Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-02-03
PSYCHOLOGY OF
SUPERSTITION.

But this position Is possible only to
mind somewhat trained and logical
Tho unframed mind thinks not in terms
IF logic. hut Of emotions and images In
other words the ignorant man Is vaguely
aware that there is a supernatural world
and he necessarily conceives Of this worli
in emotional and ina ginatlve terms. IS
sure as he thinks about the matter at all
he is scared Of ghosts or has visions Of
witches or fairies or hobgoblins or some
thing. He or she is generally a hard
working person, drugeed by routine, and
therefore does not think Of tho matter
much. But that sense Of the super
natural Is always there 1t is always
ready to flare up If it has a chance. 1t
usually cherishes in secret some sort
Of delusion. How many persons can you
find among your acquaintances who do
not believe In any sort Of superstition3
The great army of those who believe
they communicate with the dead by
means OF a Ouija board and those who
support our great army of fortune tellers
In luxurious ease. are the modern de-
scendants of the witchburners. Some of
them are half ashamed of their super
stition and some are proudly in earnest
about It, But in all an instructive be-
lief In the supernatural, combined with
a desire to give the supernatural some
definite form and character. Is at the
root Of it, 1t is noticeable that women
are more prone to these superstitions
than men and the reason is that women
have more leisure and are therefore
more cognizant of the mystic element in
life. They have more time to think
about It.
This belief in the supernatural as an
abstraction is. as we said, inevitable.
There is something Of 1t in every man.
1t Is the root of his religious sense. It
is his instructive recognition Of the fact
that finite mind cannot possibly com
prehend an infinite universe-that there
are vast areas OF existence which tran
scend the powers Of the human mind and
cover.
PRIDE FOSTERS
SUPERSTITION.
It is the tendency to manufacture this
mystic sense into definite IMAGES which
does the damage. Man is fuli Of troubles
which are due to the miserable preca-
robustness of human life. coupled with the
remarkable stupidity of human beings.
But man. being a proud animal. hates to
admit that his troubles are due to the
fact that he IS merely unfortunate and
stupid. The child who burns his hand
does not blame his own stupidity. He
blames the stove, endOws 1t with a ma
liGnant spirit and wants it punished.
The savage who has no luck in hunting
does not blame his own laziness and lack
of cunning. He blames the Gods and
makes q PRAYER to them. The believer in
witchcraft likewise refuses to put the
blame for his troubles where 1t belongs
ON himself Instead. he picks out some
neighbor whom he enyies or dislikes and
accuses that person of being witch and
in leaoue with the devil. Thus he at
once dignifes his own misfortunes and
gets even with an enemy.
And another element enters into the
matter here There are usually leaders
of the community who are to some ex-
tent to blame for the misfortunSs of its
members and they are only too glad to
have the blame saddSed on some super
natural force. Hence the sanction which
witchcraft long received from the law
md other high institutions.
It is easy to see how the psycholog-
heal essentials of witchcraft still work
among us All Of our Willingness to be-
lieve III bugaboos conjured by our poll
ticians is based on the same creduIity,
the same Ignorance End the same desire