Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-10-24
Holler Eve,
Holler Adam,
Please Miss,

IL,
Please Miss,
Give me a kiss,
forms the burden of their song as the
gang of urchins scamper from one
place of mischief to another. Their
seniors, those who have come to wear
long dresses or pants, amuse them
selves in more staid but none the
less enjoyable manner. Snap apple
and other fireside games while the
night away. Here are some of them:
The charmed number. seven ESQ
called by the superstitious), rules the
evening. So the girl who catches
seven nuts or any larger number,
which is a multiple of seven, is con-
sidered most fortunate. The one who
secures the largest number of all, if
it can be divided evenly by seven) is
declared the fairy godmother and she
becomes arbitress of the Shake"
Seven baskets are brought, into
which the nuts which have fallen upon
the blankets are gathered. Double
nuts are sold to signify an early we'd
ding; clusters of three a legacy; four
indicate great wealth; five a voyage
across the sea; six, fame as a public
speaker; seven, the possession of a
gift more desired by the finder. So
with long pointed sticks some spear
the apples, while others bury the nuts
and apples in the hot ashes. Still
others name the nuts and lay them on
shovel above the red hot Goals,
watching with deeper interest when
their behavior while roasting, may pre-
dict. Ii the nuts roast quietly, it fore
tells long and true friendships. If
they fly about snappishly a quarrel is
prophesied. If one or more bursts,
loss of money is to be expected. Those
that keep moving are unstable, and
such as fly off the shovel will remain
single another year. Apples are
named, likewise, for those present,
after which the apples must be turned
seven times about on the palm of the
hand before being consigned to the
ashes. Ii an apple cooks evenly to
the core without scorching, and the
seeds number seven or fourteen, or
possibly twenty-one, great good for
tune may be expected. If the core
proves hard or worm eaten and less
than seven seeds may be counted, bad
fortune is anticipated If the apple
bursts it's skin and flies to pieces, it
indicates great wealth; if it fails to
cook at all, there is little hope of a
wedding ring during the year.
Again, the corn roasting must go on
under the mysterious influence of the
fairy folk. The unhusked ears are
placed by sevens in baskets. Each
person chooses one. If the kernels are
full and run in straight lines the full
length of the ear, a prosperous year is
heralded; if the lines run unevenly,
and the kernels are not found in full
numbers and well filled out, bad for
tune is at hand. II the kernels. how
ever, number seven, the evil omens
may be overcome.
Next Sunday, commemorating the
festival of All Saints, is a day of spe-
cial solemnty in the Catholic church.
Friday and the week following is de-
voted to remembrance of the dead.
Masses are offered for the deliverance
from purgatory of the souls of the
faithful departed.
A correspondent furnishes the fol-
lowing learned disquisition upon the
day and some of its observances
To the Editor of the Register
Sir:-I have lately seen in print an
article on "Hollond-tide," in which the
writer is puzzled to account fer the
connection between the religious feast
OF "All Saints" and the tricks of
halloween" He has evidently con-
suited the encyclopedias, but they
have not helped him much in his dilem-
ma, and it has occurred to me that per-
| haps short explanation of some points
might be of general interest to read
ers of the Register. rs
From the statements of the writer to
whom | refer above. he appears to have
concluded that, as the funny aspect of
te feast appears only among Celtic
people, the Irish, Scotch, Welsh and in
those parts of England where the Gel
tic customs survived, such as the north
| western counties and Cornwall. the
tricks had nothing to do with the
| saints, but were an old Celtic survival
| The church in many instances, and par
| ticularly among the Cslts. converted the
| old heather feasts into Christian holy
days. In fact, the Celts would hardly
have taken to the new faith on any
other condition. OF all the great faith
| ers and apostolic missionaries of the
| Christian church, st. Patrick was uil-
| doEbtedly the most successful There
may have been as holy, as wise and
more learned men among them, but fol
rapidly in doing his work, for the
| thoroughness with which he did it, anl
| for the permanence which he impaired
to it, there is no other that deserves
! to rank even second to him. If only
| on this account his methods deserve
study for certainly his phenomena
success was in great part due to the
character and methods of the man. Mr.
| Mathew Arnold remarks that he was
humorist, and that he knew to perfec.
ton the people he had to deal with
| He humored their whims when harm.
| less, respected their good old customs
and where possible brought them into
| harmony with Christianity. He sough
| first to gain over the poets, druids anc
| chiefs of the people, expecting that tht
| masses would follow. as they Gid. H,
| found the Irish Hibernian, and b,
| thought well to let them remain Sc
| with all their innocent fun and frolic
Events justified the wisdom of tn,
| course; the fun has remained and tn,
| faith still continues.