The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-12-01
WHAT is YOUR
PET SUPERSTITION? !?
You Have None? OF Course Not! But
Sec the Voodoos Others Are
Slaves To!
(From the New York Sum

MY pet SupeISIltloH' you IL Pio
bably answer, with elevated eye
brows. "Why, haven't any. Super
stitions are for the ignorant people. u
But pause moment and rummage
around the shelves of your cerebel-
lum among your store of modern in
formation and see if there isn't
tucked away in the corner some old,
musty, long-forgotten superstition
you'd forgotten was there.
Do you pick up the pin you see
lyin in the street?
If you break a mirror does it give
you a moments uneasiness? Honest,
now?
When you knock over the salt eel
lar, do you-not because you believe
it does any good of course, but be-
cause it can't do any harm-do you
take a pinch and throw it over your
left shoulder?
Do you dislike to accept a two dol
lar bill? Would you give your friend
a knife without adding q penny to
break the charm? Would you walk
under q ladder? Do you mind being
the thirteenth at dinner? =.
These supers.itions are the most
popular, and. they aren't at all con-
fined to uneducated, or even uncul-
tured people, as has been demon
strated. =.
Of recent years an eminent scien,
tist who had collected much inter-
esting data on superstitions among
educated. people decided to-put his
theory to a high test. He went to
one of the leading universities of this
country.
They Deny Superstitions.
my pet superstition" The dig
nified old college professor echoed
the question, removing his eyeglass to
get better view of the impertinent
stranger. "My dear fellow! Pre-
posterous! Superstitions belong to
the dark ages. We live in period
of culture"
/, Whereupon the professor proceed
ed to enlighten the stranger with a
lengthy dissertion on his university
and it's high literary standing, say
ing:
Zone of the oldest universities in
the country, sir, =. one of the finest.
At present we have an exceptionally
high attendance. Everything has
been running smoothly--" here
the intellectual professor halted to
lean over and tap lightly the wooden
top of his desk.
1t developed that twenty-six per
cent of the college professors at this
university were wholly without
superstitions. But some of them had
their fingers crossed.
A great many of our superstitions
have grown up with US through so
many generations that we are hardly
conscious of their presence. Many Of
these date back to the early Romans
and Greeks. :;
Salt in ancient times was used in
religious rites, and supposed to pos
sess propitiary powers. But when
some careless emperor's elbow
knocked the salt dish over its powers
were lost, and the only way to in
sure a peaceful resumption Of the
meal was to appease the evil powers
by throwing a. pinch. Of the spilled
salt over the left shoulder. 90: =. =.
The superstition connected with a
broken mirror dates from Napoleon's
campaign in Italy, when he acci-
IDENTIFY broke the glass over the pic
ture Of Josephine: Since glass hal
always been connected in any form
as symbolic of life and death, Ma
poleon was overcome with fear that:
some evil had befalleh Josephine.
And because the broken glass caused
the great Emperor uneasiness, the
woman on the street car today pales
when she drops her pocketbook and
her mirror breaks.
Origin of Other Superstitions.
Other superstitions are supposed to