The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1913-11-27
Prejudice Against Scarlet Locks
Dates Far Back.
superstition In the Highlands OF Scot
land, in Western, connemara. Ire
land, Sweden and Other
Countries.

Salute no red haired man nearer
han thirty feet off, runs an old
French proverb. land even so, hold
hree stones in the fist ,wherewith to
iefend myself" Widespread and en-
Turing is the prejudice against red
lair; a prejudice all the more curious
because, in other connections, red is
oy no means an unpopular color-the
Teutons held it to be .symbolical of
victory and the Chinese believe that
evil spirits would not venture near
ed flags or decorations. ~
In England, says a writer in the
london Globe, apothecaries for many
years were firm believers in the ell
cheney of the color red as a comba-
ant of disease; patients, especially
hose suffering from rheumatism,
we're frequently wrapped in red blank
cts and dressed in red clothes. Let
your nightcap be of scarlet" recon-
mended Andrew Borden in his dis
course on sleep, "and petycote of scar
let ALSO" while physician in the six
:eenth century advised that the face
be washed once a week and then
wiped with red cloth. Upon this
latter item of the prescription great
stress was laid-no doubt the color
Of the cloth was intended to act az
an antidote against the chill of such
frequent additions.
Belief in the healing power of red
In IF FOR Tli
age Against woman's chatter,
runs an ancient leechdom, taste at
night, fasting, root of the red radish
that night the chatter cannot harm
thee" Yet although red as a color
may be held in almost universal ia
vor, north, south, east and west
from biblical times to the present day
can be traced the prejudice against
red. Never lodge at red haired peo-
pies houses" runs precept in the
fifteenth century. "Boke of Curtasye,"
for these be folke that are to drede."
According to one tradition, this dis
trust of red haired people dates from
the time of Judas, who, himself red
haired, caused treachery to be ever
afterward connected with hair of that
color. Shakespeare alludes to this
belief in a well known passage. Says
kosalind, complaining of her lover.
His very hair is of the assembling
color" whereupon Celia answers her;
Something browner than Judas"
Marston, too, in "The Insatiate Count
ess," makes one of his characters re-
mark, II even thought by his red
beard he would prove Judas"
In Sweden prejudice against red
hair was very wrong: here it's coAnec-
ton with treachery was twofold, for
the traitor Asbjorn, who betrayed
Canute, possessed red hair. In Ger
many also red hair met with scant re-
gard. The short in stature" says
a German proverb, ARE naturally
proud and the red haired untrust-
worthy" Nor in this latter belief by
any means extinct at the present time.
Red hair, however unjustly, is still
associated with deceit, and, in Ireland
and Scotland with i'll luck as well
In the Highlands he who meets a
red haired woman when starting on
o journey will be we'll advised, say
the wiseacres, to return home and
start the journey afresh; and in Ire
land red haired people are supposed
to exercise the same baleful infiu-
ence upon any undertaking. The writ
er, staying in western Connemara not
long ago for brown trout fishing, COM
planned one day that sport had been
usually poor. The landlord smoothed
his chin, bordering for some little
time upon the reason for this lack Of
fish. Then, suddenly, his face light.
ened-the lakes, after all, it seemed,
were not In fault. "SNre," he said,
"ye'll have met Red Maggie Murphy
on the way to the lake? Twas hep
self that passed by the minute after!"
There seemed, at first, little connec-
ton between Red Maggie Murphy
barefoot smiling, with hair of the true
carrot shade peeping out from be-
meath her shawl-and the far distant
lake where fish had proved unaccount-
ably shy, but the landlord, eager for
the honor of his lake, proceeded to
unravel the mystery. 1t appeared
that the same Maggie Murphy was
known to exercise unwilling and yet
exceedingly baneful influence upon
the angling fraternity. Even mem
bers of the constabuTa%y-arde fish
erman all-held themselves undone
should Maggie Murphy cross their
path on the way TO the lakes. With
a shrug of the shoulders and a sigh
for the lost day, they would turn home
and find pale consolation in tending
the potato patch, knowing full well
that fish would never rise in either
great or little lake until the evil in
fuence Of Maggie Murphy and her red
hair had been subdued by time.