Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-08-03
AMULETS ARE
CREDITED BY
ARMYMENF0R
SAVING LIVES
Good Luck Pieces Carried by
Soldiers Held in Almost
Religious Awe by the
Fighters.
BY FORBES w. FAIRBAIRN,
Staff Correspondent Universal Service.

London, Aug. 2.-Just how far did
The soldiers mascot 60 toward saw
ing his life? Did the boy who came
through the thickest of the fray un-
scratched owe his good fortune to
the good-luck piece he carried on
his person or is the popular super
stition which held sway in all armies
a mere fallacy?
These questions are discussed by
Edward Lovett honorable curator
of the Folk-Love section of the I'M
perial museum, in series of articles
written for a London publication.
He makes no direct comment on the
value of the mascot, but details some
of the curious beliefs held by the
fighters and the almost religious awe
with which they regard their luck
pieces.
A piece of coal, wrapped in
small silken bag, given to an Aus
tralian officer by his sweetheart be-
fore he left home was one of the
curious finds" made by Mr.. Lovett
during a lecture tour he made
among the British and Dominion
troops in France. This officer firm
ly believed he owed his life to this
bit OF coal, and told of several mira
culous escapes he had during the
war. Another officer in the same
regiment was so superstitious about
his mascot that he refused to even
tell what it was.
Wouldn't Show His Charm.
II won't show it to you and l
won't even tell you what it is, be-
cause it would spoil my luck" he
told Mr.. Lovett, and the latter had
to be content with that answer. An
other Australian carried Swasti-
ka, and fourth had small grotes
que cross on his person to guard
him against enemy shells and bay
onets.
, One of the most curious examples
of superstition among troops was
discovered by Mr.. Lovet in the per-
son of an Australian private he met
in London.
This man wore the figure S on
the collar of his tunic," explained
Mr.. Lovett. Il asked him if he
knew the legend that had grown up
around that figure in the continental
armies. He was rather inclined to
sneer at luck in general but he told
me that his company, which was the
Fifth, was very lucky and day after
day the men had many narrow es-
capes from death or wounds. The
company, in fact, had lost only Is
men out of 1870, while the second
company had lost much larger pro-
portion. He also told me that the
figure IS was considered by them a
lucky number and that most of the
men in the Fifth company, curiously
enough, had 10 in their regimental
numbers, his own number being
1897.
"But | think the most supersti-
tious case of all was that of the Of.
ficer who would not tell me what
his mascot was. Nothing I could
say would induce him to alter his
decision.
Maoris Carry Jade.
1.-THE great mascot of the Maoris
is quaint, contorted, greensboro
figure which is known to be of enor-
nous antiquity writes Mr.. Lovett
This greenstone-a kind of jade
/ is extremely hardin fact, it is al
most as hard as corundum or the
diamond.
THE ordinary-sized jade tiki, or
club. would take a native of New
Zealand several months or even
years to rub down; and it has been
stated that some of the large clubs
of pure jade take the lives of three
men, at constant work, to make.
There are, however, a large number
Of machine made tikis in the mar
ket. was told that when a Maori
dies his tiki is always buried with
him"
But the commonest charms among
the soldiers of France and Belgium
are made of aluminium and copper
fragments of German shells. 1t was
considered that if you wore a piece
OF the enemy's projcctile it inocu-
lated you against future danger from
such sources This is similar to the
Irish superstition. Every Irish cot
tage has its "thunderbolt." which is
supposed to protect the home from
being struck by lightning. Instances
of this doctrine exist practically
throughout Europe.
The "doughboy" amulets consist
ed Of mixture of all the ones worn
by the European soldier and scores
of his own particular fancy Rab-
bits feet were numerous among the
American divisions. especially the
co'ored troops. and many other Gu
r1ous, essentially American charms
were carried. The Yankee soldier.
it seems, was just as superstitious rs
the Others when it came to good.
lurt p;aroc