The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-14

be found again There is the story of the
complaisant FAIRIES, who, upon certain in
vocation being made, were wont to unclose
a hitherto concealed gateway, and pass
out all manner of useful household uten-
Sis, only eXacting that these should be
duly returned at the promised dates. But
one day careless borrower failed TO bring
back an article lent, and the incensed fairies
opened their doors no more adopting the
TACTICS or the French inkeeper, who wrote
below his sign, ION re loge pas lei a credit,
car II est mort les mauvais payeurs Font
tue"
Scott Gn ''Marmlon') has written of the
sIisiy door, narrow, deep, and tan"
INTO which those who enter Shall ne'er
ween, find exit more"-alluding TO those
Vaulted recesses in walls In which victims
were buried alive. Though the fact has
peen disputed, II appears tolerably certain
that this was sometimes the doom awarded
TO religious votaries, who, like Constance"
III the poem, proved false to their monas-
tic vows; but a similar fate has befalien
others than recreant monks and nuns,
Some years ago, one of the magazines
published an interesting article upon Kirk
Grlms,' the supposed ghosts of victims
VINO had been immured alive within the
walls OF church TO insure their spirits
haunting apparently with some idea of
defense or protection) the sacred ediice.
The Kirk Grim was often an animal,
usually a lamb, but there are legends Of
human victims being sometimes selected;
I'M one case the wife, in another the little
daughter, of the chief mason or architect
These traditions are a direct survival OF
the old pagan superstition that the sacri-
flee of human life insured the stability
Of a building. Visitors to Algeria still
can see, in one of the local museums
block OF concrete which once formed part
Of the Moorish city wall into which
Christian captive had been cast alive
while the concrete was In liquid condi-
tion-the hollow left by the corpse of the
victim has been filled with plaster, and
a cast thus obtained of the sufferers form,
that of a youth. Many West country
rustics sim firmly believe in the exist
ence of Kirk Grim: and there are legends
that these spirits can be seen, at times
fitting about old churches or church
yards; but the sight is not one to be de-
sired. as it pressages the beholders death
within year. One man who saw the To-
cal Kirk Grimm this case a spectral
lamb-disporting itself in a Devonlan
church yard, is said to have only survived
the sight few months. How many sim
ilarly fantastic legends and superstltions
still lie hidden, like lees in wine" as
Lord Bacon phrases 1t, in the hearts OF
our English rustlcs, despite all modern
educational efforts. There is still, among
many of the villagers something of the
spirit of the Sussex ploughboy, who, gaz-
ing one evening at the setting sun, re-
marked to a companion: "Bill you knows
they tell US at school that the sun don't
move Now, you just look out yonder."
pointing to the glowing west, "and you'll
see for yourself that that's a big He''
Doorway superstitions We're probably CO.
eval with the art of building, and the old
crone who to-day nails up a horseshoe
over her threshold "for luck" is only fol-
lowing In the steps of many remote races
of men, who also practiced superstitIous
rites in connection with their house doors.