Wichita eagle., 1888-09-15
VARIOUS SUPERSTITIONS.
OUR INHERITANCE FROM THE OLD
WORLD NATlONALITlES.

What Dreams Are Thought to Denote.
Tho Mystery of the Moon-Women's Su-
perstitions Regarding Collaborating q
Mirror-Ghost Stories.
With the promiscuous strains of blood that
we Americans have flowing in our viens we
have inherited the superstitions Of many
countries in the old world Whole volumes
have been printed of the English, Welsh,
Scotch, French, German, Italian and Rus
sian superstitions. Perhaps we have one or
two which belong to each nationality. At
all events we have a variety.
The commonest superstition regarding
dreams is that to dream of gold predicts joy;
silver, sorrow; of flying, a Journey; Of light
ming, marriage; of killing serpents, victory
of blindness, poverty; of combing the hair,
sickness; of gray hair, death; of flies enc
mics; 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 funeral.
A lady tells the writer that through her
whole life all hef various Affections have
been foreshadowed by dreaming of an infant.
The 'child Dream" as she calls it, gives hr
warning" and she begins to droop like a
flower that is partly crushed while waiting
for new baptism Of sorrow. Perhaps
Jacobs dream of the angels and the ladder is
sufficient foundation for superstitions re-
garding dreams Dreams, idle dreams"
says the poet, but they are frequently de-
ightful if they are "idle."
REGARDING THE MOON.
No woman need be ashamed to confess that
she is superstitious regarding the moon, or
that she deliberately turns her right shoulder
toward the new moon and takes good look
ut the new silver crescent. The Dl'uids per
formed mysterious rites in honor of the new
moon, and Shakespeare calls her ''the sove-
reign mistress of the melancholy" Probably
that is the foundation of calling silly girls or
boys ''luny." The old superstition regarding
illness being caused by moonlight shining Oh
the face of a sleeping woman has a curious
suspicion of truth in 1t. Certain school girls
having heard that one of their number had
a horror of moonlight streaming through the
windows OF her dormitory, stole noiselessly
into her chamber while she was sleeping and
pushed back the curtain so as to let the moon
shine full on her face. The result Of this
prank was the serious 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 English Gus
tom for young girls to address the moon
New Years eve regarding their future part
ners for life prevails to some extent among
U.s. The girl says: II pray thee, dear moon,
reveal to me who my husband will, etc,
and looks for the picture Of her beloved that
is or to be in the round silver globe. Ii a
cloud sweeps over the disk the girl says:
"Alasl not this year, ugly moon"
Many women are superssitious regarding
strange cats If cat is found in a new
house that house is doomed for the i'll luck Of
its occupants. Actresses are said to be srl-
perstitious regarding the appearance Of cat
on the stage--the great Siadons once faint
ing when black cat walked before her dur
ing performance at Drury Lane theater.
Most women regard the putting on of gar
ment the wrong side out as presage OF bad
luck Friday is black day TO some women.
They will not start upon a journey, begin a
piece of work, have company or do any act
OF Importance.
A lady Of unusual culture, travel and all
opportunities which position and wealth can
give for intelligence says she has a horror Of
crossing between the carriages OF funeral
procession, and tells her goodman never to
drive across the line Of a funeral cortese or
before hearse in slch a procession She
considers such acts, by accident or purpose,
a warning Of death TO herself or family.
BREAKING LOOKING GLASS.
To break looking glass is the prsage Of
some terrible disaster or death in the house
where it occurs De Conztans, the favorite
valet Of onaparte, tells of his master being
30 agonized while In Italy over breaking a
mirror that he sent q special envoy to Paris
to learn If his beloved josephine was alive
and il safety Josephiaeis III luck, il is said,
began soon after this. She was as surerstl-
tious as her famous second consort.
Tingling OF toe ears Is q sure sign some
body is gossiping about you; burning of the
cheeks that some one i, thinking Of you. and
If your nose itches you sye TO see q stranger.
yellow spots on the nails beeoken a near
q pproach Of death; white spots predict gifts
Tocut the nails on Friday or Sunday is aw
fully unlucky Then there in the winding
sheet In the candle, but il there is a SPARK in
the wick IT betokens a letter Of good ne~s
To some people odd numbers ere lucky; to
Others, even numbers
short, . ghos. Of some one you |
have known or u yourself Robert Dale
Owen, in his Footprints o. the Boundary
CT Another World says thas The Holland
family Of England always see their own re- !
seublanee As a warning q death One Of /
ths fairest ladies Of tnas noble family saw . /
most complstc and Perfec. Likeness Of herseH
coming toward her n tie garden She un- !
derstood this pre1non;aon. and calmly pre- |
pared for her exit from this mundane sphere. /
A group Of ladies gathered IN . country |
house cnring the cleaning tod choss stories /
recently TIL they vers afraid TO reeire. Tbs |
crovnin- experience wss t1s. g ore % tie |
number while In cuytoU mental and p1yxs- /
cal condition had tehA.d karNE dad and |
her husband weeping bssA b-. As tie /
Pathetic ~ the serious Is f-sf c0Kia % tke !
ccgzic. % 4: vas re,ies to 6is gs.hsrinS 20 |
hear tic narrator, hzxorn- healthy WOMAN. /
'...ar "a. and forty. Say: Bat, you Sc, sere
I III, sad the f7ou-zsr kzs ben uoU~sdz-
Eagle.