Evening journal., 1900-09-07
. .IYSTICAL NUMBER.
OMNIPRESENT SEEMS TO BE THE
FATEFUL SEVEN.
rrom'the biblical story Of the Crea-
tion Down II Plays Mighty Part
In Folklore. Tradition, supersti-
tion and History.

But not onlyido the bird augurles 60
by sevens; 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 it. In the,seventh month Noah's
ark touched the ground;iin seven days
dove was sent out on the face ot the
waters. Abraham pleaded with God
seven times for Sodomls sake before
God smote the city of wickedness TO
her undoing.
Seven days Jacob mourned for Jo-
seph and would not be comforted: sew
en- years and seven Jacob served for
Rachel, and In Josephs governorship
of Egypt the chief biftler and baker
dreamed dreams wherein seven fat
oxen and seven. lean oxen, seven ears
Of full corn and,seven ears of mildew-
ed corn played a prominent part and
foreboded the IA 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 the law was read
to the wandering children of Israel. and
Jericho, the strong city, fell, wall and
tower, when seven men had paced
around it for seven days.
Solomon was seven years building
the splendid temple. with all It's
glories of gold and cedar wood. tur-
quoise and terebinth. There were sew
en- lamps in the tabernacle. and the
golden candlestick had seven
branches.
Naaman washed himself seven
times in the river Jordan before the
healing water cleansed him Of his lep-
rosy. The Apocalypse is full Of the
mystic number, and on the cross our
Saviour hung for seven hours, and
from the cross our Saviour spoke sew
en- times.
The seventh son of a 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-
oovery he should be sought before sun
rise or after sunset on Friday. "It is
manifest by experience that the sew
enth male childe. by just order (never
n wench being born betweenl, doth
heal only with touching, through a
natural gift. the kings evil; which IS
a special gifte Of God, given to HINGES
and queenes, as daily experience doth
witnesse." There were seven wise
men and seven wonders OF the world;
while the ancients not only noted the
importance of seven as an astronom
ical period, but also connected the sev
en- 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, and so on.
The seven days Of the week are con
nected with the seven plelades, OF
whom the seventh is a lost star. anC
the seventh wave of a series is full oi
danger 20 ships, as every seventh yea
is TO man. For seven years the mis-
. chievous sprite, Friar Rush, lived viii
the Seeland monks. beguiling the tim'
by cutting oak cudgels, which, whel
struck on the ground, turned into sol
diers armed cap-a-pie, and for sevel
) years Prince Charming looks for hi
lost bride, or Cap-o'-Rushes works dis
} guised in the kitchens of the palace. o
the forsaken princess tries to climb tn
glass mountain which lies between he
and her lover, who has drunk Of tn
S water of forgetfulness. The sevel
sleepers are famous. and the numbe
b seven even comes into the employ o
I folk medicine. Water taken from sey
, en- streams where crosses grow WI
T. cure the jaundice, and seven twigs Q
I aspen put under the patients pillON
T will recover him from paralysis, an
e seven leaves of ivy will bring n care
I less lover back to your side and kee
:. him there, and seven cOrns of whea
e eaten fasting, will heal you of the fal
+ ing sickness, which is epilepsy. an
y seven mistletoe berries put in n bag q
+ red silk and hung round your neck wi
/ protect you from sunstroke and elf bo
r and preserve your feet from blister
however far you walk.
1t is not spring until you can pU
your foot on seven daisies at one an
). the same time, and seven hairs wi
J. keep the evil eye off children. accor,
IS ing to an old Indian superstition. onl
= the hairs, to be of any avail. must l
+ pluczed from the tail of an elephant
E. a difficult, a delicate and even a dai
gerous proceeding. At years old a
cats become possessed of witch's poy
is ers, and woe betide those who i'll u'
j: or frighten puss when once she has n
k quired power of mischief But let tn
4 not discourage the lovers of the nil
Ia lived one, for
W wherever the cat Of the house don't Lac
IN For seven years blow white, blow black
The lasses Of lovers shall have no Lack.
Seven years Of i'll fortune, accordiI
to a Slcilian superstition, follow her
m him who kills a cat; therefore it we
In well to treat your feline followers ge
ur tly, even though you love them not B
m / might go ON till the seventh d'
from Latter Lammas" and still ha
C. something to tell. SO here l make
e. end.-Nora Hopper in Illustrated 10
I'D don News.