Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-07-25

proportion to their antiquity. In the Bor-
der country cradle Is never rocked, as il
viii bring disease to child. ''The luck
o. the bairn" is acurious outgrowth of ira
dition and custom. Whoever carries the
babe to church for baptism must be pro-
vided with piece of cake This is given
to the first person met, no matter whom;
and If it be a man it is better "luck" for
the child. All manner of i'll comes upon
whoever refuses, and such refusal also
bodies i'll fortune to the child. But a few
months since the Scottish newspapers
took notice of graceless fellow who flung
this luck-cake away, thus throwing away
with it stthe luck o. the BARN."
In the matter of courtships and we'd
dings Scottish people preserve an extraor-
dinary number of peculiar customs and
tanciful superstitions. 1t is deemed un-
lucky to alter the first width of an en-
gagement ring. Many troths have been
broken as result. The giving of brooch
es and pins by lovers is full of i'll conse-
quences. No young man or woman, in
the tender relation, will take q pin from
the other without returning the same af-
ter use. Pins, needles, etc., are all emble-
matte of the cessation of friendship and
affection. It is very fortunate for the
bride to wear some borrowed article of ap-
parel at her wedding. If swine cross the
path of the bridal party before il, it is an
omen of the direst import; but if they
should cross its path behind the party It
would be happy augury. A wedding af-
ter sunset entails on the bride a joyless
life, the loss of children and an early
grave. In the south of Scotland a rainy
day for marriage is an unlucky one.
The bride is then called ga greetin' bride;"
whereas, "Blest is the bride that the sun
shines on" To "rub shoulders" with the
bride is sign of speedy marriage; the
first among the unmarried female friends
who succeed in doing it will be the first to
wed; and have myself witnessed scram-
bles on the part of buxom Scotch lasses
for precedence quite closely approaching
hsticuffs. As newly married wife first
enters her new home some elderly person
must throw cake of shortbread into the
door before her. One securing piece of
cheese cut with .he brides own hand be-
fore she has left the wedding feast is GER
tain to be shortly happily married. And
it is everywhere in Scotland as inauspi-
cious for the brides mother to be present
at wedding as it is unfortunate in our
country to have the same individual ar
rive, to remain, at any subsequent period.
As with the Irish, the Scotch people
have some very interesting and occasional
ly mournful folklore and superstitions re-
garding birds and fowls. The song of the
robin bodies i'll to any sick person who
hears it. A robin seen sitting upon a
stone foretells the falling of snow. A
black cock is highly prized, as its presence
prevents the rayages of bogies and war
locks. To hear a cuckoo cry before break
fast is an Ill omen. 1t is fortunate for a
housewife If brood of chickens all come
off the nest cock-birds, as it is indicative
of coming prosperity. The magpie is a
particularly ominous bird to the Scotch.
One is sorrow; two mirth:
Three, q wedding; four. a birth;
Five, heaven; six, HE'LL
Seven, the deil's ain sell,
The entrance of the thrush, any of the
family of finches, or the little ox-eye tit
into the open window or door of house,
is an omen that any one i'll within will re-
gain health, and, if all are in good health,
that some pleasant good fortune is in store
for the household. When the startling
ceases to follow the grazing cattle some
witch spell is being wrought upon them;
and If the raven hover near cattle or sheep
''elf- lf-shootingn is very likely to occur.
When the robin will not sing in grave
yard trees the place is held in unusual
dread; and if You will keep the white hair
You will find under your foot when you
hear the first notes of the cuckoo in the
spring-time, the next name you hear
spoken is of the one you will haply wed.
Death tokens and funeral tokens are
very numerous. When abroad at night
one should never turn about on hearing
footsteps. They are likely to be those OF
the dead who are seeking human compan-
ionship. The bowling of dog with its
head towards the house for a near, and
away from the house for a distant rela-
tive, or beneath the window of one living
i'll; the croaking of ravens on the thatch:
March roosters Growing before midnight;
the sound of spirit-bells in the night; cir
cles of flame in the air; hen bringing of
| brood which are all hen-birds; magpies
preceding you on your way to church; are
| a few of countless Scottish presages of
| death. If at funeral shaft of sunligh,
SHINES with special brightness on some one
person, that one will be the next of those
present to be buried. In the Border shiret
1t is believed that any person meeting g
| funeral cortege who fails to bare his head
turn about, accompany the procession
and, if the corpse be borne by bearers
| ''gie lift" he may, after bowling to the
attendants, resume his way without harm
| Otherwise he will be the next one buried
| In the north of Scotland peculiar piect
of witchcraft-fairly the only genuine bit
of malicious and bsrbaric diablerie to b,
found in the entire kingdoms still prac
ticed. Where cowardly yet deadly hs
tired is cherished by one for another,
fbody of clay" (Gallic, corp creadh) il
made as nearly as possible in the image O
the one sought to be harmed. This i
placed with the greatest secrecy in tn
stream of some shadowy burn. The be
lief is that as the corp creadh wastes ava,
by the action of the water, the victim
sought to be cursed will as surely vast
away to death. 81 shall make a body O
clay for youI" is the most terrible ant
withering threat known among all High
land folk. The origin of this truly devil
ish practice can be found in ancient Egyp
tian witchcraft; and it's almost exact con
gener, the burning of the pin n-pricked wa,
image of one sought to be voudooed I,
death, is of common secret practice anon,
the blacks of our Southern states, tn
West Indies and Africa.
EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.