Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-03-08
FACTS FOR THE CURIOUS.

The smallest plant is the Arctic rasp-
berry. A six-ounce vial will hold the
whsle, branches and leaves.
A very ancient custom survives
among the Copts Of Egypt. Their
tombs are made like houses, and three
times year the families to which they
belong assemble to feast in them. This
custom has no religious significance,
except that almsgiving is associated
with it.
There is no older superstition than
that regarding the seating Of thirteen
at table. Although its origin, says a
contemporary, is generally ert dited to
the last supper at which the Lord sat
with his twelve apostles, there is a
story in the old Morse mythology Of the
gods sitting down to feast with Loki
in the VaIhalla. Baldur was the th;r-
teenth at table, and Baldur had to die
The Turks have almost expunged the
number from their vocabulary. The
Italians never use it in making up the
numbers for their lotteries, and the
thirteenth card in one Of their favorite
games bears the figure Of death.
The superstition of the sin-eater in
Wales is said to linger even now in the
secluded vale of Cwm-Aman, in Caer-
marthenshire. The meaning of this
most singular institution of supersti-
ton was that when person died the
friends sent for the sin-eater Of the
district, who, on his arrival, placed a
plate of salt and bread on the breast Of
the deceased person he then uttered
an incarnation over the bread, after
which he proceeded to eat it-thereby
eating the sins of the dead person :
this done, he received a fee of two-and-
sixpence, which, we suppose, was much
more than many preacher received
for a long and painful service. Having
received this, he vanished as quickly as
possible, all the friends and relatives
Of the departed aiding his exit with
blows and kicks and other indications
of their faith in the service he had
rendered. A hundred years since, and
through the ages beyond that time, we
suppose this curious superstition was
everywhere prevalent.
In the Upper Palatinate OF Bavaria
it is still common, or was recently, to
hear the sun spoken Of as Frau Some
MADAME Sun and the moon as Herr
Mond (Mr Moon). But yet more
strange than this is the fact that in the
same district the tale should still
survive, which accounts, in the follow
ing common place but suggestive way
for the genders of the luminaries in
question: The moon and sun were
man and wife, but the moon, proving
too cold a lover and too much addicted
to sleep, his wife one day laid him a
wager by virtue of which the right of
shining by day should belong in future
to whichever of them should be the
first to awake. The moon laughed
but accepted the wager, and awoke
next day to find that the sun had for
two hours already been lighting up tha
world. AS it was also a condition and
consequence of their agreement that
unless they awoke at the same time
they should shine at different times
the effect of the wager was a perma-
nent separation, much to the affiictior
of the triumphant sun, who, still re-
tanning a spouse-like love for her hus-
band, was and always is trying to re
pair the matrimonial breach. Eclipses
are really due to their meetings for the
purpose of reconciliation; but as the
pair always begin with mutual re
proaches, the time comes for them tt
part before they have ceased to quar-
rel; and on that account the sun goes
away blood red with anger, and the
tears Of blood she weeps at her de
parture are often marked in the sky by
the redly-setting sun.