The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-08-21
TO CHASE AWAY ONES LUCK
The Maxims of Experience ST.
perstition Thrives Best Among
Women

| pcrSt1tion Ihr1YeS Best Anon,
Women.
| III a man walks under a ladder an,
the careless painter above upscts th,
paint pot upon him the victim prompt
ly for"cts both his religious teaching.
and his matcrialistic reasoning and al
the preachers i'm the world and all the
lngcrsolls in forty-livc States com
| bined could not convince him that il
was not unlucky TO do as he hal done
| Superstition is the one thing that
Christian and unlclicver unite in at.
tacking, yet, despite the onslaught of
pulpit, press and platform, it survives
not, perhaps, as openly, but none the
less strongly, even if shamc-faccdly
feared, says the Pittsburg Dispatch
The Witch of Endor may be but a
classical remembrance and civilization
may have convinced the Salcmitcs of
the utility of the brand and the fagot
rs an exercising medium, but few of
us have not some hoodoo or some be-
lief, however slight, in fate and for.
tune. llypnotism and the faith cure
arc its modern development.
The literature Of superstition, as cX-
pressed in the proverbs of every land
is not usually given the attention it
deserves. These maXims REPRESENTING
the tested and accumulated experience
Of mankind have had their elective
ness destroyed by familiarity. The
axiom that in union there is strength
Is only being fully appreciated by the
corporations and the labor unions after
centuries OF repetition. This was one
OF the proverbs not based upon super
sutton, which probably accounts for its
lack of recognition sooner. But take
the majority of the aphorisms and il
Is not dllliCult-to trace them back to n
supcrstltious origin or forward to a
supcrstitous moral. "rhc morclhastc,
the less speed" tinds expression i'm the
belief that it is unlucky 10 turn back
from a journey. The individual who
has been half way to his work with
few minutes TO spare and has had to
turn back for some essential he had
forgotten, realized the iii luck when
he was "dockcd" for being late. The
man who hurrics to catch IL tram or to
see show and leaves his money or bis
ticket in his other clothes also adorns
the illustration.
Spilling a box of matches is a sure
sign of row IN many households. If
it * the man of the house who docs
the spilling the row doesn't tarry on
the way while he picturosquely bIames
his better half for leaving them upside
down or placing them iii an awkward
corner. Spllling the salt was long re-
,rlrInI a Sn nnln,l th,f Il,
salt shakers were invcntcd to dodge it.
The uncanny cat has long been the
symbolic supcrstitious animal The
black cat which crosses the path of the
pedestrian brings him i'll luck. This
Is especially true il the threatened
victim tries to ward it of by shooting
the cat back TO It's lair. With ones
eyes on the cat one may easily trip
upon distractions and break leg or a
neck. But the cat is not always an
omen of evil. If he or she suuats at
your door AID news Justify at night it
means good luck to all within the
house. TO chase such cat away Is to
chase away ones luck. 1t is terrible
to think of the amount of luck that has
! been chased away.
! When one door shuts another opens
says the provcrb. Quaint and homely
was it's wisdom. But The one that
opens may be the door of the police
station or the poor larri nowadays
Still, ii Is door, and that lets the pro
verb out. Some have striven to en-
large the axioms by having two opci
when one shuts, but one must hav,
been screen door, and that docsn:
count. One might never get farthc
than the vCstibulc.
Superstition, like religion, thrive
best among women. Their more i'm
aginativc minds grasp the ideals tha
cludc the masculine matcriallst. Tn
, dropping of a knife in many houses
, regarded as so certain an indication O
the arrival Of a man at the house,
t that preparations are at once made 1
cvadc the ice collector and the install
l. menL man, or to be out when the la
s collector calls. The dropping of II for
| equally fOretclls the visit of woma
4 and tho lady of the house immediate
: darts to her boudior 10 primp up"
d All people do not know that Il
8 dropping of comb while combng IL
n hair indicates that the person dro
8 ping it will soon hear of death. An i
it stance of this occurred lat wee
it Friday friend of the family, writir
it from Ohio, incidentally mentioned Il
l. death OF the mother of the grocer Il
is family used to buy from. The con
ID was thus corroborated despite the ia
4 that the deceased was otherwise c
ls tircly unknown.
nc For friend to meet or pass Y
c. and not recognize you means that y
6" VIII be married within year. Il
X Tact that you are already married dc
~ not matter, presumably. You m,
get divorce and make the predicti
ny good. Fortunately this axiom is nj