Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-10-30


lday, when charms are more potent
land when love drdughts work most
intently.
3. Because the soothsayers have
lforetold that this shall be the great
est All Saints night of the century,
lcounting 100 years backward and for
ward, and. lastly, because n fate day
falls on n Friday, and when that Fri
day has the letter in it they are
brought to bear upon the future GER
tain certain elements that exist at
no other time.
All Halloween is the night when
Cupid stalks. The elf sleeps on other
nights and never does he wake at
unseemly times. But on Halloween
the midnight bell is a signal for his
awakening, and out he steps into the
world to go his rounds and work his
havoc.
Cupid is generally sly and shy, but
on Halloween he is very bold. He
plays his tricks openly and he makes
no secret of his performances.
On Halloween for one night of the
year, the maiden. be she ever so mod
est. can declare her love. She can
peer into the future and strive to read
the book of fate, which is opened to
her in mystic ways.
She can study the stars, consult
the vegetation of the earth. peer into
the fire and bring all the forces seen
and unseen to bear to aid her i'm her
mystic love search.
The object of Halloween. as it |
now descends to us. is the unwilling of
the future. The girl who is not mar
ried and who hopes to marry some |
day, fates willing, can learn the charac-
ter Of her true love. Often she can |
see his face mirrored in the glass; |
occasionally when the winds are clear
she can hear his voice; not frequently |
is it hers to study out the letters of |
his name and to all but determine
his actual identity.
The element of uncertainty always
fingers around the Halloween rites,
and it is this element which makes
the evening all the more mysterious.
1t is doubtful if the actual sight of
the man-to-be would be one-half as in
teresting to the girl who is seeking to
learn her fortune. 1t is much better
to peer for him; study him out and
90 to bed generally with the ques-
ton only half solved.
The Halloween search is considered
a maidenly thing. too. At other times
it is part of the maid to be mute. She
must make no sign. speak no word,
but she must wait and. by and by. if
she be good the fates will reveal to
her the future.
But one night in the year she may
peer into the darkness ahead of her
and may learn such as is meant to.
be revealed to her.
The ancients believed that the flu
ture could be pierced by combna.
ton of the three elements, earth, fire
and water. They dug into the
ground. lighted twigs and looked into
running streams.
The maiden of today pulls heads of
cabbage. in a dark garden, walking
backwards: she sits in front of the
CRATE and pops chestnuts. looking for
a favored swain the while; and she
ducks" into a tub to bring out the
nuts and apples that may be her
share by fate.
In the gay old time just before the
century they made of all
things a fatesome frolic. On Hallow-
cen the wassail bowl was mixed and
Baked apples lay in the bottom and
nuts. small fruits and strange green
herbs were seen upon the surface.
This wassail was drunk by every I
one and genuine love potion it
proved to be. 1t might be mentioned 5
that in the bowl was a generous dose
of that which cheers; and after drink :
ing all were in such a merry mood ,
IL i~A+ |
sails, all around.
OF all the festivals of the year that
of Halloween remains the same. 1t Z
does not change from year to year {
nor from generation to generation; ,
and the games which you will play {
and the tricks by which she unraveled i
the future are the tricks by which {
YOU will unravel it also. I
The candle light of other days be- 2
comes the light of the future ones. In :
The depths of candle lighted mirror "
strange shadows Turk; and the face I
that looks out from it is one of Sc .
rious import, where ones own future :
is concerned. \
To do the candle trick correctly I
you must walk backward into dark I
room with lighted candle. Suddenly
IN front of mirror you must pause.
Here you must wheel quickly around
and look at yourself in the glass.
\ on must gaze long and intently, and
over YOUR shoulder will come a shad-
)w and out of the shadow will come I
face.
This face is the one you must hold
n your memory forever and forever, I
for 1t is the face of the one who will
come into your future.
The apple peeling is sure as far as
revealing the letter of your future
name. 1t is the alphabetic feature of
The apple must be large;
he peel long and sinewy. Carefully
must il be pared and cautiously must