The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-16
THE WEARING OF TALIsMANs.
4 Habit by no Means Unknown I'm Po-
lite society.
From the Philadelphia Press.

from the ihlldutiDNlh T it9Ss
A fancy for the possession and contin-
uous carrying about Of trinkets OF various
kinds supposed to endow the possessor
with good luck, or at least with immun-
ity from bad luck. is far more general
than the world at large has any idea of.
There Is hardly a person living who hasn't
some pet superstition. and II is somewhat
Of an enigma why the people are so afraid
or ashamed to acknowledge IL. Uncon-
sciously, even to ourselves. we have i'm
bibed superstition from earliest childhood
until Il has become an established part OF
our being. The popular idea that sailors
and sporting men are the only ones VINO /
abound with superstitions Is not by any
means the truth. This feeling also has its
abiding place in the strongholds of Wash
ington society. Indeed, IL exists there IN
quite as marked degree as anywhere IN
this country. 1t Is a universal falling.
When the President and Mrs. Cleveland
We're in the first flush of their honeymoon
there came TO them from some unknown
donor, carefully packed in little DcN,
sent through the express, "a rahbiLS 1901.
This, the sender stated, was TO be carried
either by the President or by Mrs. Cleve-
land carefully in a compartment OF the
poCketbook. This fashion Of carrying a
rabbits foot in the pockctbook Is very
prevalent. Few of the society women at
Washington are without at least one raD-
bits foot, while some have quite an array
TO use in case one should be inadvertently
lost. II may be added for the beneht OF
the uninitiated that to insure the most per-
feet luck the rabbit from which the loot
IS taken should have been killed IN a
graveyard in the dark OF the moon. An
other talisman which Mrs. Cleveland re
ceived about year since, was IN the FORM
OF a tiny Esquimau doll, presented by the
Esotirnau child who came to Washington
and was given an audience one morning
in the blue room of the white house, Whefe
the cabinet took part in the amusing en-
tertainmcnt afforded by the child and It's
elders This little image, az exact mini
allure OF an Esquimau In native costume
could readily be held on the palm OF the
hand. and was given to Mrs. cleveland
20 carry in purse presented Tor that
purpose, and was supposed to impart ali
manner of benefits as well as immunity
from harm OF every nature.
Mrs. Leland Stanford has fancy for
carrying in her purse tiny metal inquire
of st. Joseph and the child, given her
by one of her Washington friends. The
superstition in this case is that the per
son who carries I'm the purse one of these
figures will never be without money IL
would hardly seem likely, even II the ut
tie St Joseph were left out OF Mrs. STAN
ford's purse, that she would De az any
time without funds.
There is also prevalent a cast iron SUI
perstition in regard to the manner IN
which money should be placed in the
purse Bills Of any denomination must
never be cramped any which way IN the
pocketbook, but to insure luck must be
carefully turned and folded toward ones
self, and then creased lengthwise. This
accomplished. the superstition Is that
plenty and prosperity Will follow.
One of the most greWsome of super
stitons entertained by Washington wo-
men is that one OF the west end resi-
dents carries In her purse tiny bit of
rope with which Guiteau was hanged.
This Is always taken with her to poker
parties. and Is believed to est Gordon
of luck about the possesser and insure
Mr.. Beriah wilkins has pct supersti-
ton in regard TO the name Emma-his
wifes name. When he goes TO a horse
g "A horse under
that title, he will lay a wager on IT sooner
than upon any of the well known favor
ties. The reason is as follows: When
he was young man and first became
engaged, he attended a horse race. On
the list was a perfectly unknown horse
billed to run under the name Emma,
which especially interested him as being
| that of his sweetheart. The horse won,
and from that time forth Mr.. wilkins
| has held to his bit of superstition in re-
| gard TO his wife's name.
In like manner Senator Calvin s. Brice
has pet superstition in regard to a solid
| gold scarf pin which he wears almost
| continuously. This is the design Of an
| open safe with a watch dog chained TO
| one side, and is emblemaucal in some
| way of the first important railroad deals
in which he euchered the New York mag
Mates
The Chinese minister wears a Jade ring
| that Is supposed to bring him ''all time
| good luck" to such an extent that he has
secured one of the same understanding
| stone for his wife, who. however. does
not, like her husband, wear hers upon
her thumb, but upon the middle finger
| of her left hand. This jade, curiously set
| in the most massive fashion with 24-karat
| gold invariably forms part of Nine.
| Yangs full dress regalia.
| Making a noVena to St. Anthony for
/ husband Is a popular superstition among
/ the younger set In Washington quite ire
| spective Of the fact that the person max
! ing the novena may not be of the Roman
1 Catholic faith 1t was but a few years
| back that the daughter of a well known
| retired army officer did this, and imme-
| 0idtnlV. n
| progress, she began to receive attentions
| of a governor of one of the far north
| western states, and Is now married to
Mrs. Stewart. niece of the late Gen.
| Hunter, who some years since left Wash
| ington to make her home with one Of her
married daughters at Colorado Springs,
carries In her purse the first coin made
| of the first bit of gold taken from the
mines at Cripple Creek Should anythine
happen to this coin the owner would feel
that personal misfortune had befallen her
One Of the most curious talismans DOS
| sessed by a Washingtonian is that now
worn by a man well known in fashionable
life This is a ring of the oldest design
and appearance: 1t was presented to him
by his wife on their wedding day In the
wife's family II has been talisman for
three generations, having been first
then in succession by her grandfather and
father. The stone with which il is set was
taken from the foot OF camel while a
party. of travellers were crossing the desert
of Sahara. The stone though quite small
= eNquisitely cut with a multiplicity of de-
vices. Among these is a chariot drawn
by six horses. a fun moon and a chanti-
cleer apparently in the act of growing A
few years since this ring was loaned to a
person supposed to be imbued with second
sight for Interpretation. This was given
to the effect that 1t had originally been
the property of one of the fayorite wives
Of the earlier Pharaohs. 1t had been bu-
ried with her in one of the catacombs
from which 1t had been exhumed and re-
moved by a later Pharaoh, who had sub
then in some unexplained way, after the
lapse of centuries, had become imbedded
in the foot of a camel treading those same
shifting sands This ring the owner never
allows to leave his finger day or night.
Sir John Robinson, retiring editor of
the London DailX NaNge is Of TIE