Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-12-05

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s,ov cutting quality. Spend hours in
chatting such specimen, blister your
a,eors IN the effort, apply II to scythe-
Zone whetrock, oilstone, razorstone,
,nvthlng commonly used for the pur-
nose Of impartlng an edge to cutting
,tensils. and, after all your efforts, It
,o,,olns or soon becomes as dull as
aver You doubt the quality of the
steel and seek expert advice. Your ex-
MORT tests and solemnly pronounces the
metal Of excellent quality. mo bet
ter made" he says, and yet the knife
yill not cut. II there ever is q hoodoo,
If ls certainly found attached TO such a
knife. and no wonder that superstitious
persons attribute to the unlucky blade
malign influence which forblde its
usefulness.
And vet the explanation OF the inef-
eriency of the unlucky knife Is per-
fsctIy simple. The blade ~ too thick,
The angle formed by the steel at the
cutting edge il too obtuse, and the re-
sIlt of course, Is that the edge Is blunt,
and cannot be made to cut properly a
razor blade Is always thin, so Is u
srythe blade, or any other blade In
witch a smooth cutting quality of edge
e desired. A thick blade, no matter
what pains may be taken with it, can
never be given a keen edge, and how
ever well whetted, the blade quickly re-
turns to its former condition of exas-
rerating dulnoss. Even the intelligent
owner, not familiar with the principles
Of blade making viii often be mysti-
fed ut his own inability to keep his
knife in good condition, while the SUI
perstltlous finds In supernaturalism an
explanation Of a phenomenon he cannot
otherwise explain.
BUT ONE OF MANY,
The hoodooed knife is but one Of the
MYRIAD superstitiOns which haunt our
steps by day and disturb our rest at
night None OF US are free from them.
We may deem ourselves TO have reach
ed a point of education and culture
which raises us quite above the vulgar
herd. We compliment ourselves on the
fact that education Is dlssipatlng the
superstitions of past ages, and we look
back on the dreadful old days when
men believed In signs and wonders, In
omens and prOdlgies, with feeling OF
dissatisfaction at the fact that at
Least we have escaped all that; we have
outgrown the supersititous folies of our
ancestors; have abandoned their pet
superstltions, with their plum coored
coats, and have no more use nor taste
for the one than for the other. We have
risen to point where reason reigns
triumphant whore we are no longer
subject to the fanciful delusions that
annoyed our ancestors. We know that
the laws of science are immutable, un-
changeable; that all nature, animate
and inanimate, Is governed by law, and,
knowing this we are quite free from
the hobgoblins of superstltious belief.
which once frightened the world into
spasms of unreasoning terror.
Thus do we compliment ourselves
with the belief that we are at an i'm
measurable distance in this particular
from those who have gone before. Our
satisfaction, however agreeable to en-
tertain, Is, nevertheless, far from JUS
tilted by the facts. We pride ourselves
on our superiority TO the men Of past
ages. when, In fact, we are Just as
supertitlous as they. We do not be-
leve, as Luther did. that Satan In per-
son can come unbidden and take
lsugh at Wesley's notion, that II belief
IN witches were given up. faith In the
Bible would be shake we smile at his
story of "Old Jenrey,n the family ghost.
we pity the ignorance OF those benight-
ca persons century or two ago who
INVOKED the aid Of the black art IN their
Undertakings, who made compacts with
lhe EVIL one, and We're finally carried
OF bodily to his place of abode. These
notions we say, were entertained only
In dark and Ignorant ages, such follies
are beneath the notice OF the educated
present
,trv s,,,,,,,,o,,,.,. -
'"i ENC llllouS As EVER
It is not well, however. to be too sure
Of our ground and we ought to be GER
tain ere congratulatlng ourselves that
We have really passed me milestone
mat we think we see far i'm the rear. AS
long as men cherish belief In the SUI
pernaWral al ali. odd manifestations
win now ana then annear ard thoso
nowadays as thew always have heen
are numerous enough 10 Justify the he
lief that the world is about as siper-
Jitious as II ever was. and that oven
what may Doe called tha eroeso,. forr,a
OF superstluous belief are sim very
generally entertained. Men repudiate a
belief In Satan's horns ana hoofs vel
shvcr al the idea OF n ,orsonaI deyn.
they disclalm a belief in ghosts and vel
walk q mile round rather than go
through a graveyard nftnr darL Nc
90 not believe IN charms and omulets
On, no, of course not But sim charms
and amulets are advertised FOR sale in
the papers and many n man wbn has
no faith in them apologetIcally explains
why he carries photo or a buckeye
~ his pocket We do not believe In he
significance Of dreams "V vot pe oyerv hoo ohe
Store carries "A cholco Selection Of drenn,
DOOR literature. WE do not beliava
That any human being has the novsy
p peer into the future, Vet eyerv cltv
mas It's fortune tellors of course ', ,vs
do not BELIEVE IN ' I,ha VI eouIse, we
the days, when mon we're frlgbtepns ot
lheh own shawods. but sim there are
some things GnItet 'nsc s, 1ne'e o are
understand, and thore mov he sor,o-