The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-09-08
ERRONEOUS BELIEFS.
COME ODD NOTIONS THAT ARE
FIXED IN MANY MINDS.

popular Ignorance as to Law In
1,xaryday Occurrences - Cashiers
Mistakes In Banks-The Finding of
pcad Bodies-Sunday Contracts.
# is an American prediction to be-
Hove the outre and freakish stories that
ore based solely on hearsay testimony
and TO reject often the commonplace
matter of fact. A list of the cheerful
los that are commonly believed would
III n volume. Only few of them are
given below.
How often have you been inflicted
with the story Of the man who was
overpaid when cashing a check at the
hank and the cashier telling him that
no mistakes would be corrected after
the customer left the window? Ac-
cording to the story, the cashier laid
down the mandate before the cashier
knew the mistake was in his favor. 1t
makes an excellent yarn, but diligent
search discloses that 1t never had any
foundation in fact. Banks have no
such rule. If customer is underpaid
or overpaid the mistake will appear
when the balance is struck at the end
of the days business, and the error
will be cheerfully rectified. But the
majority OF the public believe the ficti-
tious story of chow the fellow got the
best of the bank" simply because it is
a good story and they like to believe it.
Probably the most common error on
the part of the public is the belief that
when a dead body is found no one has
a right to touch or move the remains
until the coroner comes" There never
was any such law, is not now and
probably never will be. The citizen
who is of an inquiring turn of mind
has perfect right to examine the dead
bodies he runs across in the course of
his travels, to move the remains and
even search the pockets of the de-
ceased, provided, of course, that his
motives are honest. That is all that is
necessary.
There Is also prevalent belief that
a note signed or contract entered into
on Sunday is void and that either party
can plead the fact of the sacred day to
get out Of a bad bargain. This is not
true. If man enters into contract
or signs note on Sunday he is legally
bound and can have no defense that he
would not have If the transaction had
occurred in the middle of the week.
Il had my back against my own
house when l struck this man." says
the defendant in police court. He be-
lieves that his proximity to his castle
gives him more rights than he would
have If he were in the street. This be-
lief has been the cause of much can
tankerous litigation, and it has ever
resulted in the ruling that a man has
a right to defend himself in a reason
able manner If he is attacked, what
ever may be his geographical position,
and the incidental contiguity of his
home "cuts no Ice" in the case.
The public has great confidence in
the magic number three, and without
any reasonable basis for the belief. 1t
is commonly believed that If a drown
ing person sinks for the third time he
is gone for good and all. The facts
contradict this. Many persons die in
the first sinking, and if one has the
strength and vitality to rise to the sur
face of the water twice it furnishes an
excellent presumption that he will be
able to do so again. In an eddy or
rapidly moving waters people have
sunk from sight a half dozen times
and lived to tell the experience to their
grandchildren.
Then there is the third congestive
chill, commonly believed to be fatal.
Most people who die from this cause
succumb to the first or second attack.
If man succeeds in weathering two
Of them the odds arerin favor of his
coming out victor in the third. Almost
every community possesses a citizen
who boasts the fact that he has sill
yer plate in his skull. Surgeons say that
very few attempts were ever made at
such an operation, and all Of them
were failures. There does not exist
man who has silver plate In his
skull, although many men honestly be-
lieve that they are carrying this species
of paraphernalia in their craniums.
The bone of the skull cannot live and
be healthy in the presence of foreign
body. It is said by surgeons to be
physical impossibility, but this serves
In no way to overcome the common
and erroneous belief.
The medical fraternity has another
false belief to combat in cases of "shln-
gles.' This disease consists of skin
eruption, always following affected
nerves and commonly appearing on
the body. 1t is very common belief
that If the shingles" completely sur
round the body and strike a meeting
point the patient will die instantly.
The belief Is untrue.-Kansas City
Journal