Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1903-09-02

animals r controlled by habit.
Ae cited the familiar instance III
the horse once owned by a street
car company, which Y after
when driven In u buggy tried to
travel between the rails, All Of
MS a remember the quaint story
told by Hawthorn Of the young
man who borrowed a horse OF the
milkman TO. take his sweetheart
for a Sunday ride, and suffered
the humiliation OF having the
horse come before the door Of
every one Of the milkmanis q
toners in defiance OF whip or rein.
Our Globe Democrat writer thinks
that humans are as easily welded
to q habit as any animal. He
cites the case Of physicians who
doubtless consider themselves
above the rule Of habit or super
s%titiOn, but who go on forever put
ting at the head of all their pres
criptiOns a hierOglyphie which has
no meaning whatever when asso-
ciated with modern science. This
hieroglyphic is in the form OF a
big r. with a line drawn through
it. "The letter r." says our
writer, sis the initial of the Latin
word Recipe; the concluding -four.
ish is q symbol of Jupiter, who for
ages ha9 all ages had all medicines
and curative agencies Of every
kind under his special protection.
The letter and accompanying sym
Dol, therefore, once signiied:
under the protection of Jove; re.
ceive aud use the remedies whose
names are here given, in the guam
titles aud manner directed The
symbol is no longer so under
stood; indeed, it does not mean
anything now, even to those who
use it, but no prescription is com.
plete without it. The physicians,
learned and intelligent as they are
do not seem to be able to break
the held OF one petty superstition,
which now has neither sense nor
reasOn.N
Our writer cites many homely
instances of the power OF habit.
Preachers continue to read out the
hymns, though everyone is sup
piled with a hymnbOOk, and thus
we perpetuste a custom which
arose when the clergyman was the
only one possessed of a hymnal.
We go to the theater and e the
heavy villain stand with his legs
bent almost at a right angle.
Heavy villains have always play
ed with their legs bent, and every
body requires that this position
shall be continued, emo matter
how hard it may be on the walk
ing apparatus of the villain or on
the feelings of the audience"
A Joke went around the daily
press recently which illustrates
this power of Rabbit in its dOmes.
tic phase. It was told on q state
officer who came to his position
from life in the country. In BIZ;
suite of rooms was a fine bath
room, modern in every way
Writing TO his wife who had mol
yet arrived at the capital, he said.
"That bath room looked so good
could hardly wait till Saturday
night.n
No doubt many of our custom.
ers are based on the silliest kind
Of superstition. zone sneers a
bis neighbOr who is afraid to CONT
bis hair at night, and yet he does
not like to see a pin lying on the
sidewalk with its point toward
him; one is made nervous by spin
ing the salt st the table, another
is disturbed by the ticking OF /
harmless beetle, another by thl
bowling OF a lonely dog
all because ages ago sOmeOD,
started the story that these thing
s. were ill-Omened, and men havt
told one another SO until the!
have fallen into the routine OF be
neving these senseless stories TO b
true>and are unable to break thf
spell.'
Yet, when We have finished
with thinking OF these weakness
es Of humanity, it will come hom.
to rs with thunderbolt force tha
the chief characteristic Of mar il
All the ages has been his ability t
break away from superstition
from custom, from habit. Let n
conceive OF man when he dWeit Il
8 cave, like a beast OF the field
tn the winds be felt the presenc
OF supernatural beings. When b
heard the thunder, 1t was tn
voice of an angry god. IN th
lightning be saw the whiplashe
$3.50 z~~~~ The w.ukEwi