The Progress., 1898-11-19
HALLOWEEN SETS THE BARIO"
MAN TO THINKING.
THE ORIGIN OF ANCIENT CUSTOM
Night Was Observed At Williams Home'
But the Occasion Had Long
Lost Its Charms.


time ways and customs and super
stitions. There is fascination about
witches, Jack lanterns, fortune telling,
table rapping, graveyards and all half
hidden and mysterious things, partic-
ularly for the young people. But to
the aged who are nearing their ap-
proach to the undiscovered country,
this fascination has passed away, and
hence could not enter into the spirit
and hilarity Of the occasion. l pre-
ferred lamp in the sitting room to
those cavernous candle lights in the
parlor-those dismal, fiendish lights
that shone through yellow eyes and
noses and mouths of huge pumpkins
and were reminders of ghosts, hob
COLLINS and raw heads and bloody
bones.
I dident see any fun or any rever-
ence in tiptoeing away up into the old
garrett and looking into broken mir
ror for lover who was to appear be-
hind you, and I am too old to walk
down the stairs backwards at the peril
of my corporosity. I couldent see any
reason or philosophy in cracking nuts
for good luck or bad luck in love al
fairs. But I did enjoy some Of the
more sensible performances, such as
music, and writing questions and ans
wers, and the feast of fruits and cake
and chocolate.
1t was Illuminating about this Hal
lowe'en business-how it ever came
about that the night of October 31st
was a gala night for the fairies, and
they went abroad whispering love to
the young people and helping them to
mate and to marry. We are told that
it originated in Scotland many centu-
ries ago and continues there yet.
Halloween, of course, means hallow
eve and bears the same relation to All
Hallow's day November 1st) that
Christmas eve does to Christmas day
and there is the same kind of foolt
ishneas carried on. 1t is the romance
of the mind to have shadowy faith in
superstitions. Some folks still believa
that the cows all go to prayer the
twelfth night after Christmas, and
s,me believe in "coniurin and witch
craft. The Puritans believed that
itches were always females, and they
Liver drowned man for bewitchine
anybody. Poor woman! How she has
suffered from her lord and master; ]
remember we'll how one of them be-
witched me in the long ago.
Now this "Hallow's day is simply
a contraction of GAIL Hallow's day,
and that for "All the hallowed saints
day." or "All Saints day" away
back in the eighth century the calen
dar of saints got pretty full, for tn
bishops sainted nearly every Chris
tan who died or was martyr. Ever.
church recorded their names, and
brief sketch of his or her life and goot
deeds. Eusebius and Origen begal
it, aud their catalogues are still pre-
served. Later on in the centurie
these saints were multiplied to tn
disgust of some of the popes, and a
edict was passed that nobody shout
be sainted or canonized unless he O
she had performed at least two mil
acles and left some relic to the church
Well, that put stop to it. of course
for miracle is q hard thing to pei
form.
But the making of saints by the RI
man Catholic and Greek and cas-
ern churches had been going o
for ten centuries, until thel
were as many dead saints
the church as there were living sill
ners outside. The Belgium governmel
began to catalogue them 800 years az
after the art of printing was discove
cd. A learned Jesuit by the name
Bolland was employed, and in fi'
years he made three volumes and die
His successor made five more volume
and died, and SO they have been ma
ing volumes and dying until now thu
have fifty-seven volumes and are n
near done. I tell you heaven is crow
ed if they are all of them there.
We know that in the DAYS OF Il
apostles and for good while after
who joined the Christian church
were called saints, and the apostle
creed says, 81 believe in the comm
Mon of saints and even in our d.
the hymns written by English churc
men call Christians saints. Just
hundred years ago George Keith wrc
that beautiful hymn, Chow Firm
Foundation Ye Saints of the Lord
But in Paurs day the name "
changed at Antioch to Christians.
reckon that there was some suspici
that the members of the churches WI
not al oont;Hod. ond tbat susnicinn