THE SUPERNATURAL IN WARTIME

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 219, 10 June 1919, Page 5

THE SUPERNATURAL IN WARTIME

(By A.E.C.,' in tho "Manchester Guardian") Every war has its crop of supernatural "happenings," superstitious 'beliefs and habits, as well as political, military, and social ideals, or idola, which the folklorist and sociologist may garner at its close. The former aro always survivals or recrudescences;- there is nothing in modern superstition which is not to bo found in the "lower culture," among the f.o-called ."savago" or "primitive" peoples of the world.

The most grandiose supernatural happening was tho intervention of the Angelic Hosts at Mons, Its best-known ancestor is the story of the hero-gods Castor and Pollux, the "great fwin brethren" of Macaulay's pinchbeck lays, who .once led the Roman legions to victory, That story seems to be connected with the,old Mediterranean belief that the phenomenon of St. Elmo's Fire was actually the twin-gods, the mascots of sailors in Roman times.

Another and quite striking piece of superstitution was the hammering of nails into a gigantic wooden idol of Hindenburg. Nail-driving, as a superstitious custom, has been common all over the world.' The idea at the back of it is that the nail transfixes, or plugs into tho wall or treo or what-not, some evil—the enemy, or the plague, or the toothache. The classic example is from ancient Rome. When pestilence threatened, the priests solemnly drove a najl into tho wall of a certain temple, with the appropriate players or curses. Also, this, was an annual custom, for ensuring •the general safety of the people from ovil during the coming year. This nail W!1 m ojpus annalis, "tho unnual nau. The British Museum has a good collection of nails used for similar purposes, gathered from all over Europe. Many ot them have magical inscriptions, i it. • Jhndenburg has been itinnailw6ll lie ground to powder,' like the Golden Calf, or into good German sawdust, and distributed as a tonic or corpse-wiver among the congregation. Ino ex-Kaiser's "old God" was alwavs reminiscent of tho local Baals in ancient Hebrew history. 'My Baal is stronger than thine, went the slogan in tribal wars. But none of theso Baals was' Yah-' woh himself. The Kaiser's god perhaps |oes back to the god Pcrkun, of ancient Borussia (Prussia). He was connected with oak trees and lightning—a forecast ot the mailed fist and shining armour, ine reality of communication with tho spirits of the dead in the war, as assert«it in9tance > so pathetically by Sir Arthur Conan Boyle, tho instance of bullets stopped by Bibles, the cryatalga/.ers second-sight of events happening in Flanders or elsewhere on the fronts— these are among_ the more commonplace supernatural things. Many a family with soldiers in tho fighting lino has I similar verities to relate or to conceal Along less serious lines of folklore is the mascot. Exploited in the days when palmists wore vigorously prosecuted, the custom of carrying a mascot was continued by motorists, and naturally went, into tho war. Cats and dogs and monkeys and small boys and large elephants' are among the mascots iliat have lielned to lead various arms to victory. For the home circle "Funis Hp" was a favourite. Its principlo lias nothing to do with the "thumbs un" and "thumbs down" of Roman gladiatorial shows, but has rather to do with the old South European custom of jerking out'a fingor or a thumb to keep off 'the evil eve. When you met a man whose faco you did not like, or saw. some meat which was not what it should be in a bntcher's shop, you extended a finger in that direction. Also. "Funis Up" has borrowed its adverb from the phrase and principle of "tails un," a metaphor from dog habits, and therefore naturally borrowed— t'he i dog being in our civilised life the "friend of man," and according to some ecclesiastics having a. better hope of Heaven than many a human sinner. The mascot in essence is a charm, or rather talisman. _ Tho idea descends from the savago belief in the "external soul" (vide "Tho Golden Bough"). If his soul (or ono of his souls) lfS placed outside his body, in this or tlmt object or receptacle, the savago believes that; he himself Is proof against harm and bears a charmed life. Tho belief has two corollaries, one being rather unfortunate. The mascot may "draw" an enemy's fire, and, itself injured or slain, allow; its owner to escape. Again, on tho other hand, if it is injured it may choose to injure the owner, because, after all, it is a part of himself.

Tho sociological pessimist may soloct his owji pigeon-holes for such iilola iw Militarism, German invincibility (since Julius Caesar's time), or the Declaration of London. Each has failed its worshippers. Even Bolshevism has not satisfied tho Bolshevist; tho activity of a Snout Rigault is apt to pnll even on himself. Among the Bocial idola of tho war one, may count tho War Babies and tho enormities of t.lio now Scarlet Woman, tho Flapper. Among horror curiosities is tho story of tho German "Corpse Factory." Among curiosities also the story told in'p of how tho Germans were ablo to continue the war by salvaso of the ships thev had "submarined." Tliero was a big undersea carrier system, with many hugo depots. Then thero aro tho prophetio triumphs of tho amateur war experts (great writers and novelists), somo with blaoklroards, maps, and pointers. But a truly prophetic triumph is to tho credit of Lord Roberts, who -ten years ago predicted fome such terrible war as this, in which Franco nnd England would suffer trials and labours, but would eventually win under the leadership of a "French strategist named Foch, Of course ttoberts had met the future marshal in Paris and gauged his genius and its promise.