Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-08-18
SuperStitiOnS.

From the New York Graphic.
In an uptown ONCE group Of men got to talk
ing about superstitions. One gentlemen, who had
listened quietly while his companions denounced
various fanciful ideas as "utterly absurd" s'old
women's whims," "stun and nonsense" &C, re.
marked quietly:
.You may ridicule superstition as you win, but
1t is my honest opinion that not one person In q
thousand Is utterly free from its faint. You may
say and think you are, but you are mistaken. Loci
around among your friends and Intimate acquaint
ances and see II you can discover one OF them who
Is not Influenced to some degree by some OF thost
odd notions and ideas that you laugh at and pro
nouncs absurd. s, HOW many OF you would not pre-
you? Now, don't claim to be free from supersti
ton. might be induced TO enter upon some i'm
would be far more satisfactory to me II could be-
gin on some other day OF the week. / can reason
that one day is as good as another, but there.
and can't help thinking OF 1t.
There are things one learns when child which
It is impossible to shake on In later years Now
old heard one OF my aunts-a lady in whom / had
the utmost confidence and whose word neither
nor any one else ever dou6ted-I heard her say
that II person cut his finger nails on sunday
some bad luck would be sure TO come to him be
fore the week ended. She believed 1t, and be
leved 1t then. though OF course the whole ides
pressed me that 1 have never yet cut my
nails on the first day OF the week, and
probably never WILL i believe you Will IND
that almost every man Is a crank as regards some
OF these ancient delusi0na And women are as q
general thing even more prone TO pin their faith
70 signs and onens than men. DID you ever heal
girl tell dream without finally asking, 'What
Is that q sign Off i know q very accomplished
sensible, refined lady, who laughs herself al some
OF the odd notionswhich she picked up In child
hood and cannot get rid OF. II she should spill
salt on the table and omit to scrape up q pinch
and throw It In the fre am confident that she
would feel forebodings OF bad luck.
"Then there are the old superstitions about mir
rora Nobody likes TO break one; nobody would
that II any two persons see their reflections in che
glass at the same time the younger win die before
the year Is out. Many woman, who knows that
the Idea Is . humoug, wouldn't risk making the
aHnd when you come to remedies for diseased
why then you can md superstitt0ns enough 70 al
volumes. Some OF the old women's prescriptions
may be quite az enectuai at times as the regular
physicianA but that 1s neither for nor against
them. who hasn't heard how to cure warts BY
rubbing peas over them, then throwing the peas
awayf Among the strange cures In which
have known otherwise sensible people TO believe
fully, were such as these: Pare your finger nails
and toenatls, cut on o lock Of your hair and wraE
the pieces al up together; then bore hole In {
tree push tn-the hair and nails and drive tightly
hitting plug In the hole: as long as the tree stands
toothachei you have sore throat wear q rec
wooden string around your neck. II you want 4
prevent rheumatism, carry piece OF sulphur or {
buckeye nut In your pocket You may say thai
only foolish people can believe In such unreason.
BILE things; but very likely II you think over som<
OF your own beliefs you may como acrua some
thing quite - absurd"