The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-01
s1cIN THE FOE OF MYTHS.
sUpERsTIITONS RAPIDLY
sA'LO~ airing FROM MEMORY.

weird Powers mt One Time
- IA Have Been Possessed
nv Firms.
t,ror, the London Spectator.
,bo least of the mighty changes
IN, the advent of steam as a mo-
4 w. at sea is the alteration il has
4, the supersttious notions current
mo- .,,mrn from the earliest days of
MN In the hurry and stress of the
..,,obo,tmau's life, there is little scope
-. tho Indulgence of any fancies what
and the old sea traditions have most
ted ont for lack of suitable environ
men. ~
49,, .,iline on a Friday was to court GER
AIM disaster. All old sailors dwell with
Lii. srsto upon the legend of the snip
mat was commenced on a Friday, finished
, Friday. named the Friday, command
- nj, capt Friday. sailed on Friday
IA fopndsred on the same luclSless day
NTH an hands as warning TO all reckless
.,i,ovners and shippers. But steam has
f.,rged an that When steamers time
1., loading or dischaTging began to be
9abone3 not in days, but i'll hours the 40.
t5on of OBTAINING her i'm port for whole
4,v i'm Difference 10 an idea became too
5t,,loils tor entertainment, and it almost
immediately died a natural death. This
~ course had its effect upon the less has
civ worked sailing vessels, although there
,bers are stilI to be found in British sailing
rsssaIs masters who would use a good deal
,f artifce 10 avoid sailing on that day
Among the Spanish, Italian, Austrian
and creek sailing vessels, however, Friday
Is sill ned in most superstiuous awe
IND on Good Friday there is alwaye reg
,liar carnival held ON board these vessels
The wards beinw allowed to hang al all
sors of angles the gear flung disheveled
and loose. while an effigy of Judas is sub
iocted TO all the abuse and indignity that
The lively imaginations of the seaman can
leyisc. Finally the effigy is besmeared
win tar a rope it attached to ii, which is
then rove through a block at the main
v3rdarm it is set aight and amid the
frantic wells aud execra lions of the sea
men il is slowly swung aloft to dangle and
l4ze. while the excited mariners use up
their remaining energies in wild dance.
4 Jonah on Board.
Another superstition that still survives
in sailing vessels everywhere is, strange
Nv enough. connected with the recalcitrant
prophet Jonah. 1t is, however, confined
to his bringing misfortune upon the ship
i'm which he sailed, and seldom is any al
fusion made to his miraculous euguling
bv tine specially prepared great fish. 1t
docs not take long series of misfortunes
oyertakng a ship to convince her crew
that lineal descendant of Jonah and an
nhertor of his disagreeable disqualified
tiou is a passenger. So deeply rooted is
this idea that when once it has been
aroused with respect to any member of
ships company that person is in evil
case, and, given fitting opportunity, would
actually be in danger of his life This
unge of religious fanaticism cropping up
among "a class of men who, to put it mild
ly, are not remarkable for their knowledge
Of scripture, also shows itself in con-
necton with the paper upon which good
words are printed. 1t is an unheard-of
misdemeauor on board ship to destroy or
put 10 common use such paper The man
guilty OF such an action would be looked
upon with horror by his shipmates, al
though their current speech is usually
vile and blasphemous beyond belief.
And herein is 10 be found a curious dis
tneuon between seamen of Teutonic and
Latin race, excluding F'renchnien. De
spite the superstitious reverence the for
mer pay TO the written word, one of them
would in time of peril dream of rushing
wv pbpOHINC CAtiGllS, anu alter UldOly
abusing their Bibles, throw them over
board. But the excitable Latins, after
peseecning their patron saint to aid them
III the most agonizips tones, repeating
with lrenzied haste such prayers as they
can remember and promising the most
costly gifts in the event of their safely
reaching port again, often turn furiously
upon all they have previously been wor-
supplhS' and with the most horrible bias
DNe0Qleg
ooJeels OF their alteration. Nothing is too
sacred Tor insult no name too reverent
LOT ABUSE, and should there be as there
oi'en is an image of a saint on board
" VIII probably be cast into the sea.
Power Credited to Firms.
Dut one Of the most incomprehensilole
~ iS Oh sea superstition is that which has
loi us OBJECT the most prosaic of all sea-
eo'ns people, the Firms. Russian Firms
'auleu always call them, although there
- laI more Of the Swede than the Russian
"9ou' mem and their tongue is Swedish
"'So' All things that appertain 10 a shin
sem to come easily to their doing. from
ue 'IInc OF tirst laying the vessels Keel
r' u,i, win every spar, sail and item of
.t'i.us gear IN its place, she strips her
N'll'h ana leaves the harbor behind
"'' l"l the other side of the world And
wen then the Finn will be found To Weld
A. 'oue III MS knowledge of NAVIGATION
NIiousl his hands may be gnarled and
p"' WIN toll and his square, expression
1SS lace looks as II "unskilled labor were
GnpIlhied upon itmuch difficulty would be
i'u"o IN the search of u keener or more
'o'Iecl hand at trigonometrical problems
better keeper of that most useful
.0nenl. a ships log-book
ven To these men, by common consent. "A
peInaiural status has been assigned.
nelner among the Latins the same idea
''lIs IS somewhat doubtful, but certainly
)" pllllsh. American and scandinavian
Vessels Firms are always credited with
''didcteristics which century ago would
,''' involved them in many Unpleasant
.'fseS. Chiefly harmless, no doubt. these
M''' powers, yet when your stolid ship
na'c Us firmly believed to control the
WINDS 80 masterfully as TO supply his
.'Nofed friends with = quartering breeze
Hnt lll the rest OF the surrounding yes
nave q dead muzzler," any affection
;oU may have had for him is seriously
,"''Ie 10 degenerate into fear II is per
N'ps hardly Necessary to say that from
NHdleVer the original idea OF Finnish ne
''om'hcY originally arose, whole host of
'SenuS nave grown up, many of them too
'.iNlal FOR print, some delightfully."- quaint.
h'Ders NOT less ORIGINAL than 1a,,-1