Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-11-03
ABOUT HALL0W ZEN
Some Of It's Customs and super
StitiOnS.
ANCIENT OBSERVATION.
The Funny Game 81 "spooninS-
Popping-t Happy AugurS-'"e
Dumb sapper-A f"Nori'e
Throwing the AppI~-Pnripg.


| rain-falling on the lust and the UNJUST
| and on all the goodgoody people VINO are
! neither. Except for one slight shower
| the drought has been continuous for two
months. There has been loss IN pas'u-
| rage and some waste in the fodder. Which
| has been hard upon stock raisers. Bar
| ring that and the delay in fan ploushihs'
| never has there been more perfect UT
plentiful autumn We have been pussy
| too. and have weils,arned King Solomon
saving that there is nothing better than
| that a man should rejoice in his own
works"
/ Socially we have been idle and quiet
! until this week when Hallow cen let
| I'm . break of llght upon the duness
always following after the season ~
! over. Which may be sOecism, since
J the last night of October X popularly
/ supposed TO be set aside for mystic deehs
OF darkness. There were several parties
gotten up-one az Castle Hill vineyard
and the usual old-time customs did not
/ lack for proper Observance.
From the days of the Drulds until the
present the eve OF All Hallows has been
/ kept with spells and ceremonies OF
pagan or NEUROLOGICAL character. 1t Is
really the only holieye which has no
| spiritual or ssctarian influence, and which.
| with Us fun and fTOlic. can he kept by
all nations In the country apples, chest
nuts. eggs. and wheat bear a helpful part
in consulting the oracles.
FOR MISCHIEF.
Among the lads and lassies who are
! in the white rosebud state of existence
| i. g., a heart unacquainied with love
Halloween is a time for mischief in out
door revels. Gates are carried OH from
their hinges and the posts ornamenied
| with grotesQue. grinning faces OF liluni-
mated gourds or pumpkins; door-bells ana
| farm-bellS are mysteriously ruhs' ana
the King of Misrule rules.
one of the funniest games IS spoon
| ing" Lead IS melted by the boys over
| the hot Goals and each girl, with large
! iron spoon. dips up the hot lead ana
! drops il into a pan OF cold water. As
the molten metal hardens II takes the
| form Of the future husbands trade. o.
! cries a country beauty, rOsy-red from the
fire and the truth, Il am going 10 marry
a farmer ! can see his plow!
And mine" cries another OF the spoon
ers. mine is a pulpit! am going TO
marry a parsOn.'
POPPING.
\ very common custom I'm the noun
tains is popping. \ girl heats shoNel
Ted-hOt Two chestnuts are then named
as Mary and Mark, and placed upon u.
In a minute they begin 10 sputter. IL
Mary nom, away. II is a call for Mark
10 follow and court her But If Mark
pops. il is the last time. and he'll never
''pop the question" TO her II the two pop
side by side or fly away together II Is
the happiest Of auguries
\ good test of loves @ud OF nerves. is 10
set the dumb supper table al midnight
Not a word must be spoken while q
whole herring shall be eaten raw II
three mouthfuls bones and all, or th'
white Of q hard-bOiled egg, filed Wit
salt. is devoured In silence. That nigh
the lover comes i'm "A dream with a glass
of water-and may be sure OF a gia'
welcome even in sleep.
one awfuily "creepy" spell can only b'
worked by the spectral light OF me moon
Down a lovely corridor. young gir
walks backward TO room ana munche'
an apple before a mirrcr repeating
three times the incantaton:
40 saint. saint, | pray 10 thee
That | this night my love may see.
As the moonbeams fail across the glas
she will see face beside her own. whlcl
will he that of the man she is 10 MARI!
FAVORITE CHARM.
But the favorite charm is the thre
mggies. Three bowls of water are place
ON the hearth. one is filled with cied
water; one with turbid water ana one J
empty Whoever dips must be blind
folded and use only the left hand. II
maiden dips into the clear water 81
viii marry a young man and be rici
II into me- muddy water. her fate will b
A widower. but If she plunges NJ
dimpled hand into the empty bowl neNe
a husband viii call her wife.
Thotwing apple-paring for the lette
il a simple trick; but is too common hei
To be specially reserved for HalOW 81
Another supersttution Is solely Tor III
gentler sex. IT Is to put the shoes o
a porch with the toes 10 the ROAD
. the morning they Will be turned IN N
y direction from which the lover comes.
( rich young lady down the Valley trie
10 this a year or so ago. and found h'
\ shoes turned toward the barn. VIVA
: was worse. she followed the shoes, an
= ran off with the hired man few DAY
afterward. and that charm mas bee
4 viewed with some disfayor ever sine
q Hallowmas is also given to stranA
. dreams. which control people at Oh
lance. The spirit OF the dreamer ~ vi
. der a spell. and travels fast and Il
: To reach the other soul; indeed, q
$ dreams are supposed to be worthy
< credence that come in this mystic night.
, AS TO PARTIES.
l. Society people are making great "a
: Of Hallow cen parties In late years, b'
!. real Hallow cen believers smile at son
Of their tinsel shams. The homely su
per of pumpkin-pie. ginger-cake, eide
., and popcorn. is disguised until the gen
Il inc. old bogie man wouldn't kno
j. II If he had AN invitation. Fancy ches
> nuts. in chocolate ices, and strings
popcorn that melt at the touch; al
II oysters and salads served In cabbage
3 and pumpkins Of tinted china. And tn
~ call IL keeping iiallow cen
!, We have not been so exercised In p
- eillstic affairs this time as in the Sui
:, van contest. when merchant at ATT
paid go for an extra wire and won $
- on gentleman Jim
N POLITICS
u In politics the mossbacks in the mou
tains as usual. are training with q
other side: but regular. straighto
, Democrats are canvassing in Upper NJ
h, SON and il will likely be a strong tsf
I, The public schools have opened. wi
- a fair attendance At the Hebron Grad
- school Mr. Camden. the princip;
.. comes highly endorsed. The assistar
> Miss Bette Lipscomb, has been the t
G. 1cient teacher for two sessions at Alto
~ The latter school is fortunate in securii
as teacher Miss Mary c. MacKellam.
-. Upper Rockfish.
> Air r. ]. Bates and wife. OF Ric
;. mond. are at The Alton. en- route. (
g ! Atlanta.
10