New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-02
HE W.IS nor SUPERSTITIOrS.


FILL UNCoMTORrABIE.
"Superstitionl 80, | am not supcrstiuons
don't believe In IL "a; all that is 10 say. absolutely
refuse 10 accept crcum,tanccs which strike one In a
strange manner a anything other than circumstances
-concdcnccs. And YETI and the speaker toyed
with the slender stem Of his wine glass, and seemed
10 be trying To- find some expression which would
explain his views.
The dinner party were smoking their cigars and
chatting when some one avowcd his inability 10
shake on certain ideas which seemed like supcrsti-
ton.
What | do not believe the fp"aker went on.
pushing the glass from him. is that superstition IS
ANYTHING but Imagination Eat sometimes | find
superstition governing my actions in spite OF myself -
In other words some interpo,cd, you say
10 yourself that you not, but you know that you
are
40. not exactly
Then you know that yon are not. but say that
you are
.Ycs-no. that isn't it either and his hand again
reached fpr ia, wine glass.
Let me give you an example. When I down
in Georgia last winter friend Of mine gave me the
LEFT hind foot Of a graveyard rabbit \ graveyard
rabbit il one which b, shot IN burying ground be-
tween sundown and dark. The lett hInd-foot is a
yooloo and according 10 tradition in Georgia. brings
had luck Ia the man upon whose heart "A cross Is
defined with a couple of strokes of the soft brown
foot pat the little thing In my pocket with II
laugh. When | came home III for two weeks
and could not go to my Office during that time.
finally got out only to drop pretty sum a stock
which seemed the surcst the market. went ~
the races alone and lost. / went with friends. and
we all lost. At the last moment missed a contract
which would have been worth 10000 TO me. ! did
not believe that the voodop had anything to do with
ms III fortune but one day | took it from my pocket,
and feeling ashamed Of my weakness put II In a
drawer | went To the races the next day, not 10
FRY the effect OF the change. mind You, and on
everything. Nv stock vndlcat"d itself Immediately.
I made "a better contract than the one | lost.
wouldn't carry the VOOdOO again. but | know that IL
had nothing 10 do with my luck
But you supcrstitOus,' another diner said.
no Pm not. Iut when gets an idea into his
head like that. 1t make him uncomfortable. The
way do Is 10 remove the cause
" WE'LL said one of the party laughing, "that
comes pretty near 10 superstition"
Here's another story put In interested lis
tcncr. \ friend of mino on leaving Paris sold his
cob for 300 francs. Tile baggage OF himself and
wife amounted to thirteen pieces. The number Of
The steamer sailed on the thirteenth day Of the
month There 300 souls board, aud the
steamer was wrecked. lie doesn't believe In the
nuuchy thirteen, and he laughs at the whole thing
Dlr he has told many times that he would never
gel ON a steamer under the same similar circum
stances because IL would make him miserable
II sin maintain" said the advocate OF supcrst
ton that that Is the good old doctrine OF superst
Bnt I'm not supcrstItious." declared the owner OF
the vOOdoo.
.pI give Won the rabbits foot II you will take IL
NO, thank sei,' and the laugh turned on the
scOfer.