The Springdale news., 1888-07-27
SUPERSTITION RAMPANT
All Sorts of People Affected, Es-
 peeially Women.
What Dreams Denote and How They Act as Warnings Beliefs About tho Moon, Salt. Old Shoes,
 and Other Things.

and Other Things.
 Are women more expectations than men? Possibly, and probably, as their lives are more contracted than the lives of men. and they have greater leisure for breeding over the myste- rious and supernatural. and comparing the revealed, the real, with the fanci- ful. the occult forces which they long yet dread, to fathom. Some one has said that every human being has pet superstition of some kind, but that women have more than men. Intelli- gence, culture. reason, seem powerless to remove the strange conceits, the odd fancies which ruled and do still rule the will and hope ef moftals in connection with trifling circumstances which they believe predict their future for veal or woe.
 With the promiscnous strains Of blood that we Americans have flowing in our veins we have inherited the supersti- tions of many countries in the old world. Whole volumes have been printed of the English. Welsh, Scotch, French. German. Italian and Russian expectations. Perhaps we have one or two which belong to each nationality. At all events we have variety. Sneez- ing is not only very disagreeable, but ominous in the afternoon and evening. as it predicts an influenza and bad news of some kind Women are partial to a relation of dreams. An old English writer says:
 'Dreams are hut the raised impress sions Of premeditated things.
 This is and is not true We dream of situations. of people unknown to Us; predictions are made to Us in dreams which are the shadow. the foretaste of the future, thus revealed. The com monest superstition regarding dreams is that to dream of gold predicts joy; of silver, sorrow; Of flying, journey; of lightning, marriage: of killing ser pents, victory; of blindness, poverty; of combing the hair, sickness; of gray hair, death; of flies, enemies of cupid. love, but if he breaks his bow, you are to be an old maid or widow To dream of white flowers is good omen; of yellow flowers, you are to attend a funeral. \ lady tells the writer that through her whole life all her various afflictions have been foreshadowed by dreaming of an infant. The 'child dream" as she calls it, gives her warning and she begins to droop like a flower that is partly crushed, while waiting for new baptism of sorrow. Perhaps Jacob dream of the angels and tho ladder k sufficient foundation for superstitions regarding dreams. Dreams, idle dreams, says the poet, but they are frequently very delightful, if they are ''idlo
 No woman need be ashamed to con fess that she k snperstitious re- garding the moon, or that she delib- erately turns her right shoulder toward the new moon and takes a good look at the new silver crescent The druids performed mysterious rites in honor of the new moon, and Shakes peane calls her "The sovereign mis- tress of the true melancholy" Proba- bly that is the foundation of calling silly girls or boys "mny. The old superstition regarding illness being caused by moonlight shining on the face of a sleeping woman has a curious suspicion of truth in it. Certain schoolgirls having heard that one of their number had a horror Of moon light streaming through tho windows of her dormitory stole noiselessy into her chamber mhaile she was sleeping and pushed back the curtain sc as to let the moon shine full on her face The result of this prank was the se- rious illness of the girl on whom it was tried-a malady which puzzled the physicians in attendance until the girls confessed their crime. The old En- glish custom for young girls to address the moon New Years Eve regarding their future partner for life prevails to some extent among us. The girl says; [" l pray thee. dear moon, reveal to me who my husband will and looks for the picture of her beloved that is. or to be, in the round silver globe, If a cloud sweeps over the disk the girl says; Alas, not this year, ugly moonN
 Salt spilled between two people in dicates a quarrel, yet the Arabs eat salt together in token of amity, and the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans used it in their sacrificial cakes. All women like the comfort of an old shoe, but better, the throwing of old shoes after a newly couple to ensure them happiness.
 A lady who is wise in old supersti tions always put her right shoe on her right foot first in the morning to give her good luck for the day
 Very many women are superstitious regarding strange cats. If cat is found in new house that house is doomed for the ill luck of it's occu- pants. Actresses are said to be very expectations regarding the appearance of cat on the stage-the great Sid dops once fainting when black cat