The Grenada gazette., 1885-10-17

have been broached. 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 an enemy to Saturn,
who was the protector of witches In
China it is the horses hoof, and not the
shoe, that is the symbol of luck, and
the people there hang up horses hooi
in their houses as a charm. There ha:
always been certain amount OF
good or bad luck attached to horses,
particularly those with white feet OR
legs. All old rlyfuJ ruHs:
lone white foot, buy horse;
Two white feet. try a horse;
Three white feet, look well about him;
Four white feet, do without him.
In some parts of England it il
looked upon as unlucky to meet a
white horse on leaving home, and, IL
order to avert the i'll omen, one must
spit on the ground.
Iron horseshoes are not very an
cient invention. The practice of shoe
ing horses was introduced into En-
gland by William the Conqueror-tha
was in the eleventh century, and it il
said that Henry de Ferrars, who ac'
compaDied William to England, re
ceived that surname because he was
the Inspector of farriers. The coat o1
arms of the family bore six horse
shoes, and they were granted a pecul
lar prerogative, which is still held by
them. Their seat is at Oakham, in
Rutlandshire, and they claim horse.
shoe or its value from every noble OF
royal parsonage who lodges within
the walls or passes through the streets
of Oakham. Iii the ancient Norman
Hall may be seen these souvenirs
of distinguished visits, some adorned
with coronet and marked with the
names of donors, from Queen Elizabeth
down to the Princess of Wales. In 1888
the Princess Wet oria, on a visit to Oak
ham, paid horseshoe, as her unclcs
George w. and the Duke of York had
done long before, and the London Times
of March s, 1881, has this paragraph:
SIN accordance with an ancient Gus
tom the Princess of Wales has presented
a horseshoe to Oakham Castle, in com.
memoration of her visit. The shoe,
which was manufactured at the works
of Lord Aveland, and is guilt, has just
been fastened to one of the walls of the
castle, the Inscription being AS follows:
Her Royal Highness the Princess of
Wales, 1S8l.'n The Duke of Wellington,
the famous Lord Mansfield and Lord
Campbell are among the more ccle
brated personages who have also paid
the tribatc of a horseshoe to Oakham
Castle. Whether it is owing to the
horseshoe or not no one can tell, but
the Lords of Oakham have continuous
ly held their place and title from the
days Of William the Couqueror to the
days of Victoria, That is better luck
than most English titles have had.
The philosophers have had hard
time of ii in trying TO solve the super
sttion about luck. One says that
fortune is only another name for oul
own doings; another says that pluck l.
luck: a third that luck is a word TO be
talked about, but skill leads to fortune.
But Juvenal assures us that fortune is
but haphazard, while Lord Chatham
said that chance is an unaccuuntable
nothing. But while there is no agree,
mcnt on the definition of luck, every
body can give innmerablc instances OF
it.
Thirteen boys set out one night to
commit depreciation on 4 melon patch.
In manner well known to farmers.
but not known to the boys, the patch
was planted with alternate rows OF
pumpkins. The night was dark, the
work was silent, and as each boy Sc
cured his prize he stole silently away to
the rendezvous. When all were as
scmbled it became known to the party
that twelve boys had stolen pumpkins
and one boy had a watermelon. That's
the story of luck in life. One fellow
has watermelon of the other
fellows have pumpkins.
Whether horseshoe accidentally
picked up can turn your pumpkin into
watermelon can not be definitely told,
but if you find one hang it or your
door. Chicago Hcrald.