The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-18

countryside laughter, the kindly. helpful
avenging 'phynnodderee," is ever ready
with helping hand.
! One traditional spook which represents
the evil genius Of dull despair, of dumb in
evitablity and of rank fatalism glowers
/ through Manx tradition as black and dread
/ full as the gloom of the halls of Eblis This
/ is the Moody Dhoo.n Tangibly and as
! crystalized In tradition it took on the form
OF huge, vo1celess black spaniel which
haunted ancient Peel castle, the daring Of
| whose satanic power by a drunken soldier
/ terminated in the tragic death of the lat
/ ter, as made famous in fiction and song.
/ Generalized, the MOODY Dhoon is the same
| spirit of loneliness, of impending danger,
of irrevocable despair. Toa people barren
! of book lore, unreasonable with a thou
sand misty shadows from the past, whose
mental activities are chiefly in contempla-
ton Of the sAddening sea and the keening
/ voices OF mountain winds, some form OF
mental "Moody Dhoo" is logical and in
evitable presence.
[ have never been able to discover among
the peasants Of Brittany of England, Ire
land or Scotland, the equivalent Of a GU
rlous sort OF elf OF darkness which the Manx
people still possess. 1t is called the "dovin-
ney-oie" or nightman. He meets certain
belated persons aloug the highway, or In
lonely spots, foretelling dismal events with
out personal malevolence. Indeed his hints
of impending danger are regarded as inval-
uable He provides the only weather bu-
reau the Manx people possess, and on all
| parts of the coast his weird CRY OF "howlaa,
howlaaw foretellS an approaching storm.
All the evil spirits in Mainland are known
under the universal name OF "buggane." IL
the cream fails to "rise," If the crops are
poor, if the catch Of herring be worthless,
il harm befall the sheep upon the noun
tains or the kline or fowls at home. IL love
| afF 90 ar Ill whateVAr la-
tides for which there is not present clear
| and unreasonable explanation, the bug
| Ranen is held responsible Useless vexation
| and anxiety are thus dispensed with. and. as
a good Manx dame pleasantly explained:
Jaw, mon, tn bugRane doan't mind aw
blssne; an its better n fast'nin' T. neeborsp
Fairy doctors and hermits are still popu-
lar in the little island. In olden times the
person and home. usually cave, OF the
| Manx hermit were SO venerated that the
person of a mortal enemy was sacred against
| harm when in nermit's presence These
canny old loafers are no longer proof against
| skepticism, but they are well liked by the
pessantry who Hospitality tolerate them. l
have made the acquaintance of several.
One was in quite respondent mood and
| threatened TO leave his vocation forever.
| He admitted that the countryside people
were friendly enough; but the Liverpool
holiday excursionists guyed him unmerci-
fully, and the Douglas hotel landlords, who
| had engaRedAhim to Unexpectedly appear to
tourists in lonely glens. were not prompt
about paying his contract stipend OF
shillings per week.
The "evil eye" is still possible TO be cast
upon horses and cattle, and even upon chill
dren, in unfrequented places where old
superstitions die hardest. Fairies also work
| mischief in butter and among the fields.
| There are still those who prepare and sell
charms not only to remedy but TO ward of
such ills. All but the most ignorant of
MaDxmen regard fairy doctors" in jocose
spirit If its expression emanates from them
selves. But among the best there fingers a
genial federation for all these olden vaga-
ries, and should foreigner first offer the
Skeptical allusion, the inheritant stubborn
resentment to iconoolasm would instantly
find expression in something like: Jaw,
mon, safe sides no harms side"
Naturally among people where folk lore
largely takes the place OF book lore omens,
portents and what might with much exacti
tude be called "whimsies" are exceedingly
frequent among Manxmen. The BIRDS OF
the island aud their habits provide as many
OF these as among their Irish neighbors
with quicker invention and warmer fancy.
A raven lowering near a herd OF cattle Is
an unwelcome sign. The plant of the lin
net is associated with the cry Of a lost soul.
When the robin will not sing In church yard
Trees EQo place Is SAlu 10 nauuLSus n uu6
is still imposed In Man II a sea-guu be killed
during the fishing season. and the feathers
OF the poor wren which is so mercilessly
hunted here on st. Stephens day are sold
for trifing sums as charms.
There is throughout the island an actual
dread regarding publicity of weddings.
Though all the neighbors may be aware OF
little details leading up to the ceremony,
households directly interested affect the
| greatest secrecy. Cooking for the feast.
dressing and the like is often done with
| closely curtnined windows at night, aud
when all is ready the wedding party will
mount an open car and gallop away to the
nearest church in the gray of the morning
! as though all the witches were after them.
But the arrival of the Manx baby brings q
host OF traditional superstitions safeguards
and ominous portents into immediate
activity.
No one must step over it or walk entirely
around it, lest it becomes dwarfed and
weakened. Amulets OF undyed wooden cord
are often worn around the mothers neck
until the babe Is weaned to ward off fevers.
Until baptism all babes are quite at the
mercy of the fairies. The baby will remain
lucky through life il 10 first handles a spoon
with its left hand. but il will come to per.
feet estate if it shall have repeated tumbles
out of its mothers arms, its cradle or bed
before it has attained its first birthday.
stitious customs in Mainland is for the
family on stormy nights to retire to rest al
a very early hour. so that the good fairies
may unobserved enter to find shelter anc
repose. very ancient tradition that
fairy in the guise of a beautiful woman
once bewitched host OF the best men OF
TIE island and then led them all over a cliff
to their death in the sea, prevails so un-
yieldiDgly to this day, that Manx wife oil
sweetheart will on no occasion precede hel
husband, lest her character for oorrec
womauly attributes be impugned. Tht
same fairy which established this Gus
tom is the one which. in its efforts
to escape Manx vengeance was trans
formed into a wren and has evel
since. on st. Stephens day. been hunted
stripped of its feathers and beaten to dealt
in countless numbers. The same unac
countable mercilessness toward the wreI
exists, though
The robin and the wren
Are Gods two holy men
in Ireland. There. in the vicinity of Gal
way, have seen the wren hunted OF
Christmas day, its pitiful remains berib
boned and hung to tree branches. the ex
hibition of which by children before house
doors proving an unfailing prompting *
the gift of coin or ''sweets."
EDGAR L. WAKEMAN.