The broad ax., 1906-05-19
BY MARGARET Z. sANGsrER.

back OF our minds little feelings about
certain signs and We begin very early
| In life to shape our conduct by them.
For instance, very few Of US care to
make a present to a friend of an
edged tool. 1 know several otherwise
sensible people who tell me that some
Of their most priced friendships have
been cut In two because they gave or
received q knife. l myself would not
object to receiving a knife as a gift,
whether 1t were intended for carving a
roast, or dividing the leaves Of a book.
All sorts OF knives from those Of finely
tempered steel, intended for the table,
to dainty little pearl-handled affairs
that may be carried in the pocketbook,
appeal to me as particularly desirable
possessions. Yet know very few
persons who do not like to add bit of
silver or copper 10 such an exchange,
that 1t may seem to be a matter OF
barter and sale, rather than Of gift
making.
Don't give Mabel a knife on her
birthday" / heard Priscilla's mother
gravely say, to her daughter, 'for as
surely as you do you and Mabel will
quarrel"
The same superstition about spoil
ing friendship clings TO the splitting
Of salt on the tablecloth. 1t Is held to
be most unlucky to do this, and 1t is
supposed that 1t forebodes friction be-
tween those who Gre sitting nearest
the spilled salt q course, this super
stition and the otter date a long way
back to those primitive times when
men settled everything speedily by
knife thrust or blow, so that knives
were dreaded weapons instead of use
full tools. This superstition harks back
to the period when a man pulled on
his glove in greeting friend or neigh
Dor in token that he had nothing con-
cealed, and so gave the naked hand.
The other about the salt has an orien-
tai origin. In the tent OF the Arab,
though he might be a Iobber, there
was hospitality for the wayfaring
guest, and II the latter shared bread
and salt with his host, his life and
property were sacred. So you may
easily read between the lines that salt
is an emblem Of friendship, and that
its splitting signifies breach Of friend
ship.
l should be sorry to think that the
girls of to-day, who Will be the women
Of tomorrow, were in the least unoer
the bondage of silly traditions In
which there Is very little common
sense.
Why should anyone dread to pass
under a ladder except for the reason
that the ladder may fall? Why should
the bowling OF 4 dog give one uneasi-
ness or there be any meaning attached
to the dropping Of spoons and forks?
Why do some people hesitate to sit
down at the tabl3 when the company
numbers ID? II the family should hap
pen to consist of father and mother
and IL children, would there always be
one who had to wait for the second
table? This latter superstition Is sup
posed to recall the last supper OF Je-
sus with His disciples, when one Of
the group proved to be a traitor.
Nearly everything we do, say or
think, strikes deep roots into the past,
II we can find and trace them out.
In my school days girls put them
selves to an immense amount Of trou-
BILE when walking on the street that
they might avoid stepping on a crack
In the pavement It was sure to cause
trouble in the schoolroom In the way
Of imperfect Rotations and badly
drawn maps IL one unfortunately
touched a crack with the toe Of her
boot. Older persons were sometimes
surprised at the cratic progress Of
children who were bending their en-
ergies to this careful sort Of walking.
A school friend of mine had a theory
that nothing would prosper with
Helen II she did not put her shoes at
night in a particular spot and set
them precisely side by side. It took
her a long time 10 get settled in bed,
as she had to jump out a number Of
times in order to be sure that her
shoes were standing exactly as they
should to a hairs breadth
There used to be. too, a proverb re-
garding Indian RIyers. These were
generous In making presents, but they
regretted them afterwards and wanted
them back, a sorry thing In itself and
rather mean. Bargains once conclud-
ed should stand fast, as We all know.
Some Of rs had delicious fears that
we greatly enjoyed about passing q
certain place In a forest not Tar from
the school. Here there was tumble
down cottage falling into ruins, the
haunt Of bats, rats and spiders. We
scurried past It with frantic haste,
lest something We knew not what
should spring forth and seize as. You
remember James Whitcomb Rfey's
poem with the line.
'The COLLINS win catch you II Jon don't
watch out"