OLD POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 194, 14 September 1878, Page 4

OLD POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS.

The following superstitions, handed down by traditions from tho past, are fervently believed in many partß of this country, and by many people who rank among the moat intelligent .• — White specks on tho nails are luck. Whoever reads epitaphs loses his memory. To rock the cradle when empty is injurious to the child. To eat when a bell is tolling for a funeral causes toothache. The crowing of a hen indicates some approaching; disaster. When a mouse gnaws a gown, some H_i»fortune may be apprehended. He who has teeth wide asunder must leek hia fortune in a distant land. 'Whoever finds a four-leaf trefoil — shamrock—should wear it for good luck. When children play soldiers on the road-side it forbodes the approach pf war.

Beggar's btead should be given to children who are slow in learning to speak. If a child less than twelve months old be brought into a cellar he becomes fearful. A child grows up proud if suffered to look into a mirror while less than twelve months old. He who proposes moving into a new house must send in beforehand a new broom. "Whoever sneezes at an early hour either hears some news oa receives soma present the same day. The first tooth cast by a child should be swallowed by the mother to insure new growth of teeth. Buttoning the coat awry or drawing on a stocking inside out causes matters lo go wrong during the day. By bending the head to the hollow of the arm tbe initial letter of the name of one's future spouse is represented. Women who sow flax seed should, during the process, tell some profound lies, otherwise the yarn will not bleach white. "When women are stuffing beds the men should not remain in the house, otherwise the feathers will come through the ticks. When a stranger enters a room he should be obliged to seat himself, if only for a moment, as he otherwise takes away the children's sleep with him. The following are omens of death : A dog scratching on the floor, or howling in a particular manner, and owls hooting in the neighbourhood of the house. Domestic harmony must be preserved when washing day comes in order to insure fine weather, which is indispensable as that ceremony is generally performed out of doors. Yarn spun by a girl under the age of seven years possesses extraordinary virtue. Linen made of it furnishes the best bandages for gouty patients, and when wrought into garments forms a complete coat of mail, not only against bullet and dagger, but even against the more formidable operations of witchcraft. The very yarn itself can be wound into unerring musket balls.— American Paper.