Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-08-30

human being which lengthens with
the day and disappears with the sun,
to reappear more family with the
rising of the moon. which we call a
shadow, has always struck the imagi-
nation of man. 1t has played promi-
nent part in primitive superstition ard
in later folklore. Shadows or shades
was the classical name or figure for
the spirits OF the departed which still
remains in use.
This idea is not confined to civilized
races. Among the Zulus the spirit is
the shade. Bishop Galloway, whose
knowledge OF Zulu beliefs and modes
of thought was unrivaled, says that
the Zuus connect the bodily shade
with the future disembodied spirit.
They believe that the shadow cast by
the body will ultimately become the
'ftongo." or spirit, when the body dies,
and they say that the long shadow
shortens las a man approaches his end
and contracts into Il very little thing.
When they see the shadow of a man
thus contracting. they know he will
die. The long shadow goes away
when a man is dead. and 1t is that
shadow has departed There is, how
ever. a short shadow which remains
with the body and is buried with it.
The long shadow becomes an ances-
trail spirit
Identification of the shadow in any
mysterious or spiritual way with the
person whose body casts it, naturally
leads to respect for the strange second
self. To tread on the shadow of
chief is an insult to the chief himself.
In the Institutes of Manu-. the ancient
Hindu law giver. the law runs:
Let him not Intentionally pass over
the shadow of sacred images, Of
natural or spiritual father. Of a king,
of a Brahmin who keeps house, or OF
any reverend parsonage. nor Of one
who has just performed a sacrifice"
There are traces of the survival OF
these primitive ways of regarding a
mans shadow in the English country
feeling that it is unlucky to cross the
path of newly married man as he
leaves the altar; and in another rural
belief that it is unlucky to cross the
path of horses pIoughing when the sun
is shining behind them.
Association between shadows and
mirrored representations of the human
form is obviously natural, so it is not
surprising TO find superstitions about
the shadow mingled with widely scat
tered versions of the Narcissus legend.
The story Of the beautiful youth who
became enamored of his own image.
as be saw it represented in the water,
and languished thereafter till he died.
has its origin in the belief that trouble
follows from beholding the watery
image.
"Let him not look at his own image
in water; that is u settled rule" COM
mands Manu-. the Hindu law giver.
The reason for the prohibition is to
be found in the beliefs Of man in
primitive state of civilization. The
Melanesians of the Pacific. says
learned observer. say: There is
stream in Saddle island. or. rather.
pool in a stream. into which If any
one looks he dies; the malignant spirit
takes hold upon his life by means Of
his reflection in the water" Some
such idea as this was probably the
root of the NaicissuS legend.
The Zulus explain why it is I'll to
look into the water of pool by a story
of great beast in the water which
can seize the shadow of Il man and
when his shadow is gone a man no
longer wishes 10 turn back. but de-
sires to enter the pool. lie goes in.
dies. and IS eaten by the great beast
which inhlbits 1t. SO. says Bishop
Galloway. "ren are forbidden TO lean
over and look INFO a dark pool. il be-
ing feared that their shadow should be
taken away"
There are other ways in which q
man may lose his shadow There was
a temple of Jupiter in Arcadia which.
if entered by those who were fer
hidden to 90 so. robbed them of their
shadows.
In the north of Scotland there are
some quaint legends of folk who lost
this usual attendant In Sutherland
they tell more than one story Of
wizard named ponai.l-Duivai Mckay
Donaid went 70 II school ia Italy where
the black arr was taught by the devil.
who sat in the professors chair. ana
at the end of each term claimed as his
own the last scholar 10 depart. Break
ing up az this academy was naturally
a scramble. none wishing TO be last.
On one occasion Donald was really
the last but Just as the devil was