The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-09
STRANGE SUPERSTITION.
EXTRAORDINARY BELIEFS OF OUR
AGE OF ENLIGa TENMENT.


disease, Disaster and Death Pre-
saqed by Signs and Wonders-Va
carries of Voudoo. -.
No tang, says the New York Herald, is
older which goes 90 the making Of human
nature than superstition. No other element
has been or is to-day moro Widespread. The
history Of mythology and other religions is
,unctuated with superstition from start to
snisb. Not alone have savage and bar
baric nations been celebrated in this direc-
ton. but the tendency to superstition has
baen inherited to a greater or less degree by
avery civilization on the face of the elrth.
IT. is not designed in the present article to
90 into any description of the superstitions
ef savage races; neither is it Intended to
give any consideration to the more familiar
snoerstitiouS beliefs among civilized nations,
which include spiritualisn, ghosts and APP
pariuons, dreams, prese ailments, the va
rious kinds of fortune-telling, astroIogy, a
belief in tne approaching end of the world,
black and white magic, chiromancy, or the
detection of character by the lines on the
palms of the hand; superstitions of Hallow-
cen and other festival days, witchcraf =,
mythology, miracles, felichism, the
"Wandering Jewn or the Flying Dutch
man" nor to consider the mysterious cures
alleged to have been performed during pill
grimages to Lourdes. in France, where in
iS72 as many as $4,000 people resorted to
the Grotto Of the Virgin Mary with the ex-
pee alton of witnessing one of her alleged
appearances, and where since that time in
Vulnerable miraculous cures are said to
have been made in answer to prayers offered
at her shrine. Neither is 1t intended to go
ba r,,.acfior, IF ttbat1nfad hn1sasN
those family ghosts. such as the white
Lady" OF Berlin, aud Others, said to have
been the peculiar properly of the old fami-
lies of Europe. 1t is only designed to set
down here for the interests or the readers
Of the Herald notes concerning many of the
more popular superstitions in vogue at the
present day among civilized and even edu-
Gated people, as well as among the more
ignorant masses.
ODD NUMBERS AND THIRTEEN" AT TABLE
The belief that "there is luck in odd num-
bersn-which has become crys allied into a
proverb--dates back to a time as to which
the memory of man runneth not back to
the contrary. The old Pythagoreans, who
derived their knowledge of the properties
of numbers and their belief in the peculiar
virtues of these from the still more ancient
ChalGeans and Egyptians, origin ated the
superstition embodied in this saying-the
simple idea being that l, representing unity,
signlfied the Divinity, while 2 was consid-
cred disturbing number and represented
the devil. Beyond that the various
superstitions with regard to numbers
have been thought of sufficient i'm
portance to find a place ia most of
the encyclopedias, and a special treatise has
been written upon them by VIM. w. Story,
the celebrated American sculptor and
author. But there is an exception to the
luck in odd numbers, according to current
belief, and that is in regard to the number
Is, and more particularly in its application
to the congregation by accident of thirteen
persons at dinner or supper table. Con-
corning this it is supposed that the super
stiton originated in the assemblage of the
Savior and the twelve ap stiles around the
table at the celebration Of the Passover.
Snow, when the even was come he sat
down with the twelve.
Sand as they did eat he said, verify l
say unto you, that one of you shall be-
tray me-
From this incident and from the fact of
his betrayal by Judas the latter is supposed
to have been the original of the unlucky
thirteenth who brings disaster upon a feast.
This superstition is very general, and so
strong has it been in France in particular
that in Paris there existed years ago, and
may very possibly now, a class of profess
sional diners out called Quartorziemes,
whose business it was to be always prepared
with a dress suit handy for summons to
take the place of some recreant guest, and
thus prevent an asSemblage of the unlucky
thirteen. In regard to the organization of
Thirteen Clubs" it may be observed that
this superstition has never keen considered
to hold good except where the number thir-
teen has occurred accidentally. The ab-
surdity, erefore, of the formation of
special clubs to meet Ga the thirteenth, to
dine at thirteen tables, or to do anything
else with thirteen in it, becomes at once OBJ
vious. Such institutions do not fill the bill
OF PRECIOUS STONES.
An interesting superstition is that which
applies to the supposed meaning of gems
and precious stones in their relation to
human life. Thus every month is supposed
to have its appropriate stone Influential in
the case of all those born in such months.
For instance, February has the amethyst,
March the bloodstone October the opal,
November the topaz, December the tur-
quoise, etc. These stones are presumed to
have some specific qualities applicable to
the persons born in their several months,
such as preservation from poison, the
making and keeping of friendships, proven
ton If intemperance, etc. The opal, how
ever, has a specifically black record in the
minds of many people, who believe it to be
an unlucky stone, though this i'll quality is
said to depart from it when in the possess
sion of some one born in its month, October.
So widespread, however, is this particular
superstition that certain dealers In iewelry
will tell you that they are constantly offered
for purchase at low prices articles OF Jew
elry containing opals presented to brides on
their marriage.
An interesting story of a precious stone
was told some years ago. which may be
used to Illustrate the superstition with re-
gard to the n in the broadest way. And if
IL be not true, as there are at least two
witnesses living-Tony Pastor, Ia New
York, and "Ponyn Moore, in London-who
are said to have known of the occurrences
stated, the fac can be easily found out.
The story runs as follows:
"Years ago certain emerald used to flash
on the shirt fronts of number of negro
Ministries. The stone was said to have been
sold by Pony" Moore, the London minstrel
manager, first to Luke West, who was then
in excellent ealth. Very soon West was
taken sick, was at the point of death, and
wishins to give Matt Peel something for
his kindness in nursing him, presented
him with the emerald At once Luke
began TO regain his health and became
entirely well, but Peel died, after wearing the
jewel a year. Hiram Rumsey bought the
stone from Peel'S widow, W ore il for while,
and, dying, bequeathed it to George Christy.
After few months of dreadful suffering
from epileD Christy died in New YORK
city May ~, 1868. The emerald was sold
to Sher. Campbell, who, however, loaned it