The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-13

,pe however, was but minor part of tbe ceremonies at knightly banduets. The drinking was the main feature. Drlnk- ing was frequently followed or accom- nanIed by fighting, and an idea of the tipaes may be gained from the fact that when one member of such a party rose to drink a toast, another, his chosen friend, rose at his side and stood with drawn sword as a pledge of security that tha drinker would not be stabbed while both hands were raised holding the pom derous, doubie-handed tankard. That however, is another story. During the fights at the table, the salt bowl was frequently overturned py the bellicose guests, who in their eagerness to get at each other cpmo- ed on or scrambled across the taple. Hence the overturning of the salt at the baron's board was quoted as an indication aP nnusuaily lively scenes. The incident was always unlucky for somebody. for, when our Teutonic. English, Irish, French Danish, Norwegian, Ita ian and spanish ancestors undertook to. settle their Httle differences they did the business thorough Iy. and the fact that few of them were carried from the banquet on their shields to the nearest church for Christian burial was an incident taken as matter of course, which gave no particular concern
 
 however. came to be regarded as forbod- ing some unlucky incident. and although we now eat our dinners in peace, we stin cherish the belief that the act of spilling salt is of itself prognostic of evil to come
 The idea of lucky and unluclzy numbers is also an inheritance. One of those gos- sipy old historians who knew everything that was going on in his time says the old Roman sports had a game imported fv.Aoz ale roa xHygfh u hoard AiylA- ed into squares, each bearing a number; stone ball about the size of a marble was Tipped with the finger against one side of the board and went rolling about from side to side until it finally cams to rest on a square. Professional gam blers used boards specially prepared in such a way that the ball would roll into desired squares. They were lucky for the gambler, unlucl5y for everyone else, and thus certain number acquired a bad reputation among the sporting fraternity. Three. seven and nine have. for one or another reason, been regarded as mystic numbers by many nationalities, and the whole Christian world holds thirteen in adherence. because that Is the number of persons who sat down at the table dur ing the last meeting of Christ and his disciples before the crucifixion. The su- perstitions. however, connected with the last days of Christ are numerous enough to form a class by themselves, the Fri day superstition being perhaps, the best known. It Is quite probable that most Of the numbeRs of superstitions may be fathered on the aRtrolosers and sooth- savers. who juggled with numbers as their stock in trade and are also prob ably ehargeable with the right and left hand ideas. to which some persons attach no little importance.
 Belief in dreams has always been com mon, and, indeed. this superstition seems to have more foundation in reason than any other class. So many instances have occurred of prophetic dreams, verified by the facts at later date, that almost any one regards himself as hAving rea- son for a belief in dreams. and, indeed, students in science confess themselves puzzled by many of the disclosures made by scientific investigation, and seem to be agreed that the dream superstition is the