to ward off rheumatism; having secreted somewhere about the person the left hind foot of a graveyard rabbit for luck; or placing within the purse the dried heart of a bat for success in gambling?
Many mothers believe that amber beads possess signal properties in curing their children of sore eyes, ears, or throat; while the flannel band to be worn about the neck to cure tonsilitis or an inflamed throat must be red, as that color corresponds to the color of the malady. In like manner the carrot is held in esteem in the cure of jaundice, yellow being the characteristic color of both. The carrot is suspended in the room occupied by the sufferer, and as the root shrivels and dries up the affection is removed. Warts, it is believed, may be removed by rubbing upon them a piece of meat which is then buried; as the meat decays the warts go away. They may also be transferred to another by rubbing upon them a piece of bone, and putting this upon the spot where found; whoever picks up the bone will have the warts transferred to his own hands.
We are all more or less uncomfortably impressed at hearing unaccountable noises; many persons dread going upon a journey or cutting out a garment on Friday. Thus we perceive that the mere reference to the trifles which are apt to control our actions rings to our minds such a startling array of superstitions, observed by us in others, or perhaps even entertained by ourselves, that it becomes impracticable to continue further entering so prolific a subject at this moment.
I may say, in conclusion, that it is only by exposing such fallacies that we can hope for their extinction; but this is no easy matter, remembering the axiom that "there is no truth, however pure and sacred, upon which falsehood can not fasten and ingraft itself therein."
references/>
