Delaware City press. (Delaware City, Del.) 1913-19??, 1913-06-13
many. QUEER CURES AVOID THE CROWDS
Quaint Remedies Of English Peas
ants Described.
Keys With Pieces of White Bone, Cop
per Rings, Mole's Feet, First
Teoth, Flint, and Witch
Cake as Charms.

/
Quaint remedies for all manner of
troubles and diseases declared by
peasants in many parts of England to
be most efficacious were described by
Z. Lovett in a fascinating lecture at
a meeting of the Folk Lore society in
London.
Charms and amulets, relits of me-
diaeval superstition. still exist, it ap-
pears, in many of those counties which
are washed by the North sea. They
are, however, gradually dying out; but
while they exist they provide a SPLEEN
did field for research. Mr.. Lovett
brought with him about 20 or 80 neat
little glass boxes, each of which con-
tanned an object about which a won
derful story could be told.
Old keys are regarded as powerful
charms throughout East Anglia, and
although MIR. Lovett offered five shill-
ings for an example with piece of
white bone attached, which he saw in
the keyhole of barn, so great was
| the belief of the country people in its
power that the rustic 'at once refused
the offer. Great reverence is also felt
for stones with holes in them. Round
about Thetford they are hung by a
piece of string to the cottage doors
as preventive against the visits of
witches or the devil.
For cramp 1t is averred that the one
satisfactory cure is the skin of an
eel, while at Brandon, when one is
afflicted with rheumatism, immediate
recourse is had to the simple expedi-
ent of tying up potato in cloth and
carrying it about in ones pocket.
The Norfolk peasants always regard
pointed flints as thunderbolts. So
consistent are the simple folks that
they will often assure you that they
picked them up red hot. They carry
flints and stone arrowheads about
with them in the belief that this Gus
tom will prevent them from being
struck by lightning.
Around about Marlborough Head
witch cakes" are to be met with il
, almost every cottage. These are cir
cular shaped, with hole in the mid
] die and with spikes projecting on al
] sides. If you hang one up in you
, cottage and once year burn it ant
/ replace it with another you will havI
: good luck, we are told. AT Scarbor
|, ough there lives an old fisherman VIII
: is supposed to possess a special facult
for curing rheumatism He sells tn
d patient" a copper bangle and COZ
1 per ring. A special feature is that O
\ the ends Of the bangle there must b
4 sg@deed ga gtpaIl bore orasa fcaF
h sridge cases.
d The fishermen Of Whitby have
y special charm against drowning will
8 out which they would never ventur
q out of port. It is little hamme
10 shaped bone known as "Thor's han
o mer"-from the head of sheep
II many parts toctache can APPARENT
st be cured by carrying a mole's foo
.r while in Sussex the same article wi
r surely cure cramp. Two little hear
Ie made of polished amber, with sma
holes pierced in them, are worn
re fishermen in the north as a cure fl
ID rheumatism.
ID In Suffolk girl always keeps Il
IN first tooth she loses-in some dlstric
n the milk tooth and in others the fir
second tooth" When she marri
re and has child she wraps the too
up in dainty little silk bag and su
Ut ponds it from the infants neck viii
ut teething. 1t is said to bring insta
TO relief.
10 MIR. Lovett told of his difficulty
=, many cases of discovering what go
a. the charm was supposed to acco
w plish. 1t often took him weeks of !
tient endeavor before he could fl
= what he wanted to know. so retice
y. are the country folks.
In a discussion which followed o
TT err members told of wondrous char
and remedies. Amputated limbs {
in some cases preserved so that
ON the next world the crippled pers
10 may not be deficient in that respe
~ In public houses in parts of the e.
no end all pieces of silver paper ;
10 preserved, moistened with beer a
rt. made up into one large ball tt
4e hung up, is preventive against
visits of witches Thistle heads c
NJ ried in the pocket also cure toothac
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