The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-11-30
HORSE AND BUGGY DAYS
By THE OLD LAMPLIGHTER

land, was firmly convinced of the
truth of the doctrine and it was adj
vocated by many of the clergy of
England.
The suspicion Of witchcraft among
the English in Massachusetts started
about the year 1645. Several per-
sons were supposed to be under the
evil hand, among them two children
of a minister. Great pains were
taken to prove the facts but failed,
and so no person was convicted until
the year 1850. From that time on,
witcheraft started rolling. Many
were tried, convicted and put to
death, some of them in the most
horrible manner. Parents testified
against children and children against
parents. Cotton Mather, son of In
crease Mather, then president of
Harvard College. was superstitious
by nature and was firmly convinced
of tn reality of witcraft 1t was
said of him that he could not bear
contradiction and was devoted to
the maintenance Of the political pow
er of the clergy He was regarded
as one of the most learned and gift
ed preachers of the colony. Mather
carried on his experiments with dill
igence.
In 1862 a new case of witchcraft
occurred in Salem village, later
known as Danvers. The total num-
Der hanged, just at this particular
place, was 20, and 55 were tortured
or terrified into confession, so re-
ports say.
Men were not immune to accusa-
tions of being in league with the
evil one" Such men were known as
Wizards" A case is recited of an
old man of 80 years of age, who was
put to death in most horrible man
ner, in an aifort to make him con-
fess that he was a wizard"
But Mather, after all, rendered his
country a real service. In 1921,
having become satisfied that inocu-
lation was a sure preventive of
smallpox, he advocated the intro
duction of it into the colony. In
this he was opposed by the whole
body of the clergy, who declared it
was an attempt to defeat the plans
of the Almighty who "sent the
smallpox as a punishment for sins,
and whose vengeance would thus be
provoked the more" His life was
at one time in danger.
Perhaps many of our readers have
heard of certain kinds of modern
"witchcraft," or signs, or tokens.
Just the other day man told us on
the street that he knew there was
something in signs. His two child
rem, he said, cried necessarily. A
woman in the neighborhood tied
something in a rag which she then
hung about the children's necks and
they ceased their crying. Then
there are those who will tell you
that if you plant peas in certain
sign of the Zodiac the peas will bios
som and not bear; if you plant po-
tatoes at the wrong time of the
moon they will either rise to the top
of the ground or go down deep;
vinegar must be made at the right
time of the governering power of
the moon; quoting a certain verse in
the Bible will stop the flow of blood,
etc; meat must be cured at the right
time, depending upon certain con-
ditions of the Zodiac. Also myster-
ious noises, the source of which is
not known, portends the death of
some one, and certain dreams mean
certain things.
William D. Boward recently show
ed us Program of memorial SER
vice held in st. PauIs Methodist
Church i'm connection with the death
of President William Mckinley. 1t
was dated September 10, 1901, and
was as follows: Reading of President
Theodore Roosevelt's proclamation
by Rev H. F. Downs; singing of
Nearer My God To Thee; " Apost-
les Greed and the Lords Prayer,
led by Rev. G. S. Bowers: Scripture
reading by Rev. H c. Kendrick; re-
peating of the Lords prayer in uni
son; Prayer by Rev. T. A. Johnson;
voluntary by the chorus; reading of
resolutions by Rev. R. A. Boyle; adj
dresses by Chief Justice R. H. Alvey
and Rev. DR.. S. w. Owen; Prayer by
Rev. G. H. Snyder; hymn, LEAD
Kindly Light" Doxology and Bene-
! diction by Rev. A II Irvine