The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-09-10

ANF TIE results na<z8zr5 w~-r
those OF = select class usth moe .A4-
bTe@a1E does 1et believe trey wozas
haze differed CRAFTY n&z the sane ia
b~~o FnA6e among E~rea=rAz~3
classes for IS re .r1z1ts rot 40 -
ten 81 education hAs bees exss~@1
and none @~Fu1 .u.s BE. wnarh car IN
the ffe .: the Individual - enrE~sz~
reason s. 20 permanently nahergaanzt~
those feelings which cnm. go belief n
s~2r~1rNGou The cA2~~a whteh ssAe
people 10 believe IN Nau~~sfsftanA A.
cu-alng 10 Professor L~r~*x a.
tso. O. The compelling foro~ 81.
emotional bias - a IATgr element n
bringing about The acceptance q con
c!u1onE especially those recon
meneed By tradition a. s, - = hy-
gtenIc necessity FOR the fnlzt - con~
70 rest n conclusions
0f Professor DreasaA~s conclusions
perhaps the meet Interesting sron,
the educational po!ut - Vsew IS that
We teach too much mythology "a the
public schools Acknowledging taa
this conclusion must seem nersf1caI.
and agreeing that n correct conception
of the growth Of myth IL necessary in
the Interpretation u mach class lit
erature. ne Sa9s.
But do seriously call ia question
the wisdom Il giving 10 the loser
grades Of school as much mythology
As / have fouud given In many parts
of the nj The time for the
study OF mythology comes when q
knowledge II X = necessary. and not
before | believe Il a mistaken idea
TO hold that childish Imagination gets
Its best training from a consideration
OF myth and ghostly tales There Is
no ~douoting the fact that children re
ceiye these things with marked cx-
element. but excitement must not be
interpreted as interest neither must
we expect the Imagination 10 get any
systematic or even serious h~aphaxard
training, unless through direct ex-
p~erienCe 4 has been furnished with
material upon which IL can act
The chapter which Prof DresSlar
deyotes 10 luck is especially interest
ing To the educator. ne tells as.
the belief in luck is worthy or study.
because OF the light IL throws on hu-
man nature. Furthermore. ne de-
To brand as wholly untrue and worth
less those things which a create part
Of the human race has believed IN.
and continues to believe IN.
There is little difference" he says.
in the long run between the min
Of the man who believes in luck and
the mind OF the one who ~dogmatically
and arbitrarily denounces such belief
as false and completely unworthy"
From the data which he collected,
the author found that he had 2.I20
answers relating TO luck. OF these l.
143 expressed MONTPELIER and 977. or
46.6 per cent, expressed belief.
Church Hymns and Roulette.
Among several instances Of gam
bling luck which he cites, DR.. Dresslar
tells the following story Of Monte
Carlo. which he has authenticated:
1T one Sunday that an
ha hifnp of the Casino fnln1 his wa Y
to the English church in the vicinity,
and, upon hearing the umb OF the
hymn announced, was impressed with
the feeling that this was a lucky
numbe to bet on and Immediately
left the church for the gambling table.
He staked heavily on this number and
won. Following up the suggestion. he
went TO church the next Sunday. and
remained long enough TO get the num-
Der of h hymn. staked on it and
won again. Upon his confiding tho
secret of his success to his friends.
they, too, went to church The con-
tagion spread until the exodus after
the hymn became so marked that the
rector was painfully conscious Of 1t,
and on learning the cause he took oc-
casion to protect himself and the
good name of his church. by am
nouncing from his pulpit that in the
future no hymns whose number was
lower than thirty-seven would be Sc
lected- InlS numpeT was designated
because on the roulette table the
highest humber was thirty-six."
A survey Of the superstitions noted
by the students presents some anus
ing and unusual cases. For instance,
one wrote himself down as a firm be-
lever in the declaration that lit is
good luck to be buried on a rainy
day"
Simpler and cheaper thau patent
~ CtrI1rpO iS Q cure for aflSm-
which consists in inserting the toe
of one shoe into the mouth of another
on retiring"
IF you let a funeral procession
pass you. it is bad luck" apparently
presents an alternative that all but
tho bodies. would shrink from, yet at
least one Californian expresses his be-
The two who believed that ITO
dream OF rotten eggs is a sure sign
of death" must surely have had some
experience in transforming.
Animals. enter into a great many
of the superstitions. Among the cat
supersitions these are worthy OF note:
TT is bad luck to take the cat when
Won move, unless you wave it at some
one when you start and III a cat
lick herself against the grain. 1t viii
soon rain" or IF you rub a black
cats tail over a sore eye, it will effect
d cure"
Two of the many poultry" super
stitions recorded aver that lit IS a
sign of danger for a hen to crow.'
and that lighting hens foretell the
coming of lady visitors
If all the baby superstitions re-
corded came true. few people Would
ever live to grow UP. or If they did.
would be a pretty bad sort. If you
kiss a baby's feet, it viii not live 70
walk on them we are told IF a
baby's finger nails are cut before i
is a year Old SAYS another. lit viii
be light-fngered." Still another de-
clares .hat IF a baby looks into a
mirror before it is a year old, 1t will
be a HE when ii grows up.
ut is bad to sneeZe while looking
at the new moon" reads another.
Housewives Will be interested 70 know
that Meat killed in the dark Of the
moon shrinks when cooked 1t Is
we'll to know, also. that If you pick
your teeth with a splinter from q tree
that has been struck with lightning.
YOU will never have tOothache, and
also that IF Then picking nettles. you
hold your breath, they VIII not sung
you"