The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-12
GREAT MEN CREDULOUS
sUPERsTITIoNs NOT CONFINED
 TO UNCULTURED MINDS.
Childish Beliefs That swayed Great Heroes and Thinksrs-They Have
 Trusted in Dreams, Stars and Presentiments.

It is mistake to imagine that super stition is a weakness confined to seamen or persons of feeble and ufoulturef minds. Men possessing the strongest in- tellects hays been swayed by almost childish credulity with regard to the su- pernatural. The great Napoleon was a firm believer in presentiments. CNce, when be was anxiously awaiting news from Egypt, he heard that Nile boat had run ashore and that the crew hal
 been put to death. This boat bore the name of L'ItaIie. Napoleon was much concerned when he heard this last piece of news. He looked upon it as an omen that his hopes of annexing Italy to France were to be shattered. Nothing would induce him to believe the con- trary. My preseptiments never deceive me-" he said; "all is ruined; I am sat ished that my conquest is lost" The preaentiment In this case certainly be- game gam true. 4 famous writer has said n of tiny" Certain 1t is that Napoleon had faith in hts star, and 1t appeared to be the ruling omen of his entire career. General Rapp, who for a long period was Napoleon's aid de camp, refers to the subject in his interesting memoirs. Rapp had just returned from the siege of Dan gig, and. seeking Napoleon's presence, found him gazing intentiy through the window, his eyes fixed upon the heavens. It was some time before the Emperor denly seizing him by the arm, he ex- claimed: Look there; up there!' T see nothing but the pale twinkling stars" replied the astute aid-de,camp quietly. edly, "is 1t possible that you do not see my star? The fiery red> one almost as large as the moon? It is before you .SS %sras ssa aD a5 a. h9% 9S. Sssnt sR he T1 hi9 shneked as he cried out: tft has never abandoned me for single instant. l see k on all great occasions; 1t commands me to go forward: 1t Is my sign of good fortune, and where 1t leads 1 will fol-
 superstitious Great Men.
 The Roman Admiral Appius Claudius. on being informed by the augurs on the eve of an engagement that the sacred chickens would not eat, said, Vet them overheard, after which he attacked the Carthaginian fleet and received terri ble thrashing.
 Astute Bismarck was superstitious, the for him. He would never sit down to table when he made the thirteenth. Count Bismarck Bohlen states that one day in 1870, at Rheims, when the Chan tions had to be countermanded because otherwise there would have been thr- teen at table. General Boyer, Bazaines envoy, arrived at the German headquar-
 
 but Bismarck would not see him till the next day. saying that he would never do anything of importance on any Friday, much less on a Friday the date of which coincided with the anniversary of Horch- kirk, Jena and Auerstadt He was talk ing one day of a defeat the Germans had experienced in the course Of the cam paign of 1870. "I beg you to observe, gentlemen" he said, "that that happened on a Friday" Bismarck did not believe in a lucky or an unlucky day, but be- lieved that his life was seriously inhu- enced by a mystic number.
 The .prosaic Dr. Johnson always count | ed his steps. before entering any place, so as to arrange that his right Cfoot should always precsde his left; or, again. | touching every post which he passed along a certain route, fearing that, if he missed one, some misfortune would befall him.
 Lord Wolseley writes: 'I not only be- lIeve in many superstitions, but I hug them with the warmest affection. They | link me, If not with a spiritual world of which l know nothing, at least with a glorious past of which history has told l me mach. l bel!sve in ghosts and anu- lets; I have worn out the rims of seT' eral hats since I Lave been in Dublin | through my salutations of single mag