The Wichita daily eagle., 1895-12-22

wife showed that she was troubled.
Naturally inquired the cause. "Oh.' -
she said. I'm afraid something dread
full Will happen. This morning I put
batch of bread into the oven, and all
the loaves except one cracked across
the top
What if they did?" replied in tones
of curiosity.
Don't you know she said with an
air OF surprise that when bread cracks
, across the top it means misfortune TO
some one in the family? l would not
have had il happen for the world"
As / left a few days after this mis-
hap 10 the bread. / never learned wheth
er the sign was a true omen or not.
However. the housewife had ontribu-
ted 70 my stock of information and
had given me an item of folklore that
led TO further investigation.
One of my German friends tells me
that in many parts of his native coun-
try the housewife still believes that
cracks on the tops of the loaf Of bread
indicate the death of some one in the
household or. perhaps, misfortune to
dear friend, while cracks on the lower
side of the bread are taken 10 indicate
a birth.
AS many of US know. many of bak-
ers mark the sign of a cross upon the
dough before placing il in the oven.
The reason for making this sign be-
comes plain when we know the origin
OF the custom. Almost all our super
stitions about bread date back TO old
pagan days. though they have been
greatly modified SO as 10 conform TO
Christian beliefs. With the ancient
Romans the baking of bread and cakes
was often invested with a religious sig
nificance, especially the cakes offered
to the gods and the goddesses. These
cakes were prepared in particular
way, and, after being marked with the
symbol of the deity in whose honor
they were offered, they were supposed
TO possess supernatural virtues.
The old domestic practice was modi-
fed when Christianity became trium-
phant, and, in place of a pagan symbol
the earl Christian housewife not only
used TO make the sign Of the cross
when she began to knead the dough,
but she marked that sign upon her
loaf before placing it in the oven.
Why? Simply because the sign of the
cross is the recognized Christian pro-
tecting mark against the attacks Of evil
bread marked with the cross is sup
posed to be witch-proof. will bake all
right, not crack across the top, etc
Just as the Jews have passover cakes
and other peoples have specially pre-
pared food for their religious festivals.
so the Christians have cakes for GER
tain seasons. Our hot cross buns on
Good Friday are simply modern rep
resentatives of the cakes used a some
old pagan festival. In days gone by,
the cakes and buns baked at Easter
were supposed to possess great virtues.
Thus, il is an old belief that the OBJ
servance of eating cross buns on Good
Friday insures, so to speak, the house
from fire for the coming year. The En-
glish folk used 10 eat a certain kind
OF pancakes on Shrove-Tuesday. The
practice is referred TO in "Alfs Well
That Ends Well" where the clown
speaks Of "a pancake for Shrove-Tues-
day" In "Pericles," they are called
'fap-jacks"-a term still used in our
New England and other country dis
tricts.
In truth, 10 study the superstitions
about bread is to take n wide lesson
in folklore. These superstitions re-
late 10 the kneading-trough, the oven,
bakers. and bread. For Instance, in
many parts of France the archie. or
kneading-trough, is more than a rude
kitchen utensil; it is often a pretty bit
OF furniture. VI. Sebilot, who has col
lected many of the superstitions OF the
French folk relative to bread, quotes
the story Of a thief who entered the
window Of a house with intent TO COM
NIT burglary. but refused to step on