Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-25

half . century ago. the writer came across an
item that tells what Halloween means and
stands for IN addition to what has already been
said. 1t follows:
"AIL-HALLOWEEN.
1.-The Night When Fairies Hold High Carnival
and Boys and Girls Dive for Apples.
This evening Is AI-Hallow eve night, and the
people who have doorbells and the young men
whose matrimonial fate is still undetermined;
had better be on the outlook for this II the
night Of AL the year when danger threatens
both these interests. An-Halloween or eve -
so called because It Is the night immediately
preceding AM-Hallowmas, All-Saints' day.
which ID the LIST Of November, and Is observed
by the Roman Catholic, Protestant Episcopal
and Lutheran Churches as q festival In honor
Of all the saints.
cit was said that in the older time all the
spirits, both Of the visible and invisible world.
in this evening walked the earth. All devils
and witches are believed to be abroad and the
fairies are said to hold high carnival. It IL
for this reason that youth and maidens en-
deavor to peer into the future and obtain some
forecast Of their matrimonial prospects. Nuts,
apples and cakes are used in these mystic
ceremonies, and . great deal of fun and amllse-
ment Is derived from the signs and omens
obtained. The boys as soon as darkness sets
IN, begin their celebration, and by mysterious
noises on the windowpanes, the ringing Of door
BELLS and then running away before they can
be answered, they have q good deal of fun.
whatever enjoyment their victims may be able
to extract from this form of observing the
vigil"
INDEED, spirits and devils and witches and
! sorcery existed in the minds of the people
as far back as history and tradition CO. In the
Second Book Of Moses we find it said: Thou
shall not suffer . witch to live" Shakespeare,
we win recall, has Hamlet talking to his fathers
ghost and It is the exception to find an early
writer who did not place confidence in the
supernatural Upon one occasion, in own
country, as recent IS 1892 up in Salem, Mass,
19 Of the best people of the town were executed
upon one occasion for being witches. So 20
our Washington boys of former day were
downright bad, at least they were q colossal
improvement Salem ancestors, and
beside when 1t Is known that one of those who
participated in the executions mentioned bore
the distinctive reputation of being the greatest
scholar and author that America had then
produced-it only goes to show that biographies
do not always tell the truth.
Sir William Blackstone in his Commentaries
on the Laws of England" ends his reference 10
the laws relating to witchcraft conjurative, en-
chantment or Sorcery by saying: Wherefore tt
seems to be the most eligible way to conclude,
with ingenious writer of our own, that In
general there has been such thing as WITCH
craft, though one cannot give credit to any
particular modern instance of It," And 10
to education we indebted today for not
taking seriously the tomfoolery of our ancestors
who evidently were easily persuaded to believe
most anything and the poor old feeble women
Of our midst whom we gladly venerate and
respect are not branded witches and thrown
into prison, or burned at the stake, or Others
wise executed, Is was formerly the barbarOus
practice.
When the writer vas q boy there were any