Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-04-24
LUCK AND 0hEHS.
VARIOUS STRANGE FANCIEs OF PUBLIC
AfEN

VARIOUS STRANGE FANCIEs OF PUBLIC
MEN.
New York Sum-
Tho whims, superstitions, freaks,
or whatever they be called, ofmany
men of good, hard, common sense,
who have become conspicuous in
public or business life, are more
potent forces than would be suppos-
ed. The experiences of such
alienists as DR.. Hammond or the
late DR.. G.. VI. Beard would, if
published, make a most curious and
interesting story. For these ply
sicians there is no surprise when a
shrewd and wealthy dnancier or
successful politician hesitatingly
confesses that he is controlled by
some fancy that seems childish,
but is none tho less potent. They
meet so many such cases that they
are inclined to think that if almost
all men would make confession
they would admit that some kindof
fancy or belief had possession OF
them.
DR.. Beard once said to the writer
that one of the most successful
hnanciers of Wall street had con-
fessed to him he was convinced that
if he walked on the right hand of
Broadway block between Houston
and Prince streets he would meet
some terrible calamity, either in
business or personality. This
banker was accustomed 10 walk
down Broadway for exercise on the
right hand side, and when he reached
Houston street he crossed over,
walking the block to Prince on the
left hand. Then he would cross
back again perfectly content. Sat
isned that the seeming conviction
was mere whim, he once, by force
of will, went on a few steps on the
block, but he suffered such an
agony of fear that he gave it up,
and crossed the street.
Another of DIR. Boards patients,
we'll known lawyer, who lived in
Brooklyn, would never cross tho
fairy unless he could get to GER
tain spot on the rear deck, so that
he could stand with one foot OH the
big iron clamp. He believed that
if he failed to do so he would meet
with misfortune OF some kind.
That men susceptible to sentl-
ment should be dominated by these
hallucinations, as DR.. Beard called
them, is more easily explainable
than the cases of men OF practical
hard sense with no nonsense about
them. Yet DIR. Beard asserted that
I in his practice he did not see that
one class was less liable to notions
than the other. President Gar
field, for instance, who was of a
keenly susceptible temperament,
! had q profound conviction that
the figure 10 would be associated
strikingly with the events OF his
career. He was born on the 18th
of the month, and died on the 10Th,
1t was known by Garheld's friends
that he was firmly convinced that
he would one day become president
Some incident that happened while
he was in the army fixed the con-
viction in his mind that he would
become president, provided he
never strayed from the path the
omen pointed out. His friends
not knowing just what the omen
was, we're satisfied that in obeyine
| its dictates Gariield's otherwise in
explicable course in some things Of
comparatively petty consequence
found explanation,
Speaker Carlisle is as practica
andunsentimenal in temperament as
Garfield was the opposite ; yet Mr.
Carlisle is dominated by one notion
ii not by more. He will begin nc
new thing on Friday.
1t is believed in Wall street thai
the cool, imperturbable Jim Keent
suffers torture from the fear thai
poison somehow or other has got
into anything of liquid form that
he drinks, not intentionally put
there, but there by accident, and he
would not dare drink glass oI
water, wine, or coffee without goine
through some secret performance
that wards off the danger.
Commodore Vanderbilt was
firm believer in luck and lucky
men, bnt the old commodore wa'
shrewd enough to see that lucky
men generally did their best t
make themselves lucky. Senator
Miller, of California, is a 6rm be
lever in his own luck, aud has per
feet faith that any business he goe
into will be successful because h'
is lucky. He has had fifteen year
of conirmatory experience.
, Mr.. Blaine, with all his common
: sense, will never turn back to ente
. his house after he has quit it, 1
D case be has forgotten something