The Opelousas courier., 1893-03-25
m SUPERSTITIOUS LORE.
cHAprER ON DEoEITs PRAC-
rIcED UPON HUMAN NATURE.

une Telling, PaImistry, Charms.
omens and Spells.
X LII countries have their pecu-
N liar 'folk lore," and it may
~ be remarked that the Africans
49, seem to have a superabur-'
dance. 1t may also "be taken for
oranted that the English take the palm
sor ufoIk lore" among Caucasians. One
If the commonest superstitions is that
m luck attends the person who goes
under a ladder. There is sense in this
nrovided a man be going up that ladder
With q hod of brick, for a brick is known
n he harder fhan a human head, and the
force of g~ravitation draws the hardened
CLAW toward the centre of the earth.
The superstition concerning the num-
bar thirteen has been pretty generally
eradicated by the Thirteen Club of New
York for the club has disproved it IN
hundreds of instances. Whence it
~originated it is impossible to say. Like
ill other superstitlons it seems never to
have had 8 birth, but grew spontaneously
and 1ourishe6 until the lie was nailed to
tbe mast. Some attribute its origin to
the Lords Supper, others to the thirteen
GODS of Valhalla, and the seven.year
s,chiyist of the Thirteenth Club remarks
that it probably originated with the
thirteen tribes of Israel, to whom, in.
Guiding Ephralm and Manasseh, sons OF
Joseph, thirteen portions of the promised
land were given by Jacob. This super.
stit1on declares that of thirteen persons
sitting at the family or festive board one
must necessarily die within a year. Like
all other superstitions, when the saying
ome true, believers are loud and eager
in the circulation of the fact, but the
numberless instances of the falIacy OF
. the ridiculous representations are never
noted by them.
The same may be said of Friday, the
sixth day of the week. It is declared
by superstitious people that a journey
commenced on that day must prove I'M
successful and that the same is true of
any other undertaking started on Friday.
Yet P. T. Barnum, the great Snowman,
in a letter to the writer declared that he
always began his great enterprises on
Friday. That he was almost invariably
successful is we'll known. One material
fact which cast odium upon the day was
that it was generally chosen in this
country for the execution of murderers.
Owing principally to the efforts of the
Thirteen Club the execution day has been
changed or varied in all States of the
Union and this has, to a great extent,
frightened the day.
A superstition attaches to every pre-.
clous stone. Twelve of these have been
selected as birthstones and applied to the
twelve calendar months of the year.
They are very prettily described in the
following verses:
JANUARY.
By her who in this month is born.
No gem save garnet should be worn.
They will insure her constaucy,
True friendship and fidelity.
FEBRUARY.
The February born will find
Sincerity and peace of mini,
Freedom from passion and from care
If they the amethyst will wear.
MARCH.
Who, on this world OF ours, tn air eyes
In March first open, shall be wiss
Ia days of peril, firm and brave,
And wear a bloc lstone to their grave.
APRIL.
She who from April dates her years,
Diamonds shall wear, lest bitter tears
For vain repentance flow, this stona
Emhlam of innocance is known.
Who first beholds the light of day
In springs sweet dow'ry month o. NAY
And wears an emerald all her life
Shall be a lov'd and happy wife,
JUNE.
Who comes with summer to this earth,
And owes to June her day OF birth,
With ring of agate on her hand
Can health, wealth, and long life conman1.
JULY.
The glowing ruby should adorn
Those who in warm July ara born;
Then will they be exempt ami free
From love doubts and anxiety
AUGUST.
Wear a sardonyx or for thea
No conjugal felicity;
The August born, without this stons
IT'S said must live unloved and lone
SEPTEMBER.
Amaiden born when autumn leaves
Are rustling in September's breezs
A sapphire on her brow should bind;
Twill cure diseases of the mind.
OCTOBER.
October's child is born for woe
And life's vicissitudes must know;
But lay an opal or her breast.
And hope will lull those woes to res6
NOVEMBER.
Who first comes to this world below
With drear November's fog and snows
Should prize the topaz's amber hue.
Emblem of friends and lovers true.
DECEMBER.
II cold December gave you birth
The month of snow and ice and mtrth,
Place on your hand a turquois blues
Success will bless what e'er you do.
One thing that makes business sers,s
for the dealers in crockery is, that when
q servant breaks a piece Of crockery sne
must Immediately, and wilfully. break
another piece In order TO destroy the
spell. When the housewife drops her
dishcloth che will surely have company
that day, and the same rule applies II
she drop a fork and the tines hold it to
the floor, but, in this case, the visitor
will be a gentleman. Should she, with
out generalization, place either Two
knsyap fnwLs ~ 1nn0ns of 0ua pINf@. ar