The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-11-12

for them though the prices are now not
quite as high as when the U-boat m -n-
ace was at its height"
In the reports of the scrap in the Blight
| of Heligoland, one Of the first naval
| encounters of the war, it was recorded
| that one of the British gunners spat on
| the projectile while it was being placed
| in the gun, and that he scored hit
| the enemy's ship subsequently sinking.
| Americans have seen ball players do the
same thing with their bats, and for the
| same reason.
IT remember at the time, remarked
| Lovett, that people smiled at what they
| thought was an amusing triviality, but
as a matter of fact that gunner was
| performing an act of sacrifice of enor-
! nous antiquity
| I'm the long, long ago the primitive
| folk considered that the saliva was
| part of the soul of the individual, and
that to part with it in the act of splitting
was tantamount to making sacrifices,
and this not only as an act OF propitta-
| ton, but also as a thank-offering; and
we all know that gratitude is lively
sense of favors to come.
The survivals of this remarKa Bile form
| of sacrifice are far more numerous than
| Is generally thought, but the original
| motive has become degraded into mere
luck which Is the modern concentra-
ton of many fine old folk ceremonials.
|
| England verbal statements of Importance
| were more valid by splitting the SOUL
and we are told that the ancient Romans.
| in cases of contract, spat together OH
the same stone as binding act. There
are records, too, that to obtain rain IN
| times of drought the people spat on pep
bles which were then thrown into rivers
or ponds. Again. if two people wash
| hands in the same bowl of water they
will fall out, but splitting in the water
| will avert the evil.
1.-THE bad luck incurred by seeing an
unfortunate number of magpies is made
| quite all right If you spit, whilst today
cearly every zone makes a form of splitting
| when they fancy they smell drains. This
| nowadays comes under the bacterial
myth, and is of course, ridiculous. The
| original idea was a sacrifice to the gods.
| In my wanderings about London 1 con-
| stantly see that common custom handed
the splitting on the first money taken,
| and this is purely thank-orfering.
| ~ remember, too, when at Lourdes,
seeing the pilgrims kiss the holy stone
| near the spring. I observed that this
| kissing was accompanied by discharge
| of saliva, which was, or course, Tor
| Precipitation.
| But to return to the North sea- Today
! the fishermen spit into the mouth of the
| first fish of the fishing as an offering
| to the Sea God. They also spit upon
| their long lines, into their travis ana INTO
| their drift nets for similar reason.
i "Pliny himself states that splitting was
/ observed in giving shrewder blow to an
| enemy; hence we find pugilists splitting
| into their fists, and hence we find a gun
| ner in the British fleet doing the very
| thing that Pliny wrote about, and thus
1 appealing to the God of Battles"
Il What this scholarly expert on folk
4 lore has to tell one in discoursng on
4 charms" and superstitions generally IS
/ invariably quaint and interesting. Prac-
4 tically every dray horse that one sees
/ either in England or on the continent Is
i bedecked with quaint brass ornaments.
i which are regarded by the animals own
j ers merely as such, but which, Lovett
J asserts, were originally charms against
4 both the "evl eye and witches!
i Horses said Lovett, ARE subject to
\ trifling ailments and disorders which are
not readily understood by the ignorant,
| ''sweats" being one Of the commonest.
| Even now, in many of our rural districts.
l if horse is found in the stable in the
I morning, in a sweat, they say that it
I has been pixy-ridden. That the pixies.
4 or hays, have taken it out through the
4 keyhole and raced 1t all over the coun-
| trv during the night: and even now,
stones with holes in them and certain
amulets are hung up in the stable to pre-
. vent the entrance of the bag. Iron Is also
a powerful amulet, because being an arti-