The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-07-09
TOLDBYgGNSAN OM[NS
Superstitions of the Virginia
Mountain Folks.
BIRDS AND HEADACHE
Interreistion Of sassafras, Kitchen
Fire and cow-Poverty Stunned
by Peacoeks - Influence Of the
Moon on crops-A stern Code Of
Perpetual Disaster.

by Peacocks - Influence Of the
Moon on crops-A Stern Code Of
Perpetual Disaster.
Washington, self admitted centre OF
culture aud enlightenment, looks up.
on superstition as form Of devil
worship that vanished with witch
burning. Yet within two hours ride
Of the Capitol are communities that
despite public school and church
choir factions problems and things
are as deeply saturated with supersti.
tIon as the scholarly bats that fitted
through the intellectual twilight OF
The Middle Ages.
In the upper reaches of the Virginia
counties that flank the Blue Ridge on
the east and climb the mountain
shoulders until they look down over
the summit into the Shenandoah Val.
ley the daily life Of the hill dwell
Ter is hedged in with countless signs
and omens, all portents of evil.
Through them he walks gingerly, fear
ful lest in propitiating one genius OF
disasted he offended against another.
"Sides, want yer to go fer ther
doctor. Yer mas ailin' this mawnin'
an er burned whippo' will set on ther
horse block an hollered las night tel
clodded him off. Yer know what
that means!"
Whlppoorwills, that the ignorant
NAY know as much as Hance, mean
early and sudden death. For years
they had made that block rendez-
vous for their nightly chorals, while
the family remained healthy as host
lers. But 1t shook not the old mans
belief in the faith OF his fathers. The
doctor was hurriedly fetched; only to
find ma recovered "as peart as
cricket"
Don't yer put that sassafras wood
In ther kitchen fire!" cried the old
lady to her helping hand one day, a
twelve year old girl, as yet unlearned
in the lore of the hills. Every sin
gle COW on ther place'll go dry eff
yer do. Put 1t in pas fire."
A listening city man wondered at
this fine distinction.
Law, chile" sagely explained the
old lady, ITS jes' putin sassafras in
ther kitchen fire what makes cows
go dry; II don make no diffunce In no
other fire. Why, when | wuz er gal
overn Rappahannock--" and wise
saws and ancient instances were copi.
ously cited to sustain the theory of
interrelation OF sassafras, kitchen
fire and COW.
"Peacocks won't stay 18th u.s." ex.
planned the old lady when the city
man suggested them as an ornament
to the yelcety blue grass lawn. "They
won't stay 18th po' folks.
I'VE used ter have er beautiful pair
on 'em. They stayed here fer years
tel we los that lawsuit 18th ther
Cyarters an got po.' Their very mex
night them peacocks went down thes
mount'n pas Dorse Helms place an
ole man Cooser's, who's both po' folks
an didn' stop tel they got plum ter
Col. Wallets, thet owns bout half
O. Warren county.
They're been thar ever sence an
they'll stay thar tel ther Walters gifts
po' an then they'll move on. No,
'tain't no use ter git peacocks hyah.7
Cuttings and combings from the
hair must be carefully collected and
burned In the kitchen fire, that altar
to the god of bad luck. Otherwise
a general run of i'll fortune will sit by
the hearth for an indefinite term.
II the birds get the hair the Ill
luck is more specific. The miserable
man has headache that no coal tar
product can relieve until the nestlngs
leave their hair lined home. The un-
fortunate woman loses her remaining
locks. unhelped by hair tonics.
"I've always had good crops said
clever and comfortable farmer oil
the foothills, because I always plant
things that yield above ground, like
corn and wheat, on the light of the
moon and those that yjald beneath
like potatoes, on the dark. I've never
failed Yes,' he reluctantly admit
ted. Il do use lots of fertilizer. But
the moon---''and the city man lis.
tened to monologue on Its virtues
as crop raiser.
When yer hev or dawg thet don
know nun ter bark when he trees er
yarmint," confded a dweller In the
Rappahannock Valley, "thar's only one
way ter learn him how Take er
green gourd that's been raised In ther
northwest corner ov er fiel'--yer mus
pull II on err sadday---an's sther frs
time that dawg trees an don give
tongue take ther gourd An bus Il Wide