El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-10-07
Lunar Superst,tiOns.

'If you see the new moon over Your
right shoulder it's good luck all the
uonth''-oyer tt e left shoulder being
bad luck, of course II you meet the
new moon face to face with money in
your pocket, you will have that kind Of
money in your pocket for a month
and so on, tnis last being taken from
an old black letter treatise on things
worth knowing" Everywhere in the
world the idea prevails among those
who lack scientific training that any
thing falling to the lot of man when
the moon is waxing will likewise in
crease, similarly decreasing while the
moon wanes. The HjndOo troubled
with warts looks at the new moon,
picks up pinch of dust from beneath
his left foot, rubs the wart with it
and whe the moon goes so does the
wart. If you fall ill you can be cured
by herbs gathered in the full of the
moon.
The Moslems in the kingdom of Oudh
cure insomnia, palpitation of the heart,
nervous prostration and similar evils
by stationing the sufferer with basin
of water in the hands in the light of
the full moon in such way that lis re-
fulgent image shiUes directly from the
liquid into his eyes. Then, without
moving his gaze, he is required to
swallow the wager in a drausht. In
Northern India the people lay out food
in The full moon that comes in the
months corresponding to our Septe en-
Der ard October, half of each, and give
it to their friends as a means of insur
ing Ion qevity. That same night the
gir,s pour water in the moonlight, say
ing they are getting rid of the cold
weather.
1t was long ago noted that the York
shire maids do worship the new
moon on their hare knees, kneelipg
upon an earthfast stOne," and Lady
Wilde says that the Irish damsels drop
on their koees when they first catch
sight of the new moon and say, "Oh,
moon, leave us as well as you
seven threads from the end of their
turbans ard give them to the new
moon with prayer. The spo's on
the moon are caused by many persons
or things. Som etimes it is a man
with fagot on his back, sent thitt er
| for picking up sticks on the Sabbath.
Chaucer calls him a thief and puts q
thorn bush on his shoulders. Dante
| says it is no less a criminal than Calm.
Shakespeare provides u dog to keep him
company. Hlndoos keep, not man,
| but hare, in the moon, and the we'll
known connectio1 in the minds of the
man in the moon and insanity may &C
count for the statement regarding The
March hare, ard possibly the thorn
| bush nay be the distinctive covering
of the halter. AT any rate, this is as
| good guessing as lot of the sun myth
people have done, while Baring-GoulC
identifies the moon children, Bill and
Huiki of the northern mythology, with
Jack and Gill of the nurs cry rhyme.
| The Gre nland E<quim au believes tha
the sun and moon were Originally
brother and sister. She, being teaset
by him past ordinary endurance seized
some lampblack and rubbed it on hii
face Then she ran, her brother after
Finally she went so fast she rose up in
10 the air ard became the sun, Will,
her sooty-faced brother turped into sh,
moon. In Samoa when a great famine
depressed the peOp the moon rose
one night, big and round, like breat
fruit. patient mother, unsble Il
Iquiet the pang of her little one LOOKED
lup and said; "Whv don't you com,
down and let my baby have a bite o
youP This made the moon so angr!
that she simply picked up both mo-he