The herald., 1896-06-28
WHAT THEY SAY IN NEW ENG

| WHAT THEY SAY IN NEW ENG
: LAND.
A Book of Signs, Sayings and super
stitions Collected by Clifton Johnson
author of The New England Country,
| ETC., illustrated. Lee q Snepaiu' DoS
| ton.
Mr.. Johnson has here gathered and
| given us in the language in whlch ne
received them the odd sayings, rhymes
and superstitions which are or nave
! been current in New England. The
volume was begun with the idea OF col
| lecting for private entertainment the
remnants Of folklore which are in con-
slant use in many New England house
holds Not only was the number found
to be remarkable, but according TO the
compiler, the amount of belief still held
| in them is astonishing. While the ma
jority of these sayings have foreign
ancestry they have been changed ma
| terially in many instances py Delng
given a peculiarly local twist. For con-
venience the matter is CLASSIFIED under
| numerous headings, such as money,
| luck, warts, tea grounds, snakes, love
and sentiment, weather, ETC.. each OF
which is introduced by an appropriate
| design. The book is unique in style as
| in character, and will be found of singu-
| lar interest to all and of special value
| to all lovers Of folklore.
Every book like this should have an
| index, and the omission Of one tmpalrs
the value of the present volume. Tho
subjects, however, are quite well classl-
fed, which partly answers for the index
indeed. the table of contents may have
been thought to be sufficient list OF
topics.
1t is surprising what a range of sub
iects such q volume can be made to
cover. The signs and sayings about
weather, dreams. fortune-tellng, mon
ey, death. warts. wishes, etc.. are end
less in variety and forms, and this vol
ume of $50 pages is filled with what New
Englanders have said about these topics
of household observation and gossip.
The most amusing and instructive
portions of this book are those set apart
for Old Stories and Rhymes and Jingles,
though these are mainly made up from
some of the phases of Mother Goose lore
and ghost literature. OF course there is
nothing very new in such a collection.
In fact, to be really new to the present
generation it must be very old. In some
curious way almost all things are hand
ed down, so that at least Smattering OF
the old is always known. All have heard
that to let child look into mirror be-
fore it is a year old is sign 1t will soon
die If a mirror be broken it is sign of
a death in the household within year.
1t is the same thing If bird flies into
the house. The bowling of dog and the
singing of a wI,ippoorwill will both pre-
sage death. OF course, there can be no
reason in these sayings, and yet others
very like them have basis OF truth.
Thus, "A green Christmas makes a full
churchyard," which means that it is
unreasonable and therefore unhealthful.
as "A hot May makes fat graveyard.
The wisest as well as the wittiest of
all the sayings in the book are about the
weather. These are always interesting,
because they have foundation in fact
and practical bearing on affairs. There
is something pathetic in the way sail
ors and farmers watch the heavens. and
| the signs and sayings about the weather
| have a curious interest for everybody
These people have keen and accurate
knowledge of the matters of which they
talk. The sailor can tell all that sin
| gle local observer can ever know about
| the weather In his own realm the old
| farmer is nearly as wise, and the facts
| he has. mastered are moulded lpto
| code of action. He knows the best day 10
fish or NOW clover, and the time OF the
moon when 1t is best to plant the garden
or butcher the animal. These things are
! a part of literature-part of that folk
| lore that is so vital to family life and is
never to be despised or under-valued.
| AS curious illustration OF how the
| farmer studied all the problems OF the
seasons and the weather, from day to
| day, in the old times before he mad any
help from science 1t may be mentioned
that New England literature deals more
with these things than does that of any
other portion Of our land. 1t was hard
bargain that the New Englander en-
| tered into when he formed partner
ship with Providence to carry on busi-
ness on those gravelly hills. He had to
| put in all of the work and most of the
capital and he appears always to have
| I, hi hpr OIlf IN how
his partner was performing his part of
| the contract.
And here let us record a curious lit
erary prophecy Of Lowells (recently
sent to the Critic by the writer and duly
published) In MY Garden Acquaint-
ances," at the fifth page, after some
| whimsical observations as to haymak-
| ing, gardening, the crops. etc, he says:
II have little doubt that the regulated
| observations of the vane, in many differ
ent places, and the interchange of re-
suits by telegraph, would put the wealth
er, as it were, in our power, by betrayins
| its ambuSheS before 1t is ready 10 give
| the assault"
Within twenty years after this was
written the weather bureau was estab-
lished precisely on the lines here indi-
Gated.
But we cannot dwell longer on this
| suggestive volume, albeit 1t brings up q
| sea of memories. 1t is good book fOl
anybody to own, especially New Eng
landers, and all the more enjoyable will
it prove to those transplanted New Eng
! landers who have gone out forever from
the old homes-even "to mingle theil
voices in the soft murmur of the Pacific
seas"
THE ROAD TO CASTALY, Alice Brown
Copeland 6, Day, Boston.
We have learned to expect much from
the author of Meadow Grass and B!
Oak and Thorn in the way of dainty
prose story and essay, but this little
volume of verses is proof that Mis-!
Brown is poet, too.
Among the tributes paid to Edwin
Booths memory the one which occa
stoned most inquiry as to the author
was one by the author of this volume
and is here produced, ending with thes,
fine lines:
Take with thee, too, our bond Of graft
That in cynic and tattling age
| Thou didst consent to write. in missal scrin
! Thy name on the poor players slanderet
page,
And teach the lords of empty birth kin.
may walk the stage"
There is much of nature, much of tn
poetry of the woods. like Wood Longin,
in the volume, for Miss Brown has es
tablished her right to speak deeply o
all these topics of out of door life.
Such picture as this is worth pro
ducing:
Here where the wild dove dwells,
And one secluded choir-rememberin
thrush
Strikes slvernly across the solemn hush
"a x.yith l.;