The Hazlehurst signal., 1885-10-22
HAzIEHURsT CoPIAH COUNTY, MISS, OCTOBER %, 1885,
Some Of ths largest stores in Chicago

Some OF The largest stores in Chicago
have n horseshoe prominently visible
over door or window, and there are
probably few families who have not mt
one time or another placed considerable
confidence rs source Of good fortune
in this peculiarly piece of iron. AS o
charm and rs scarf-pin, the miniature
horseshoe meets with the rcadicst sale
ut the jewellers. The origin of the be-.
lief is somewhat difficult to trace, aud
numerous theories more or less wild
have been broachcd. Some have
thought that the virtue lay in the shape,
which Is similar to the halo around the
head Of the saints. Another theory
was that Mars, the god of war, and the
war horse. was All enemy to Saturn,
who was the protector of witches. In
China it is the horses hoof, and not the
shoe, that Is tho symbol of luck, and
the people there hang UP horses hoof
in their houses as charm. There ha'
always been certain amount oil
good or bad luck attached to horses
particularly those with white feet or
legs, An old rhyme runs;
"Onc white foot, buy horse;
| Two white feet. trya horse;
Three white feet. look well about him;
Four white feet, do without him."
In some parts Of England 1t il
looked upon MS unlucky to meet a
white horse on leaving home, and, H.
order to avert the i'll omen, one must
spit on the ground
Iron horscshocs are not very an
cient invention. The practice of shoe
ing horses was introduced into I'm.
gland by William the Conqueror that
was in the eleventh century. and II is
said that Henry dc Fcrrars, who ac'
companicd William TO England. re-
ceivcd that surname because he was
the Inspector Of iarricrs. The coat OF
arms of the family bore six horse
shoes, and they were granted u pccul-
lar prcrogatiye, which is still held by
them. Their seat is at Oakham, in
Rutlandshire, and they claim n horse
shoe or it, value from every noble OF
royal parsonage who lodges within
the walls or passes through the streets
of Oakham. In the ancient Norman
Hall may be- seen these souvenirs
of distinguished visits, some adorned
with a coronct and marked with the
I names of donors, from Queen Elizabeth
down To the Princess of Wales. In 1888
the Princess Victoria, on a visit to Oak
/ ham, paid horseshoe, rs her unclc>
/ George ". and the Duke of York had
donc long before. and the London Times
of March <, 1881, has this paragraph
a. In accordance with an ancient Gus
tom the Princess of Wales has presented
n horseshoe To Oakham Castle, in com
mcmoration OF her visit. The shoe,
which was manufactured at the works
of Lord Avcland, and is guilt, has just
been fastened to one OF the walls OF the
castle. the inscription being rs follows;
Her Royal highnc>s the Princess OF
Wales, 1851" Thr Duke of Wellington.
the famous Lord Mansfield and Lord
Campbell are among the more cclc'
bratcI pcrsonages who have also paid
| the tribute of horseshoe TO Oakham
Castle. Whether it is owing to the
! horseshoe or not no one can Tell. but
the Lords of Oakham have continuous
~ held their place and title from tho
days of William The Conqucror TO the
days of Victoria. That is better luck
than most English titles have had.
The philosophers have hal harn
time of II in trying to solve the super.
stition about luck. One says tina,
fortune is only another name for our
own doings; another says that pluck is
luck; thinl that luck is word TO be
talked about. but skill leads to fortune.
But Juyenal assures us that fortune il
but haphazard. while Lord Chatham
said that chance is IN unaccountablc
nothing But while there is no agree.
ment OH the definition of luck, every
body can give im,umerablc instances OF
il.
Thirteen boys sot out one night to
commit depreciation on melon patch
In manner we'll known TO farmers,
but not known to tho boys, the patch
was planted with alternate rows ol
pumpkins. The night was dark, the
work was silent. and rs each boy Sc
cured his prize he stole silently away te
the rendezvous. When all were rs.
sembled it became known to the party
that twelve boys had stolen pumpkin,
and one boy had u watermelon. That,
the story OF luck in life. One fellow
has a watcrmclon-most of the Other
fellows have pumpkins.
Whether n horseshoe accidentally
picked up can turn your pumpkin into
a watermelon can not be definitely told,
but II you find one hang 1t or your
door. Chicago Herald.
Champion Long-Distance Speaker.