Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-02-23
- nanntrisn superstitioEs.

HN OrEh OOuAAe1A
msaora CLARK in Chicago Current
Tbere are many superstitions IN Eng
.and o~snecially in the northern part
ah;,,b have not obtained largely IN 'n
aan,.rv the observance OF holidays
= raaordea with sn amount Of awe anu
snnepstitious Importance which wouia
soem childish and absurd TO mOs
Americans, from whom, as a CLASS
etenes for old customs seem TO DC '"
falling away. g Enc.
New Years day in the north OF Ing
IL "a esnecially favored by b super.
s~titious as the time when gous .be;r
need the most Precipitation 70 lhsnto rnar
smiling indulgence for the nsHlns .he
II ia deemed most disastrous 70
bann;ness Of q house-hoid 70
;ts threshold first crosseu
tSst dav by any female. A m =
Srro 10 bring death. Anyone haVlhs
sod baiy RIOS eyes, bow legs and ther9
aro many of these in the north, jumped
hact ;diocy or any brain trouble Driilss
o.Inn,;tv of some sort, and if the maingp
or'a he . female as well she bo"eS na-
ness death and perhaps uu
[nuIt;ae To avert any such catassIo
n boys in full possession CT an i"1
IIties, straight-eyed, aTit;onn
Nth hair not verging on the a
in brightness of hue, go bout !uS ia
the he'll tolls the hour OF mldhlgh'' anu
ran AT the door. Iii is considered heiey
nntt IN let them in. When b LOOT Is
omen, thew cross the threshold and re-
cite the following rhyme:
w.,ve come to wish you a Happy New leat,
nacLet fnII Of money aud a ceilsFfnl oL"eoi'
An apple and a pear, q plum and q cnetI2s rrv
Pormaking Of good ale Tor 10 maheS - toissns
God hIessthe mister Of this house, thohl7su
also, ~. ,ro,,,d the
Likewise the little chhdreh N"
We come not to your house to beg or 70 Dorro"
We come, good folks, to drive ava 'o.i0"
They expect pennies, which they re,
ce;ve with a quick, jerky bow, and starr
oF ogain for the other houses on the
street The little boys who go ABOUT
fms are called waits" and are the
most heartily welcomed guests OF the
yvhcJa wear. A Yorkshire woman OF
considerable intelligence told me, with
every appearance Of credulIty, OF the
sudien death of her son which was DC
asioned by the ill-omened entrance on
New Years morning of anelghbors glrl'
who had rushed in precipltately before
the waits" to summon and 10 hef d!'
inc mother. 1.-The girl wasn't to blame,
noor thing" she added, with great mag
panimity: she little thought what sor'
row she was pouring on to our ous
Init our George Frederick Arthur lay
cold in his coffin before the next july
came in" 49,.
In some parts of Lancashire and Lin
coInsbire the same omens apply u
Christmas morning. ,
On Sbroye Tuesday the cooking and
eating of pancakes insures a full lardel
the coming year, and If on the same day
the children play almost continuously
at battledore and shuttlecock the gen
eral prosperity of the family is hoped
to be secured. Youths and maiden'
play as well, and even adults may JON
in the innocent amusement OF this one
day of the year.
The superstition that it is unlucky t.
90 under a leaning ladder" originated
in Yorkshire, as did also the idea that
"whoever reads epitaphs loses his mem
ory."
One day in the suburbs of Manchester
I was walking with a young lady wheI
we heard a dog bark in a net far dis
tant kennel. -
"How dismaIly that souuds"I said
"Wait a moment and l viii put c
stop to it" said the fair Lancashire lass
and bending down she unbuttoned he
low walking shoe, and taking it off spi
in it, then slipping it on again We re
sumed our walk while she laughed mer
rily at my amazement.
"What does that do?" / asked.
"Why, don't you see, he hasn'
growled since 1 did it? Any dog vii
stop at once if you spit in your shoe"
For some reason, or for no reason a
all, the dog ceased to make day hideou
with his uncanny noises, at least unit
We were out OF hearing.
On Guy Fawkes day, in November
a guy" is constructed from straw an'
rags, wearing a mask face, and i
burned in the streets to insure pleasan
dreams to the people of the dIfferen
neighborhoods, while a great exhibition
of fireworks is kept up until very late
very much after the n of on
Fourth of July celebrations.
Whole chapters OF these superstition
might be recorded; some of them utter
" senseless, others having a slight foun
dation in some dimly realized scientific
fact.