The morning call., 1890-10-30
HALLOWEEN.
When Spirits Wander Abroad
Through Realms of Space.
Something About F reside Customs en- "Eu.-
Crack" Night -When Maidens Try
Spells KGcwn for Centuries.


Tomorrow, the 31st of October, will be
All HallOws eve, or Halloween, which is
clearly a relic Of the dim past, for the prac-
tees which make this day remarkable are
not of the present
he leading idea respecting Halloween is
that it is the time of all others when super
natural influences prevail. 1t is the night
set apart for universal walking abroad Of
spirits, both OF the visible and invisible
world for, as will atterward be seen, one
OF the special characteristics attributed TO
this my site evening Is the faculty conferred
on the inmltcrial principal IN hu manity 10
detGch Itself from the corporal tenement and
wander abIo ID through the realms of space.
Dfviuat.on is t IN believed 10 attain its hlgh-
est power and the gift asserted by Glen
dover Of calling spirits from the vastly
deep becomes available to all who choose
to avail themselves of the privileges Of the
occasion.
There is a remarkable uniformity in the
freside customs OF this night. Nuts and ap-
pies are everywhere in reuuistion, aud con-
sumed in immense numbers. Ind ed the
name Of "nut-c;acll night bywhich Hallow-
cen is known indicates the performance
of the former OF these articles in making up
the enteIt ,inment 1.-THE evening. They are
not only cracked and eaten, but made the
means of vaiicinatIon in love affairs.
The auld ruidwife's weel hoordit nits
Are round and round divided,
Aud m lad Il Il iassieS' lates
are there that night dectded;
Some kiudle. cOuthie side Ivy side,
Some start AVA vi saucy pride,
Aud iump out-Qwre the chimiy
tu' high that night
jean slips in twa WI tentie e'e;
W ha' was she wadna tell
But This ii JUci, aud this is me-
lie lee $ $ owr eli her and she owre him.
As they wad never mar part;
TN, IuH up the lum,
AID jean had cen 4 sair heart
To sect that night.
The above is a quotation from Burns
Poem Of Halloween, but Brand i'll his "PuT-
ular Antiquities" is more explicit: at is
custom in Ireland" he says, when the
Young women would know if their lovers
are true, to put three nuts upon the bars of
the crate, naming the nuts after the lovers.
If a nut cracks or jumps, the lover will
prove unfaiihful; if it begins to blaze or
Iurn he has regard ior the person making
the trial. II the nuts named after the girl
and Ter lover burn together, they will be
married"
As to apples. there is an old custom. per
laus still observed in some localities On this
merry mig BIT, Of hanging up stick horizon
tally by a string from the ceiling, and put
ting a lighted candle on the one end and an
apple on the other. The stick being made
to tWrl rapidly, the merry makers IN sue
cession leap up and snatch at the apple with
their teeth mo use Of the hands being al
loved, but very frequently happens that
41,o Al md haF how nrn
aware, and scorches them in the face or
anoints them with grease. The disappoint-
mentS and misadventures occasion of course
abundance of laughter. But the grand
sport on halloween Is to get lot OF apples
and set them atloat in tub OF water, into
which the Juveniles, by turns, duck their
heads with the view OF catching an apple.
Great Jun goes on in watching the attempt OF
the yOungster in the pursuit of the swim
ming fruit, which wriggles from side to side
Of the tub, and eVadeS all attempts 10 cap
ture it; while the disappointed asplrant IS
obliged to abandon the chase in favor OF
another whose turn has arrived. The ap-
pies provided with stalks are generally
caught first, and then comes the tug to win
those which possess no such appendages.
Some competitors viii deity suck up tie
apple, II small one, mt their mouths.
Others plunge manfully in pursuit Of par
ticulaT apple, and having forced II 10 the
bottom II the tub, seize 1t firmly with their
teeth and emerge, dripping and triumphant
with their prZe. This yenturOus proceed
ure is generally rewarded with hurrah by
the lockers on, and is recommended by those
vtrsed in HallOween-aquatlcs, as the only
sure method OF attaining success = prac-
tice has been introduced, probably by some
tender mammas, timorous on the subject Of
their offspring catching cold, OF dropping
fork from a height into the tub among the
apples. and thus turning the sport into
display of workmanship. 1t forms, how
III tl,-+T tv.fa Fr-
the Joyous merrlment OF ducklng and diving.
Burns, in his poem of Halloween, does not
mention the custom of ducklng for apples,
but presents graphic picture Of the cere-
monies practiced Oh the hearth, when the
parties, bIiudfulded, advance in eSslOn
and dip their fingers into one of three lug
gies." Ii they dip into the clean water they
are to marry a maiden; II into the foul
water, a widow; if into the empty one the
party So dipping is destined TO be either a
bachelor or an old maid. As each person
takes turn the positions OF the dishes are
changed.
These ceremonies are of the light. sportive
character; but there are others which are
weId-like and fearful, which in this enlight-
encd, iacredulOus age have fallen much into
de,urtude. One Of these is the celebrated
spell Of eating an apple before looking
glass, with the view Of discovering the in
qUirer's future husband, who, it is believed,
viii be peeping over her shoulder. a curl
Gus anu NtLilul tHullbuS illllC illdlcl, WIZ
desires to try this spell, is thus represented
by the Scotch poet:
Wee Jenny to her granny says:
VII ye 90 WI me, granny?
I'll eat the apple al the glass
gat frae Uncle Johnny."
A request which rouses the Indignation of
the OLD lady:
She fuTt her pipe wi such a luDt,
Ia wrath she was sac vap'rin;
She uotictn an aizle brunt
Her Draw new WorSet apron
Out through that night.
"Ye little skelple-limmer's facet
daur sic sportin
As seek the foul thief ony place,
EOr him TO spae your fortune;
Nae doubt but ye may get sight!
Great cause ye lac to fear it;
For mony ane has gotten fright,
And lived and died deleeret,
On sic night"
less one, as several well-authenticated in
stances are related OF persons who, either
from the effects of their own Imagination or
some thOughtess practical joke, sustained
such severe nervous shocks while eSsaying
these Halloween spells as seriously to I'M
peril their health.
Gay, the English poet, wrote:
Last HallOw eve longed my love TO see,
And tried spell to cali her up to me,
with wood and water standing by my side
dreamed a dream and saw my own sweet bride
In connection with this spell am re-
minded of a curious circumstance. writes
one has given Halloween spells some atten-
ton, which came under my immediate OBJ
servation. While visiting my younger
brother in Newton, Mass, some years ago,
my sister-in,law complained at the break
fast table on the morning after Halloween
that she had spent most wretched night.
On my inquring the cause she stated that
she had had a strangely vivid and most sin
gular dream from which she had awakened
with feeling of the most distressing eX-
haustion. She dreamt that she was walking
along the bank of river when man,
Whose face she saw as plainly and di stinctly
as she had ever seen anything aud whose