The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-11-17
EVERYBODY TINeEo WITH IT.
A Curious Thing About the Prevalence of
SuperstitiOus Belief.

a
Superstitious Belief.
A United States senator is reported
to have said, a few months hefors he
died, that he was not superstitious- but
that he believed that his life was in
some mysterious way bound up with
that of a certain pine tree in his door
yard This statement manifestly is. as
consistent with itself as if one were to
say: 81 am not afraid of ghosts but L
fear them greatly" The report goes
on to say that last summer the fatal
pine tree began to wither, and few
weeks before the death of the senator
it died Accepting the report as pub
lished, the event evidently Just fed the
senator's forebodings. and we need not
doubt that there existed in some deg ee
casual come ction betv cen the death
of the tree and that of the man. But
of course the only possible oper alton OF
this cause was through the Imagination
of the man. Having in some way con-
ceived the absurd fancy that the trees
life was bound up with his own, he
must naturally have watched the with
ering of the tree with apprehension,
and the gloomy forebodings thus
aroused may very probably have been
actively influential in turning the scale
against heart air ady weakened by
disease. In sense, it was superstition
that killed him
OF course this report. as instanced.
may not be true: but whether true or
false. it serves equally well to point
! moral: for if not true as an individual
belief. it may fairly stand as repre-
sentative of the superstitious beliefs of
a large percentage of the cultivated
people of to-day. We talk of supersti-
ton as thing of the past, but in point
of fact it would be hard to find an in
dividual who has altogether banished
it from his daily life. One man be-
lieves in lucky or unluckv days. and is
directly influenced in his everyday ac-
tions by this belief Another is down
cast if he has seen the new moon over
his left shoulder. A third will not pass
pin on the street without STOPPING to
pick it up. or is greatly annoyed if a
wayfarer chances to pass between him
self and companion with whom he Is
walking. And so on throughout the
absurd and wearisome list Certain
classes of people-notably gamblers.
spectators and actors-seem peculiarly
under the spell of superstitiOus ideas.
but il is hard to find person in any
calling who down in his heart does not
cherish at least one eccentric little idea
which, if analyzed. must be confessed
to be pure superstition Even if he
openly tries to root that idea out of his
mind. very likelvit will still cling. A
member of the Thirteen club. who pre-
fers to begin journey on Friday. may
shudder in spite of himself if-he chances
to break mirror. Such little incon-
sistencies are deep-seated. They will
not vanish at the bidding.
The really significant thing. how
ever, is not that superstitions still
cling. but that they have been so near
" banished The relatively few that
remain are mere reminiscen noes of the
| times not far gone when superstition
was rampant and the persons who en-
terrain them realize their absurdity
even while they allow themselves to be
dominated by them. 1t is as hard to
find man who will acknowledge that
he is superstitious as to find one who
really is not superstitious- Even when
confessing ones little within, it is Gus
tomary to disavow its implications in
the same breath If 4 spills the salt
and is detected throwing pinch of it
over his shoulder. he invariably SAYS.
half alphabetically: IL am not super
stitious. but do not like to spill salt
without at once throwing some of il
over nv shoulder The general dis
avowal always precedes the specific adj
mission. regardless of the fact that the
two are utterly inconsistent The act
itself was prima facie evidence of a
deep-seated superstitious belief. which.
however, the intellect repudiates The
reputation i of more significance than
the reminiscent act IL marks a dis
tinct phase of intellectual evolution.
1t shows our progress toward a stage
of culture that shall fully recognize in
practice, what is already admitted in
theory. that law. not chance, rules the
world--Harper 'ssWeekly