Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1898-11-18
Van Bruen, Pa.

w nen one SltS uOWn anu un-
packs the stock of myths and
superstitions he has stored away
in "Memory's Casket" he wonders
how they all came into his posses.
sion, what use he has for them,
and if in fact they really belong |
to him anyway.
Well, that is, an 'ignorant man"
does this, but educated people |
are not superstitious." Of course
not. Only the ignorant believe
in ghosts and dreams and "pre-
sentiments" and the like, but the
man who has been told the mean
ing of Il. Pluribus Unum, In Hoc
Sign Vmces, Nil Desperandum,
Labor 0mnia Vincit and three or
four more stock phrases is
classical scholar" and, of course,
is not "given to supcrstitious no
TONS" In fact, he delights in
ridiculing the "poor, silly igno-
ramus' who prefers to walk the
road that goes around the grave
yard rather than take the one that
leads him through it on his way
home at midnight, and who whis-
ties and ''larrups up his boss"
when he passes the old, "haunted
house" in the dark. This educated
brother declares in ribald jest that
dreams are only the product Of
mince pie or pork chop suppers
and he shakes his sides laughing
at the man who has had a "Pre.
sentiment"and yet when we sound
these pretended disciples of Ho
mer and Xenophen and Socrates
and the others we find that there
is "A streak of superstition running
through everyone Of them that is
as clearly defined as the qGirrels
that run through a new glass mar
BILE and that no amount of educa'
ton can ever totally o6literate it.
The truth of the business is all
men are superstitious, and when
you hear a man say that he attach
', es no Importance to dreams and
ghosts and hobgoblins you may
safely put him on your list Of liars
, if you have room for him. He has
heard someone say that educated
people are not superstitiOus,' and
D ue is too cowardly TO tell the
truth on this subject. Simply a.
fraid that if he expresses his hon
l est feelings some one may say
she's an ignorant man."
e There is in every family a ira
. dition or ghost or "presentiment'
story that has become sacred from
r telling it, and there is in every
1 heart a stitled insuppres8ible feel
ing that there are mysteries il
n this world that mans puny philOs
ophy cannot explain and will no
down at ridicule.
8 The recent universal observance
of "All-halloween" by the people
here called my attention to thC
fact that in boyhood | in some
way got the Halloween myth ant
l. Christmas traditions mixed ~
:, with Fourth of July facts, anC
d that / had all my life tried Il
If crowd the observance Of thest
h three days into one exercise,
II had learned to play Halloween
vt FRANKS on my neighbOrs the nigh
before Christmas, and then t,
g shoot big guns on Christmas day
t thus keeping Christmas eve a
II Halloween and Christmas day a
the Fourth of July, instead of oil
10 serving it as the anniversary O
q our Lords birth.
G In all prOpriety the Fourth @
3. July is certainly the time for fire
crackers and flags and jingo ora
,e tors, and Halloween is the time t
70 carry away gates and barn doors
pen up sucking colts, and put You
10 neighbours wagon wheel on tn
&c &c top of his fodder poIe-if there
- any time for this kind OF stuff
but Christmas day should by a
20 means be observed as Il day c
y grateful praise and thanksgivin
10 TO God FOR the gift Of His onl
son. Celebrated in this way,
ID can understand Christmas and tn
is Fourth of July; but, really, ] Il
not yet understand the Hallow
H. cen myth, even with the help 6
Is an unabridged dictionary, an
- more than | understand the hai
n inc idiocy of college t0ughS.