The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-10-10

/. While the corpse is in the house
the looking-glass must be turned to-
ward the wall; otherwise. whoever
looks into the mirror will die within a
year. This custom is said to be most
common among Irish Catholics, but is
not confined to these. (Baldwinsville,
N.Y.
2. The clock should be stopped at
the time of death. as it's running will
bring il1-luck. (Baldwinsville, N. "
Stop the clock at the time of death.
New Hampshire.)
The same custom is noted in Great
Britain and Germany. The object, no
doubt, is not merely symbolic, as might
at first appear, but to limit the power
of death by introducing new period
of time.
3. To keep the corpse in the house
over Sunday will bring death in the
family before the year is out. (South
birmingham, Mass.)
4. II the grave is left open over
Sunday another death will occur be-
fore the Sunday following. (Boxford,
Mass.)
In Switzerland, if grave is left open
over Sunday. it is said that within four
weeks one of the village will die.
5. If rain falls into an open grave
another burial in the same cemetery
will occur within three days. West
New York;
8. If rain falls on new-made grave
there will be another death in the fam
lily within the year. (Baldwinsville,
N. Y; Poland, Me)
A common saying in England is:
Happy the corpse that the rain falls
on Thus it is said that is rain falls
at the time of the funeral ii is a sign
that the dead man has gone to heaven.
Boston, Mass.)
z. If hearse is drawn by two white
horses death in the neighborhood will
occur within month. Central Maine.
If a white horse draws the hearse
another death will soon follow. (Po-
land. Me.)
In Bohemia also white horses are re-
garded as warnings of death, though
to have white horse in the stable is
also said to bring good luck. To dream
Of white horse is a sign of death,
both in the latter country and in Eng
land. In Sussex white animals mvs-
teriously appearing at night are said to
be death warnings. In the lore of the
English peasantry white horses play
an important part, and are variously
considered as of good and evil portent,
fact which is plausibly accounted for
on the ground that these beliefs are in
herited from time when pagan deities
were considered to ride on white horses.
Iacitus mentions the spotless white
horses reared in sacred groves by the
6ermans of his own day, from whose
nelghing auguries were taken.
In Bohemia death is considered as
white woman Survival of the death
goddess Morana), whose apparition is
sign of death to the seer. This ex-
plains why, in England and Germany,
seeing white woman is of fatal au-
gury. The original idea doubtless is
mat the goddess appears to and selects
those whose society she desires. That
she should be clad in white indicates
her deity; for white, as the color of
light is emblematic of Heaven. Ac-
eording to the considerations it would
seem that the presage of white horse
may rest upon the character of such
animal as emblematic of the divine
being who summons mortal to the
otner world. Should this be really
sne case, much philosophy and much
history would be embodied in super
stlon apparently frivolous.
It may, however, be thought that
mere is simpler Interpretation of
shese omens, namely, their connection
Win the custom of robing the dead in
Wnlte. Thus Artemidorous, in work
% the Interpretation of dreams, writ
zen In Rome in the second century,
considers that to sick man a dream
Y. white garments is ominous of death,
peeause the dead are buried in white
.almenti but black clothes signify re-
OOVery' because not the dead but
m1arners wear such apparel.
- may be remarked that it is not
oniy IN the north of Europe that the
nsssenger OF death is represented as
,lolng' Readers will remember the
1". lOsse OF Death mentioned in Reve-
a' IN Greek symbolism the de-