The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-01-10
In and About the British
Metropolis.
OLD WORLD sUPERsTITIONs.
The Observance of the Sabbath In the
old Sod-The Irishman's Fun
LOvinR Traits.
LONDON. December IL, 1885.

1t is said that Robert Collyer, in
answer to question as to how he had
found the people of Egypt, fro n among
whom he had just returned, his answer
was: "Oh, they are very folksy" The
world over people are alike, and to use
profound axiom, all things tend to
show us we are of one common parent
age. However wide the differences in
nationalities may have become, they
have not grown so great as to obliterate
the source of all races on earth. / have
noticed that there is one link. or one
thing common to all mankind, and that
is patriotism, and it always shows itself
in one common way. The Fiji Islander
and the Britisher, the Patagonian and
the North American Indian as well as
the American gentleman" himself,
their widely differing civilizations to the
contrary Notwithstanding, make the
more noise the more their bosoms swell
with patriotic emotions. What is a
Fourth of July without the firing of
cannons. and bombs, and crackers, and
yells and the blowing of steam whistles
and the like? This is patriotism the
world over. Then again men lie and
steal and do noble deeds, no matter
what the education nor the degree of
civilization, and while there are di> tine
tons they are not wide enough TO
destroy the reasonable conclusion OF
common origin. So it is with supersti-
tons; all people have them more or
less. and the degree of belief varies no
less in a nation than aMong nations.
The Scotch, the Welsh and English
have supers titions, peculiar to them
selves, as do the Irish, but OF all people
ever met, those of the north of Ireland
seem to have less of it than those of any
country in the world. 1t is true one
hears an old ghost story occasionally,
and while there seems to be little ques-
tioning in the minds of people as to its
truthfulness, its antiquity is always
such that the youngest may listen to Its
recital at the most unfaVorable hours
and amid the most dismal surroundings
without having their cheeks 'blanched"
or any uneasiness awakened. Tell
them about the dire consequences of
thirteen sitting down at a table at once
and they will stare at you in wonder
ment. The awful effects of spilling
salt, of taking the last article on plate,
of getting two spoons, or two knives, or
two forks, or having to turn back after
having left a house, or any of those
"sweet" little superstitions without
which the life of the average young lady
would be devoid of romantic charm,
are unknown to them and they pursue
the even tenor of their way, undisturbed
by such enthusiastically small causes for
anxiety as exists among the less bar
barous" of the dear sex. One can find
some satisfactory reason for supersti-
tons of older ages, but for those of the
modern maiden of ease the only expla-
nation of a satisfying nature is to be
discovered in laZiness of disposition and
immunity from the necessity OF constant
toll. People in Ireland have to work
like mad. Even girls are not wholly
exempt from any kind of manual labor
and they have not the time to encourage
those petite superstitions which give
rise to so much edifying conversation
among their more favored sisters of
other lands. 1 have run across people
of more than average intelligence
more than average in Ireland-who be-
lieve firmly in the "black art'' and who
would as readily think of inviting the
devil to take immediate possession of
their souls as to bring into their homes
a book protesting to teach this art or
that might throw any light upon it.
Nor are they entirely devoid of religious
superstitions, though such as they have
are not of a nature calculated to keep a
man at home when he desires to be
doing any mischief. In this respect
there is a wide difference between Cath
olics and Protestants. the less intelligent
among the former holding tenaciously
to omens of different kinds. have
known Protestants to have almost hit
over the secession of some persons from
their faith, and because the night fol
lowing was black and stormy claimed
that the devil and his imps were having
a regular thigh old time" over the
accession to his kingdom. One OF the
most amusing superstitions. and one
entertained by some men OF genuine
intelligence, is connected with the cricket
who strings his chirpful Tyre as the
shades of evening begin to descend land
even when all is quiet during the day.
and keeps drumming far into the night
while there is warmth on the hearth:
The farmers houses are built in ireland
with huge open CRATES and the old fash
toned fire place. Before retiring for the
night each member of the family, (men.
women and children) pull off their SOCKS
and stockings and hang them on the
"crane" or somewhere about the hearth
where, in case they are wet, they Will
dry for morning. The superstition Is
that if you kill cricket and leave your
socks anywhere about the hearth the
defunct chirper's fellows will nick your
foot incasers in such a manner during
the night as to render them valueless.
Just imagine ten or eleven pairs OF
socks and stockings of all shades and
conditions of holiness" strung around
q fire place, like the preparations for a
visition from Santa Claus such as one
might expect to see in a poor house
where the hanging Of stockings on
Christmas Eve was not forbidden, and
then imagine the mourners over the
defunct cricket picking out from among
this number the particular pair OF socks
that belonged to the assassin. 1t mat
tiers not how much you mix the stock
lngs up, nor what deception you may
attempt, the instinct of the cricket IS
unerring; he never gets revenge on the
wrong fellow; as sure as daylight comes
so certain will the murderer of the cricket
find his wooden feet protectors literally
ts1haUo6's into bolac while all the rest