Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-06-15
A, MYSTICAL NUMBER.
oMNlPREsENT SEEMS no BE THE
- FATEFuL SEVEN.
From the biblical story of tho Cren-
tion Down 1t Plays a Mighty Part
In Folklore. Traaitian, supersti-
ton and History. 3&$ AZ s'..
Clean birds by seyens.
Unclean By twos. &
The dove In the heavens

Clean birds by sevens,
Unclean By twos, j.
- t, The dove In the heavens ~.
Is the one that I choose ,i.
But not only do tho bird augurlcs go
by seyeps; the number plays a mighty
part In folklore, tradition and his
tory. Six days made the world, and
God rested on the seventh day and hal.
lowed 1t. In the seventh month Nouh's
ark touched the ground; in seven days
| a dove was sent out on the face ot the
waters, Abraham pleaded with God
seven times for Sodom's sake before
God smote the city OF wickedness to
her undoing, E.t E..
Seven days Jacob mourned for 10.
seph and would not be comforted; sev.
en- years nnd seven Jacob served for
Rachel. and IN Lcseph'5 governOrship
of Egypt tho chief butler and baker
dreamed dreams wherein seven Fat
oxen and seven lean oxen, seven ears
Of full corn and seven ears OF mlldew.
ed corn played q nrG!3!nunt part and
forehoded the Ii years of plenty and OF
famine that were In store for the Land
Of the Two Crowns, even the land of the
house of bondage, the land Of Egypt.
Every seventh day tho law was read
to tho wandering children OF Israel, and
Jericho, the strong city, fell, wall and
tower, when seven men had paced
around 1t for seven days.
Solomon was seven years building
the splendid tcmplc, with all It's
glorles Of gold and cedar wood. tur.
quoise and terebinth. There were sew
In, t,l> nln tl,,,
golden candestick had seven
branches.
Naamnn washed himself seven
times In the river Jordan before the
healing water clcnnscd him OF his lcp.
rosy. The Apocalypse Is full Of the
mystic number, aud Oh the cross Our
Saviour hung for seven hours, and
from the cross our Saviour spoke scv.
en- times.
The seventh son Of q seventh son Is
a born doctor, according to Irish belief,
but he must never take money for the
cures he achieves, and to insure re.
covcry he should be sought before sun.
rise or after sunset on Friday. ut Is
manifest by experience that the scv.
cnth male childc by just order (ncvcr
heal only with touching, through n
natural gift, the kings evil; which Is
n special giftc Of God. given to HINGES
and quccncs. as daily experience doth
WitnCSSe.' There were seven wise
men and seven wonders OF the world;
while the ancicnts not only noted the
Importance Of seven as an aStronom.
ical period, but also connected the scv.
ell metals then known with the seven
planets and the seven colors.
Thus copper belonged to Venus, and
the color green; lead to Saturn, and
the color blue; gold and yellow to the
sun, aud SO on.
The seven days OF the week are con.
ncctcd with the seven plciadcs, of
whom the seventh is Il lost star, and
the seventh wave OF n series is full OF
danger to ships, as every seventh year
Is to man. For seven years the mis-
chievous spritc, ITrinr Rush. lived with
the Secland monks. bcguillng the time
by cutting oak cudgcls, which, when
struck CT. the ground, turned into sol
diers armed cap-a-pic, and for seven
years Prince Charming looks for his
lost bride, or Cap -o'-Iushcs works dis
guiscd in the kitchens of the palace; or
the forsakcn princess tries to climb the
glass mountain which lies between her
and her lover. who has drunk Of the
water of fOrgctfulncss. The seven
| slecpers are famous, and the number
seven even comes into the employ OF
folk medicine. Water taken from sew
cn streams where crosses grow will
cure the jnundicc, and seven tWigS OF
aspen put under the patients pillow
Will recover him from paralysis, and
seven leaves OF Ivy will bring a care.
less lover back t. your side and keep
| him there. and seven corns Of wheat,
eaten fasting, will heal you Of the fall
ing sickness. which Is epilepsy, and
seven mistlctoe berries put in bag Of
red silk and hung round your neck will
| protect you from sunstrollc and cir bolt
and preserve your feet from blislcrs,
however far you walk.
1t Is not spring until you can put
your foot OH seven daisies at one Nd
the same time, and seven hairs VII
| keep the evil eye Off children, accord.
ing to an old Indian superstition, only
the hairs, to be Of any avail, must be
pluckcd from the tail OF an elephant
a difficult. n delicate and even dan.
gerous proceeding. at 7 years old all
| cats become possessed OF witchS pow.
ers, and woe Dctide those who i'll use
| or frightcn puss when once she has ac-
| quirCd power Of mischief! But let this
not discourage the lovers OF the nine
|. lived one, for
| Wherever tho cat OF tho house don't lack
| For blow NhIfa hlpv hlapk
| Tho lasscs of lovers shall havo no lack.
Seven years of Ill fortune, according
to Sicilian superstition, follow her or
him who kills Il cat; therefore 1t were
we'll to treat your feline followers gen
t1y, even though you love them not But
| | might go Oh till the "scvcnth day
from Latter Lnmmas" and still have
something to tell. SO here ] make an
cnd.-Nora Hopper I'm Illustrated Lon
| don News.
| Back ana ftQc.
| Tho Itittsburp (,broniplp tnlIc Of n