Tne nies oF PoruLAR SureasririoNs axp Gustoms:—By T.- Sharper Knowlson, T. Werner Laurie, Lid, London, Mr. Sharper Knowlson as an experienced journalist has produced Little book which combines histon
those inconvenient questions which swers to 80 often confront us after dinner on the subject of the derivation of Popular superstitions,—He~makes pretence to indulge in recon: Fesearch and at times he leaves obvious gaps for the reader to fill up. 'Thus, in dealing with Valentine' Day, he fails to observe that the origin of the custom was in reality based on the fact that somewhere, about the 14th February the mating season begins for the feathered world, and is not sufficiently firm in impressing on the reader the sad fact that there is no such saint Valentine. Even more glaring is, his apparent ignorance of - the Celebration of Valentine's Day in East Anglia, There the day is, or was until not so many years ago, as much celebrated as Christmas, Day. It is true that the vulgarity of the picture valentine is to be seen in East Anglin as in other Parts of England, but on the 14th of February East Anglians were accustomed to send each other pre-_ sents on quite as generous a scale as at Christmas time, To one small hoy at least this custom seemed far more sensible than the stupid, giggling futility of finding a lover in the first person to be encounter-that morning. The thrill of the secrecy of Valentine presents was no small part of the attraction, for it was a convention that the presents arrived mysteriously and Contained no indication of their donors—although small boys versed in the ways of Father Christmas had their strong suspicions, Nevertheless, Mr. Knowlson has given a most attractive little book into which it is impossible to dip without regretting the desuetude of Some of the old customs and superstations which he knows. Though there are many people who would Uke to see Christmas Boxes dis-Appearing into the limbo of the exploded superstition, on that point Mr. Knowlson is worth quoting, for hho asserts that the original Christmas Box was money gathered by the priests for Masses to be said in order to secure forgiveness for for the sins of the time, The Kindly householder used to give his servants money for the priests on thin account—and thus the modern Custom must be described as a form of peculation. There is of course due attention paid to marriage superstitions and customs, such as the engagement ring, kissing the bride, May marriages, throwing the shoe and the like, The Romans are credited with being the originators of the superstition that May mar-nages are unlucky and Mr. Knowlson quotes Ovid:
"Nee vidual taedis eadem, nee irginis apt Tempera' Qute nupsit, non distaren Hae quo que de cause (si te proverbial Mense'vmalas Malo nubere vulgus to prove that point, Although some English folldore gives certain dates in May as good for marriages, Mr. Knowlson is of the opinion that the effort is in vain "it is to be feared, however, that British" women will not listen'... They have decided that Bay month to marry in, and they.
their opinions. Of cou itsel€ is' sheer nor there'is: not an atom of evidence prove that i Other month. superstition "hat held, a The, one'reeson
course almost unbroken' is. that omen would abstain from marriage.
eleven months out of the twelve it Arndition said. the eleven were lie starred," T have never meta man she did not smite at the notion, fence. set a train thought agoing as to fate and fortune in marriage, and women will accept it "whole-heartedly. Perks the number of unhappy marti avsllent factor in the game.
is perhaps salutary to lea that the practice of selling a wife has not entirely disappeared from Great Britain, and Mr. Knowlson notes that there have been at least dozen cases in the last twenty years of men who wore plainly under the impression that such a sale was within their legal competency. One optimist, indeed, effected the! sale on the strength of eighteenpenee and a glass of beer—and_ this igs to Mr. Knowlson's mind an Jotd comment of 1808, val that wevails among the. lowest, fed he, deliver her over with a halter "about liber neck, Tt is" painful to observe that instances of this occur trequentour newspapers."
Mr, Knowlson concludes:
"In modern transfers, the scene being the bar of ie-house, the halter is mission 2 few coins take its. place. "Bot the custom can te "marrying hima' he concludes ithe sole contracting party able fordiopose of his wife a0 be thinks Dreams are a fruitful source of perature on which Mr. Knowlson freely draws. His comment is eminently sound and should bbe noted by those who are apt to attach vital importance to these ily. to end. his Most dreams, like the one jest outlined, are capable of reconstruc tion from purely' natural elements in our own experi Me is quite right in pondering over the amazing barrenness of our knowledge of witchcraft. There are, of course, standard works which have recounted the historical facts of the practice of the black art—much of it was as much magic as the bootlegging of to-lay—but it would be interesting to know exactly what was the psychology which produced some of the more elaborfate ceremonies of its exponents The theory of hypnotism is hardly, adequate, nor is the general accusation of sadistic tendencies quite sufficient to dispose of all the questions which established narratives evoke, Palmistry, it is not surprising to learn, was introduced into the West from the East, and, in fact, Mr, Knowlson comes to' the conclusion that from China came the habit of reading palms. The difficulty even to-day of persuading. quite sensible people that there is, nothing in the art is duly noted by the author—as it has been by the sharks who grow rich upon it whether in Nanking Road or in Bond Street. "Mr. Knowlson rightly jays us a social recreation palmisty is both successful and funny, as a science it is delusive and sometimes dangerous. He might have been even stronger in his comment.
The ground covered by the book is well shown by the attention which it pays to theatre superstitions and omens for card games. In China theatre superstitions are plentiful. Mr. Knowlson gives a few from the: Western world. Whistling in a theatre is an offence for which the management will punish severely.
performers believe it is change costumes in which they first achieved success. Some actors will part company] with you if you hum the tune of the Witches' Song in Macbeth. Then there is the time honoured refusal of the actor to speak the last lines of the play in rehearsal or to go on a stage where there is a picture of an ostrich. Squeaking shoes at a first entry bring good luck and a cat-Jeall is welcome from the gallery—although the appearance of a cat! running across the stage during the play is disastrous. The list is ioni but these are a few representa ti ins before concluding with a few lore of superstition front the table and' make a round "in playing cards, wall strai
form, if'playing for money.
you" wish a conte isk a sing while playing side that' sour side Silt bose.
Don't play at a table with a cross. eyed man whether he fs your partner opponent; you will Rose"
Mr. Knowlson takes some of these so seriously as to endeavour to tear them to bits—but the crooked pin theory licits reference to a two hundred year old story "About a mile to the west of Jarrow (near Neweastle-upon-Tyne)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.