The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-11-11
ERRONEOUS BELIEFS.

1t is an American prediction to
believe the outre and freakish stories
that are based solely on hearsay tes-
timoy and to reject often the COM
monplace matter of fact. A list of
the cheerful lies that are commonly
believed would fill a volume. Only
a few of them are given below.
How often have you been inflicted
with the story of the man who was
overpaid when cashing check at the
bank 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 dill
gent search discloses that it never had
any foundation in fact. Banks have
no such rule. If customer is under
paid or overpaid the mistake will ap-
pear when the balance is struck at the
end of the days business, and the err
ROT will be cheerfully rectifed. But
the majority of the public believe the
fictitious story of 'thow the fellow got
the best of the bank" simply because
it isa good story and they like to be-
1ieve it.
Probably the most common error on
the part of the public is the belief that
whena dead body is found no one has
arighAto touch or move the remains
"until the coroner comes There
never vas any such law, is not now
and probably never will be. The
citizen who is of an inquiring turn
of mind has a perfect right to exam
inc the dead bodies he runs across in
the course Of his travels, to move the
remains andeven search the pockets of
the deceased, provided, ofcourse, that
his motives are honest. That is all
that is necessary.
There is also a 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 bad bargain.
This is not true. Ifa man enters in
to contract or signs a note on Sui
day he is legally bound and can have
no defense that he would not have il
the transaction had occurred in the
middle of the week.
81 had my back against my own
house when / struck this man." says
the defendant in police court. He
believes that his proximity to his cas-
tie gives him more rights than he
would have if he were in the street
This belief has been the cause of much
cantankerous litigation, and it has
ever resulted in the ruling that a mar
has a right to defend himself in q
reasonable manner if he is attacked,
whatever may be his geographical
position, and the incidental contigu
ity of his home "cuts no ice" in the
case.
The public has great confidence ii
the magic number three, and without
any reasonable basis for the belief
It is commonly believed that if {
drowning person sinks for the thirc
time he is gone for good and all
The facts contradict this. Many per
sons die in the first sinking, and ifone
has the strength and vitality to rise tc
the surface of the water twice it fur
nishes an excellent presumption thai
he will be able to do so again. In ar
eddy or rapidly moving waters people
have sunk from sight a half dozer
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 are in favor of his
coming out victor in the third. AL
most every community possesses
citizen who boasts the fact that he
has silver plate in his skull. Sur
geons say that very few attempt:
were ever made at such an operation
and all of them were failures. There
does not exist man who has asilvel
plate in his skull, although many
men honestly believe that they are
carrying this species of paraphernali;
( in their carniums. The bone of the
skull cannot live and be healthy il
the presence OF a foreign body. 1t i
said by surgeons to be physical i'm
possibility but this serves in no wa.
to overcome the common and errone
Gus belief.
The medical fraternity has anothe
false belief to combat in cases Of shin
gles.' This disease consists of shit
eruption, Away following affected
nerves and commonly appearing OF
the body. 1t is a very common be
lief that if the shingles" completed,
surround the body and strike meet
ing point the patient will die instant
ly. The belief is untrue. .-KanSG
City journal.