Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-27

signs and lombard windows with corn and
beans, than they could explain the nebular
hypothesis. They will tell you that father"
used to do the same thing. and he will tell
you that his father practiced the same
tricks, and If there Is a great grand
father in the land of the living he will own
up that he, too, once played Halloween
FRANKS. And so on. you may go back to
the dawn of the fourth century, when Druid
priests practiced as sacred rites many of
the diabolical performances that an up-to-
date youth today perpetuates.
The pagan observance of the day has no
connection with the present church observ-
ance of 1t. though great many people
seem to have that idea. The ancients firmly
believed that on the night of the 31st of Oc-
tober devils and witches walked abroad,
and brewed hell broths with. awful incanta-
lions, and all for the confusion of the good
That fairies, otherwise very nice little peo-
pie, on that night took liberties with poor,
benighted mortals who CHANGED to cross
their path, and held high carnival Till day.
light sent them back to their haunts. This
Is what history has to say of the Christian
observance of the day: "All Saints day is
in old English. All Hallows, All Hallow-
mas, or simply Hallowmas, a festival of the
Roman Catholic Church. introduced because
day for every saint. AS early as the fourth
century, on the cessation of the persecution
or the Christians the Sunday after Easter
was appointed by the Greek Church for
concentrating the . martyS generally; and
in the Church of Rome a similar festival
was introduced about go A. D., when the
old heather Pantheon was consecrated on
the 18th of March to Mary and all the mar
tyrs. But the real festival of All Saints
was first regularly instituted by Gregory
~, in SO. and appointed 10 be observed on
the LIST OF November. 1t was admitted into
England about $40. The choice of the day
was doubtless determined by the fact that
November i. or, rather, the eve Of the night
preceding It, was one of the four great fes-
rivals of the heather nations Of the north
for 1t was the policy of the church to sup
And that is how the heather observances
of the pagans have got mixed up with the
Christian name of the night.
Lighting the BaaI Fires.
Scotland has to mother most of the super
stitions that amuse us today, and chief
among them is the observance of Hal
lowe'en. Her favorite son, "Bobbie Burns
has left in verse a famous exposition of
Scottish Halloween rites. but the effort to
put it in Ineligible United States Is
rather more than the average intellect
cares to attempt The Scotch observed the
night as thanksgiving for the safe in
gathering of the produce of the fields, and
as the END or the summer. Iney made
great fires, called need fires''-a relic of
the pagan Baal fires, lighted the four
nights that marked the turning point OF
each of the four seasons-built high on
heaps of stones called earns" The Druid
priests who originally OBLIGATED at the
need fire. lighting were called "carneach."
All the home fires in the country were put
out, and, until midnight, only those on the
earns were permitted to burn. Then each
devotee took bit of the need fire"
to his home, and the hearthstone fire was
lighted again.
There were terrible punishments meted
out to those who did not follow after this
CUSTOM and If the priests failed to find il
out, the superstitious ones firmly believed
that the evil spirits would watch over the
stumbling steps of the recreant one, and
make him repent in bitter anguish his
heresy. 1t is said that while all but the
prankish observance of the day has van
ished, there is one portion of Scotland that
still sticks to the ancient customs. and in
Buchan county the Baal fires are still
lighted and the old lamentations practiced.
In early days in papal countries the bells
were rung all night long for all Christian
souls, and prayerful vigils were held Till
sunrise broke the spell. Henry VIII abol-
ished all that.
Fun at Parties.
Society has Of recent years made quite a
fad of Halloween observances. and Scot
fish superstitions modernized make quite
beginning, when 1t was proclaimed that it
was not good for man to live alone. the I'M
mated have longed to ascertain in advance
of the event with whom fate meant to
link them, or If the gods had destined them
to walk a solitary road through life's maze,
and 1t is around this desire that Hallowe' en-
has woven superstitions so thick that IL
would take a week to try them all, for the
spell is broken after the hOroiogue beats
l of the morning.
Invitations 20 Hallowe'en parties are usual
ly of an informal character, and they should
always be so, If fun is the object, because
most of the Halloween practices are OF
rather a boisterous nature, and calculated
to disarrange an elegant toilet. the prep
arations for entertainment are not elabor-
ate, and if you happen to belong to an
ancient family, and can produce the old
pewter plates wooden bread bowls, pewter
mugs for mulled cider and the old pewter
tankards for Scotch ale, you will find your
self quite favored indeed, for these, in real
ity or in imitation, are necessary TO COM
plete enjoyment of a Halloween party.
The party should be small one, evenly
made up of choice spirits. The refresh
ments should consist of doughnuts-not the
lea Their ones of commerce; cider that Is just
hard enough to snap little; apples as big
and as rosy-cheeked as the prettiest gir
who will be there to try her fate with their
peelings; chestnuts by the bushel, and
hazel nuts Of you have gathered them your
self it will add to the pleasure of the party
to tell your nUtting experience); molasSes
cake, and marshmallows to toast before
the open fire, which, by the way, is abso-
lutely essential. Greet the guests with a
bonfire In front of the house.
Halloween decorations may be made quite
effective with small expense. Green paper
made up to represent the different varieties
of kale should be conspicuous everywhere
Festoons of apples and nuts, intermingled
may be strung from the chandelier to the
corners of the table, which should be OF
common deal, uncovered, and set with al
the old-fashioned plates and platters, drink
ing vessels and tankards the house is pos
sessed of. Up on the cabinet, on the cor
ners of the mantel, perched above the doors
and peering out from dark corners, have
big yellow pumpkins, that have been hol-
| lowed out and cut with grotesque faces,
| like a grinning Mephistopheles, or a jolly
| Dutchman, and inside set wax candles
| Hunt I'D all the old-fashioned brass and
| tin candesticks you can find, and have old
nanny" make you some real "tallow
| candles.
The Nut charm.
Do not desecrate the season and Its old
| time superstitions by introducing any than
| the Tight Of other days" Be sure to have
| the crate taken out, and build a rousing
| fire On the hearth. This will be absolutely
| necessary, If you try the nut charm" one
| Of the prettiest Of the old Scotch ways OF