IN ear with an odd number OF
rows on it? You can find u four-leaf
clover, but have never found the odd
row on an ear of corn vet. 1t is always
fourteen, or sixteen. or twenty, or some
even number, and | would like to un-
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
cyconb the other day. and wondered
how it could be made SO true and uni
form and perfect even under u micro
scope, and yet be all made in The dark.
And | would like to know how the
lightning BUG <indIes the fire so
suddenly, and i've noticed that there is
not only light III it to show him how to
travel, but there is power in it that
pushes him forward and always up
ward. He rises as he lights, which is 4
good emblem. When u man sets him
self mp us u preacher, or n teacher, or 4
statesman, and undertakes 10 throw
light around upon the people he ought
to so live by precept and example that
he would rise higher and higher rs lie
Illuminated. And right before me in
front OF the piazza are two vines climb
inc q cane-one madeira and the 9TH
er a iessaminc-and thcy cross each
other at every round climbing in op-
posite directions, and | have tried to
make 'em reverse, but they won't. You
may tic one with a string, but it will
squirm and twist out OF it and 90 ac-
cordinG TO its nature. This weather is
good for some things. l never saw as
fine prospect for turnip and sweet po-
tatoes, and then the flowers keep on
blooming, and don't have to water
'em every day like 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 that when the dog-star and the sur
got so close together they went TO fuss
ing and the malignant influence of theil
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 {
superstition will hang on to our nature
1t is like seeing the new moon over
the left shoulder, or through the brush OF
tree, OF like beginning journey, OF
to make q new garment on Friday. Il
is astonishing how we let these sense
| less superstitions take hold Of us, even
when we don't believe in them at all.
stayed over night once with Il man ol
more than ordinary sense-a strong
| minded, well-balanced man-and wher
| l asked him why the carpenter who
| built his new house didn't cell up thai
! hole overhead he said he wouldn't le
| him, for'i it was bad luck to finish {
house, and that plank was left off OF
! purpose; and when that man forgot any
thing and went back after it he alway:
| made Il cross mark on the ground anC
spat III it before he turned round.
There is 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 Greer
Foster told me that if !, man had bis
lot of children and wanted his hog mea
to make a heap of gravy he must Xii
his pork III the dark OF the moon, TO
then it would shrink and juice away
but if he wanted it to swell up anc
make q big show he must Kill it Will,
the moon was on the increase. Tn
sorry [ didn't know that when | wa
raising my flock, for they were power
full fond of gravy, and it was II trouble
sometimes to get enough for 'em with
out great sacrifice Of meat. ANant,
Constitution