Evening star., 1909-04-18

counted lucky stones }. and shortly after
ward she made her first success in the field of
literature. where she had formerly labored in
vain She laughingly attributed her success
to the moonstone. and since then the ring has
| never left her finger. and she says it never will
The late Mrs Craigie {" John Oliver Hobbies }
always carried with her mascot little ball
of crystal set in a silver claw with a quaint de-
sign. and believed that this trinket brought her
good luck.
Madam Emma Eames believes that the name
Of Emma is lucky one for singer to bear In
proof of this she instances the number of dis
tnguished singers who bear, or have borne the
| name, such as Emma AlbanI. Emma Thursby.
Emma Abbott, Emma Calve, Emmy Destinn.
and dozen Others
The late Emile Zola always carried bit OF
coral as talisman against all sorts of perils by
land or water This is the survival of an old be-
lief that coral was protection against the Evil
Eye. belief that still prevails in Italy. where
| is found little coral charm shaped like hand.
| with the thumb and middle finger closed Ga
charm against witchcraft).
After William K. Vanderbilt has made bet
at the race track. he endeavors to shun all his
| acquaintance; for he feels certain that if any
| one speaks to him. and he therefore has to
| break silence before the race has been won. he
| will be numbered among the losers
The late Russell Sage was known to refuse to
| transact business with any man who was pre-
| ceded into his office by buzzing fly One day
| a broker who had done business with Mr. Sage
1
told in the curtest manner possible that they
| could transact no business that day. and not
until week later did he learn the reason for
this unusual conduct After that the broker
took good care to see that no flies were with
him when he went into Mr. Sages presence
In no circumstances would Jay Gould use
| an elevator. he had superstitious dread of 1T
| Ex- United States Senator Chandler counts
white horses for luck until he reaches the num-
Der thirt y-nine. when he begins over again
| The belief that Friday is an unlucky day is
very ancient but occasionally one is met who
considers it lucky Among these may be men
| toned Charles Dickens. who claimed that all
good things had come to him on Friday
| Mr. Rockefeller's Eagle Stone
| FVEN such hard headed business man as John
- ID Rockefeller is compelled to plead guilty
to pet superstition. For years he has carried
an eagle stone in his pocket This is kind of
hollow geode of oxid of iron. sometimes mixed
with other substances. containing in its cavity
some concretions which rattle on shaking the
stone 1t is of brownish tint. about the size of
a pigeon egg and is sometimes carried by the
eagle to its nest Superstition has ascribed
wonderful virtue to these stones when found in
the birds nest They are charm against dis
ease, shipwreck, and other disasters A ribbon
passed through the perforation of the stone is
| said to possess more virtues than the stone
| itself. and when Mr.. Rockefeller wishes to con-
| fer particular favor upon some one he gives
| him few inches of this ribbon
Famous soldiers have almost invariably had
one or more pet superstitions The great
Augustus much afraid of thunder and
lightning that he always carried seals skin
about him as preventive
Napoleon had an abiding faith in his star.
and on numerous occasions gave evidence OF the
hold this superstition had on him
Whenever he dreamed of crockery. General
Grant felt sure that some good fortune would
| surely soon befa him. and the night before he
received his commission as Colonel of an Hi
| nois regiment he dreamed of field filled with
| beautiful china. He Immediately informed his
wife that prosperity was about to come to them.
Admiral Nelson carried the landlubbers
horseshoe superstition with him to sea, and
while the Victory was his flagship horseshoe
was kept nailed to the mizzenmast
Lord Wolseley acknowledges that he salutes
by tipping his hat every magpie he may meet
Blaine Never Turned Back
THE late James G.. Blaine was ruled by a su-
perstition that kept him from turning back
to his house to get something he had forgotten.
This is said to have been the reason messages
were continually travelling between his home in
Washington and his desk in the Capitol, and
later in the State Department
For an Irshman. and an Irish leader at that
the great Parnell had peculiar superstition
He held that green exceedingly
lucky color. and it has been S; / by those who
knew him well that the sight of green banners
at the political meetings he addressed often un-
nerved him.
When a contest was made over the will of the