The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-11-22

in omens, and sor1e of them decline to go into battle unless supplied with tabsrlans or charms of some sort call cn'ated to bring them good luck
 In fact, many soldiers depend on charms % bring them safely through the conflict, whether they are British, Canadians, French, Irish or Austra- Hans. So wleal 1t is considered how extensive is he feel"ls among the Allied soldiers that faith must be placed in charms and attention paid to omens, there is reason to believe that American soldiers will in time become imbued with the same ideas.
 French soldiers have taught their American companions that great reli- ance can be placed in gold coins by those who enter battle. Whenever it is possible to procure such coins the French make it a point to do so and some of them sew coins in their coats in sUch way that they form shield over the heart. TEa idea is that If a, bullet strikes this shield of coin it will be deflected without injuring the wearer.
 But another reason for carrying gold coin into battle is that a wound ed man picked up by either friend or foe stands a much better chance of being well cared for if he has gold in his possession. French artillerymen have practiced this custom much more than have infantrymen, and it has been their belief that if they fell into the hands of the Germans CT Aus trians they would not be mutlated if they had some gold pieces with them. So common has become the prac- tice among the French soldiers of carrying gold coins along with them that the French government has ap- pealed to the soldiers to send their gold to the Bank of France rather than permit it to fall into the hands of the enemy. These appeals have had some effect on the soldiers, but have not stopped the practice alto- gether, for many French soldiers have implicit confidence in the gold coins and refuse to part with them, fear ing that if they did they would be- come victims of the enemy's fire.
 American soldiers have been told 9 tale of how gold coin was instrument tai in capturing a German who came out of his trench when he caught the gleam of "a gold piece in the hands of French soldier.
 Apparently he was so dazzied by the gleam that he forgot all about the danger to which he exposed him. self and sought the coin held by the Frenchman. When he did realize his danger it was too late for him to re- trace his steps and it was an easy matter to make him a prisoner.
 If American soldiers are finally overcome with superstition it is pre- dicted that there won't be one of them who will not be given to the practice of putting on his left shoe and sock before putting on the right. Att least this is a. custom the French hold in great respect, and they will probably impress the American sol- diers with thesimportance of follow ing this practice.
 | The present hold of the supersti- ton regarding the left shoe and sock came about through the experience of a French infantryman, who declared that no harm would befall him if he put on his left shoe and sock before 1 putting on his right. Even the most superStitiouS of the French soldiers who happened to overhear him had to smile at this as- sertion. Few of his comrades agreed l with the infantryman, and after some persuasion he, too, was convinced that there was really nothing to be gained by giving the left foot preference over the right. l So one morning he put on his right shoe and sock first. However, she did so with a certain amount of trepida- ton, predicting that something dire would happen during the day. To- ward noon the company was given Il the order to go over the top and it suffered extremely heavy losses. AS a result the infantrynan and the other members of the company who survived the fire of the enemy resol- Eved that from then on the regular procedure would be to put on the left
 shoe and sock first. Since the American troops have
 been in France they have developed
 a more wholesome respect for the l black cat than they held formerly This is the result of a story told te them by the French of certain ar tillery battalion that chose for it's mas
 cot a cat of inky hue. This particu-
 lar black cat received the best of care
 even having an orderly to look after
 it, and take it out with a piece o1
 string tied around its neck so thai it couldn't run away while enjoying its constitutional.
 On one occasion when the battal- ion went into action the black cal
 succeeded in getting away from its keeper and took refuge in house | which the enemy was bombard1ne
 with heavy guns.
 Naturally the men of the battalion 1 who depended on the cat to bring them luck, were thrown into state l of anxiety when they saw their mas
 cot in danger, and their feelings were ! not relieved when they saw a shel strike the house and shatter it. | They expected to find their prized
 mascot dead, but instead they found
 the cat standing on a kitchen table with tail raised and splitting vigor-
 ous1y but unhurt, But the poor black
 cat expired later from shell shock and
 the men of the battalion swore theil luck went with the cat.
 Another superstition the Americans
 have been taught to respect is that o1 the coin and the star.
 The French say that every mar has his star, but he can't secure its influence for good luck unless he uses a coin to put him in communtca- tton with it. If the proper coin 1s
 used the star can be called on to ex- ercise it's protecting virtue, and once this has been established there is nc
 reason for the fortunate soldier te
 worry further. The question in the
 minds of the Americans is whether