Evening star., 1925-10-17

One of the most pernicious forms OF
letter-writing is the so-called chair
prayer"
Under the guise of holiness, this
misguided form of composition usually
involves the grossest superstition.
The unknown correspondent In
closes a bit of prayer, with the re
quest that it be copied and sent tc
mine friends" on pajp of bad luck
and with a promise of'blessing if the
request is complied with.
Each Of the nine friends, of course
is given similar instructions, so that
the chain becomes endless. No doubt
such prayers" begun years ago, are
still rambling around the world, bring
ing doubt and dismay into thousands
Of otherwise Christian homes.
The latest form Of this evil to strike
Washington has been received by sew
eral prominent young men. Probably
1t was begun as joke. but on the
face of it has been around the world
once, and aims to make the circum
navigation twice more.
Japan, the north countries, England
and America are represented In this
particular chain-on the surface, at
least-and now it is here in Washing
ton. AT the foot of the list Of names is
the following:
Copy this and send to nine people
to whom you wish good luck. The
chain was started and should go around
the world three times. Do not break
the chain, for whoever does this will
have bad luck. Do 1t within -four
hours and count nine days and you
will have some good luck. With sue
cess to you, let's go sailing through
1925"
Every such letter ought to end UP
in the waste basket, but very few OF
them do. Most people choose to re
gard them as a joke, yet scrupulous
ly follow the instructions.
Why?
The reason is that back in the
minds Of each and every one of us
lies an ancient past. Although we
stand at the very summit OF human
achievement in this year of our Lord
1925, we trail more than clouds OF
glory" behind us.
In the huge past of each one Of us
is a reservoir, sinking fund, as 1t
were, Of superstition. which gathered
about our ancestors when little was
known, but much imagined.
Our imaginations. indeed, are older
tfldI our Wills. SOue WAS IiSut. w hcIl
he told us that it was the imagination,
and not the will, that generally ruled
US for good or evil he was nearer cor
rect than many eminent writer's upon
the power of the will.
The will is mighty-if it is-but the
imagination Is mightier. When our
savage ancestors, whether descended
from monkeys or not, huddled in their
caves or other crude places of dwell
ing they had as keen an imagination
as we have.
Perhaps We have somewhat refined
upon him in the use of our imagina
tions, but the basic structure was the
same. The essential quality of the
imagination, in some respects. Is what
distinguishes men from the animals
the other animals, If you prefer.
Our cavemen predecessors imagined
all sorts of things-and we are doing
it yet. Out beyond his hiding place he
knew nothing positively, so he dream
ed much. Mankind was made that
way in the beginning and remains
that way today.
The history Of superstition is but a
tracing of the agile working of mems
imagination in situations in which
they knew little. The last thing a
man will do is to confess his ignor.
ance. Anything but that.
So early man preyed upon the ere
dulity of his fellows. The battle OF
mind against matter began away back