Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-11-15

A superstition fAsed to exist that a
child which did nos cry when sprinkled
in baptism would aot live long. In the
west OF Scotland, Saccording to James
Napier, it was considered unlucky to
name child by arg name before the rite
of baptism was performed. When chill
dren seemed prepsAturely smart it was
believed they wesIld not live long.
Shakespeare puts this superstition into
the mouth of lticISrd III. Bulwer men
tons the tradition concerning children
born open-handedx ahat they will be lib
eral and big heartily. A character in one
of Dekker's plays. says: 81 am most
wretched fellow; sArely some left-hand-
ed priest christene& me, | am so un-
lucky" Accordir$s to Irish and Scotch
fairy uperstitionsk She elves. though in
the main harmlesss have the bad reputa-
ton OF stealing chG1ren from the cradle
and substituting i9r them changelings
who bear resemblance to the stolen in
fants, but are uglef little creatures and
never thrive. On such theft of female
infant, who is carried to the fairy land.
but in the cqtirse of years re-
turns to hers parents, James
Hogg founded as fine old ballad
of "Kilmeny" (Qusxn's Wake). In some
parts of Scotland Asis popular notion
among the loweE CLASSES that when a
child is for the firss5 time taken into the
open air the bearbf of it should give
something to ca t&ahe first person met,
otherwise the chile Mill be unlucky. The
gift is called 1.-THE taiIn's piece" When
child was taken Eisom It's mother, and
carried outside theftedroom for the first
time after its birthsst was lucky to take
it upstairs, and lucsey to take it down
stairs. 1t was not considered lucky to
carry baby into5ta neighbours house
until the mother t.Ak it herself; and
this it was unluckysSfor even her to do
until she had beers to church. It was
deemed unlucky toifheasure baby; and
if its nails were cua5 before year old, it
would turn out tkfef; it was unlucky
for boy to wear tE1useIs made on Fri
day, and to sweep e!lst over the feet of
the girls would pressnt them from get
ting husbands. InI :Iiudostan, when a
baby sneezes, the% mother snaps her
thumb and fnger,ss iand repeats aloud
the name of one CT her gods. When
"a child casts q tooth, in South
Sweden, the toothtis thrown into the
ire. In Switzerland it is carefully
wrapped in paper, saad salt inclosed with
it before 1t is th7nsvn into the fire. In
Herrick's time it was regarded as lucky
omen to place a kGsfe near sleeping
child. Good Frid8g and Easter Sunday
were considered lucssy days for changing
the caps of childgeN. In the west o.
England the FORTUNES of children are be-
lieved to be largely regulated by the day
of the week on whS9k they are born:
Mondays child is fair in face,
Tuesdays child issf:lll Of grace,
Wednesday, chilts = full OF woe,
Thursdays child k:ss far TO 60,
Fridays child is l&ging and giving,
Saturdays child uAyrks hard tor living,
And a child that isSs iorn on Christmas day
Is fair and wise, gosod and gay
Among some of tJs: tribes in Africa if
two babies come tog family at the same
time they think it aselreadful thing. No
body except the faEaily can 60 into the
tent where they Wee born, nor use any
of the things in it, The twins are not
allowed to play With other children, and
the mother cannot eak to any one out
side of the family. his is kept up for
six wears. If the bas1ses live to be six
years old the restTiltions are removed,
and they are treateaSike other children.
- Chicago CurTcnt.