The Washington times., 1913-10-31
How Halloween Started
T TT

~ n the last day of October, the
graves at night, so runs the
" legend, give up their dead, the
imps and devils OF the under
wcrid are granted a furlough. and the
witches tide aloft on their broomsticks.
Yes, the night is Halloween the holiday
sacred TO ghosts and spooks and ha'nts
end epparitions and spectres and evil
spirits and black cats and witches and
WIZARDS and goblins and phantoms and
sprites and imps and elves and fairies
and fays and gnomes and kelpies and
be Gshces. workers of black magic and
all sorts of supernatural visitors. 1t
used to make ignorant folk shver to
| think of this night, when all the pow
ers OF darkness were supposed Iocsed
to play their pranks upon the inhabi-
tants of earth.
Still il must he confessed that Hal
lowern isn't what II used to be. The
chests and spooks seem to have lost
that quality. which baseball fans call
pep" as well as much OF their impish
ingenuity and originality. The owner of
cottage may go to bed tonight rea-
sonably confident that he won't find his
gate missing in the morning. "Swiping
gates used 20 be the most popular pas
time of the Halloween gobIins, but that
was tho most innocent OF their antics.
Doubtless you remember the tine
when old Pop jenkins, OF Pompton. n.
J., found his carriage on tine roof of his
barn-aHd that joyous occasion when
the Widow Jones awoke 10 find her
CCw installed in the kitchen-and when
you and-that is, the ghosts-nearIy
scared the Thompson kids into connID-
tion fits with d tick-taCk and q jaCk-o =
lant, rn2 Yes. the cooks in those good
old days were . ginCery bunch of ViSi-
tors.
Another evidence of the decadence of
the Halloween festival is to be found
in the finInutlOr in til" demand for
FUm pkiEG-p-onOUGCed 'punkInS to be
Usrd in the Manufacture OF Jack Ian
terms. Dealers .rpoTt tn, there. l.. NTH
drmurd for the hir yellow v"petablns for
that purpose. Kids nowadays are salts
tied with ready made store jaCI.-O'-
t5tion of "punkins, ard PROVIDED with
ca pdleS all ready to light. Small wUud"~
the ghosts are sEiKy, and refu-c to act
up" when welcomed by / mere imita-
ton Of a real jaCk-o'-lantcTn.
Halloween. although it marks the eve
of tn. Christian festival Of Al SAINTS
Day, Is paSan in origin and obs rvanCe.
Thr ancient Romans ani D"utds had Il
SiINllaT FESTIVAL but Inc modern Iid!-
lOW"en dcN cluped III Scotland.
of course, Everybody knows that a
maiden may learn the identity oI her
futr" husband on that night. II sh.
observes the prescribed rites. These are
~ various kinds. and all doubtless
equally rCficacious. one method is fo-
The EiIl to gaze into mirror at mid
night. ara she may So" the face OF her
future spoUSe If she holds a candle in
one hand and rccites these lines:
Round and round We stars so fair,
le trGvcl and search out everywhere:
| pray tonight 10 show to mo
The man whose bride I'll surely be.
II this GaiS-Ls possibly 1t may-.he
maiden s..Uu!i place ny her bed Il glass
Of wafer win 4 stick OF wood In il.
This will supposedly causc her TO dream
o; f.llinr into II river, ana OF being
rs,G"d by a man. whose Ia"c she will
Sc" plainly IN her vision. The rcsCuer.
of course. = thc man she will wed. or.
q make assurance. dOublE sure the girl
may take Il Halloween pill. made of
rocOanut. 'ncr.'" and English walnut,
Just before retiring. which the old fox
declared would cause her TO dream OF
h,r future husband.