Evening star., 1897-04-03

M !: !: :.
/WLSSM$>> Delt, she uCeS .lOl IN
W1EHuRN%%$\> tend to proclaim her
%MYHlFWMM% self worshiper of
f/eYyMH\WNMM Scotch literature; she
Il WWNhWMN wears 1t only for
NIU w good luck"
Whoever imagines
that the vagaries Of superstition have
ceased to exist. except among persons Of
mean intelligence or neglected education,
Is quite mistaken; they are rapidly re-
viving under the fashion of the hour The
maiden Of Vanity Fair now cherishes q
little pet credulity which she allows to
guide her actions and regulate her move
ments Although she heartily believes In
,he malign power of black cats and the
far from genial influence of the number
thirteen, she does not adopt as her menta al
crest any such commonplace gullibility.
But she searches ancient lore to find some
rare portent which shall be her mark Of
interesting Individuality and gives IT the
place of honor among her weird conceits.
For IL stance, when she hangs an old horse
shoe through the loop of the long silver
chain which she wears around her waist,
she declares her southern ancestry and her
plantation traditions, for in the old slave
Gays horseshoe hung over the cabin door
to keeI all harm away, was the rule rather
than the exception.
10 step out in the mud, or submit to any
rounddDout inconvenience rather than
walk under a ladder is so purely an Eng
lish superstition, and so faithfully observed
by fashionable London, 1t is of course be-
loved by fashionable America.
Popular Superstitfons.
A dread of spiling the salt is also quite
smart" as 1t is of aristocratic origin and
dates from distant antiquity. 1t has been
amusing to note at luncheons and dinners
this winter Intelligent women throwing
salt in great solemnity over the left shoul-
der three mystic times. in order to discom-
mt bad LUCK Also, one of them may have
asserted thoughtlessly her immunity from
colds. or headaches, any of the common
Ills OF life. In that case, she hastens to rap
three times upon the table while she muir
murs the word 'unberufen." BY this il
may be known that she has adopted a Ger
man superstition for her own special weak
ness, and, having repented of her rash
statement. tries to appease the jealousy of
Luck by saying that her boastfulness was
"unc alied for
However. very few of us are free from
this fear in one form or another. When We
desire some precious thing very earnestly
we pretend to believe that il Is beyond our
reach; We will even try to persuade our
selves that it is undesirable, from a vague
feelins that it is necessary to hoodwink a
olm power which would otherwise thwart
our wishes. In fact the belief I'm a watchful
destiny that would be angered by our un-
usual prosperity, and therefore must be
soothed by rigid abstinence from boast
ing, is almost universal
But the most notable form of the super-
stition of the day is the craze for tails
manic ornaments, and for this fashionab BILE
feticbism there is the distinguished author
lty or Napoleon, who left this bequest: Let
my son keep as talisman the seal 1 used
to wear"
A ring forged out of an old horseshoe IS
bound to keep a lover faithful, but It is too
nrp1iyn rg,l.s
mode acceptance, especially as a sapphire
al swers the same purpose. From earliest
times this stone has been the emblem of
sincerity and enduring fidelity in love af-
fairs, and when We consider also its more
prosaic efficiency in keeping the liver up to
It's work. Its popularity ought to be quite
Ineligible.
Symbolic of FnfthfuIness.
In all ages of the world. every well-regu-
lated woman has loved diamonds, and she
loves them today, though with less reason
than the woman of medieval times. for in
that era they rivaled, In point of salutary
agency, the bones and other relics of the
saints. They have always been pre-emi-
hently the symbols of purity and faithful
ness, yet how many the women that have
drowned honor in the clear water of dia-
mon6sr'
The "cat's-eye' is the gem preferred by
those that are vividly Interested In the
that each cats-eye is inhabited by a ia
miliar Demon" who exempts the owner
from the chill of poverty. There is at least
one excellent excuse for the belief-she
must indeed be safely sheltered from the
chill OF poverty who can purchase one Of
these glistening gray gems at their pres
ent precious valuation.
The ruby has been favorite love token
since the time Of the crusaders, because of
the tradition that 1t warns the wearer Of
misfortune by distinctly darkening The
turquoise also benefits by the belief of the
symptomatic and diagnostic power In
TACT, the hypochondriac of the medieval
world always wore turquoise upon the
middle finger, and had a most Interesting
time consulting it. The supposition that
1t will change at the Inconsistency of lovers
loses value when compared with its uuali-
tiles as health indicator.
Opals in High Favor.
The opal is the only gem credited with
possessing evil propensities, but the SUPER
stition that once befouled its good name
with mistrust of it's uncanny CLEAN is now
compensating for past errors by bringing
it into fashion; and 1t not only is summing
itself in popular favor at present, but it
is bound TO be the stone of the future
There ere many beautiful legends in re-
gard to the opal, but the loveliest of all
Is the one most ancient--the one that tells
of a woman's loving heart imprisoned i'm a
milk-white stone. and of the throbs Of
passion and of pain that shone through
the half-opaque surface. making 1t dart
and fash and fiutter with flame color and
rose and violet and golden tints When
the shoaxt beat high with hope the sur
face OF The opal was radiant with light:
when sorrow oppressed, the rays lost their
brillian0v.
That the opal is really almost human in
the variation Of its moods and liz its sus-
ceptibflity to outside influences accounts
for the weird reputation that has so long
banished it from popular use. But now
that women are looking more keenly into
the science Of psychology, they believe
they have found in the opal the link be-
vorite stone for engagement as well as
for talismanic rings. but to be properly