Evening journal., 1902-10-11

From now ON the minds OF young
maids-and maybe some old ones-and
frivolous masculinity as well. will he
given over to Halloween thoughts. It
is a season which ranks next to Christ
mas and Thanksgiving, and particul-
arly in Wilmington Is the eve Of All
Saints Day observed
Perhaps not In any other town in the
country is There a parade of such
lclgth, nor ale there SO many mum
mers. Nor so many pranlzs played. Hal
lowe'tn masqueradss are to Whining
ton, what the New Year shooters used
TO be to Philadelphia, before that an
cient Quaker City custom legan to
wane in popularity and numbers.
Like most fectiyals, Halloween Is of
religious origin In the time cf the
ancient Celts and their priests. the
Druids, before the Christian era was
dreamed OF, there were three great fes-
uyals. On May 1 they celebrated the
sowing of the grain; on June 21. the
solstice, the ripening OF the grain. and
en- November the harvesting. At the
time OF each festival, fires were built
on the hilltops in honor of the sun,
which the people worshipped
When the hoathen religion was SUD-
erseded by Christianity, the church did
not forbid these festivals s. but gave
them new meanings. Thus the an
cient harvest Festival of the Druids be-
came All Hallow Eve or All Saints
Eve since November / had been set
apart for The worship of all the saints
In the calendar.
Superstition pays a great part In
this festival. and it Is not to be won
dered At fer are not all the spirits Il
the dead supposed to walk and talk
with THE living people of the earth?
And is it surprising that they snould
give some loved young friend a token
as TO his or her future happinezs? ?
Surely the psrson who wallis abroad
on the eve of All Saints Day should
receive some reward fer her bravery.
when she knows that all tha church
yards yawn. when the sky is full of
bats and witches riding eHitches and
brOoms and uneasy spirits would lend
the unsuspecting to pitfalls and the owl
boots a ghastly warning.
In the country and small towns one
has an opportunity to try more tricks
and play more pranks. There no blue
coated scions of the law attempt t.
preserve anything like order. though
as a matter OF fact. few dreadful things
arc recorded But fancy city police
man allowing a cord TO be placed across
the sidewalk to trip the unwary. or the
! prOmiscuous ringing OF door bells, the
/ despoiling Of cabbage patches. and the
/ dozen and ona other depredauons deal
to the heart of the rural Halloween
celebrant
Many scores Of girls try to wresi
their fate from the future on the mys.
tic thirty-frst of October and some Ci
their methods, old as the hills, are
/ given below. Midnight is the witchin.
hour. but many charms may be triel
before the clock strikes.
Take a hand glass with bevelles
edge and 60 to an open window a
door. where the moon is visible. TurI
your face indoors and look into th'
mirror. The number of moons show
in the glass foretsll THE lumte- C
pleasant things which will come 4
pass before next Halloween.
Take three tin cups, fill them partl,
with water and balance each one OF
the small end Of a funnel. The fun
nels are placed about two feet apar
in "a row on the floor. If one can jun
over all three without spilliag a drc
= OF the water he or sihe will marry yer
soon. If one is tipped over the mar
rage will be POSTPONED; If two, on
will not marry until late IN lie.
Central Presbyterian Church, has gcn
to Washington, Pa. to attend the Ger