The Origin of Ancient and Modern Superstitions THE subject of superstitions.anci< yet always somehow à la mode- interestingly treated by .1. Art Hill, in "t'hambers's Journal." He nc that: "M»*"'» curiosity is in excess of his po* to interpret and aadarstaad ( «msequer he f\i««*e*. and «v«1«" be gues«es w.ldly an ax it i«(Dis to other«, probably of later d inaccurately, his guess is called a super: "Owing te ths inna'e conservatism human r.a'.¡ ition will lir.ger !c »ft«r its origin is completely forgotten « »fttr people h»ve clearly seen that there no rational evidence for the thing believ -¦ < applies to customs of «1! sort«. "It is on record that in « certain chui the peasants were in the habit of bowing jenuflecting when they passed a certain pi ct the wall. None of them could give « rea»on, except that they had been taught do it. Kve: inhabitant had nev heart' of any reason, and did not think th »ny wa» known to the previous generatic It was just a custom that had been hand down. But when some repairs came to nude and the wall was «tripped of lime w»s found that a painting of the Virgin Ma had «xi»ted, and »till fragmentarily exist« «.. that place. It had evidently been cover up at the Reformation; but the customa ebeuance had been kept up even after eve one had forgotten the reason for it. The Persistent and Ancient Superstition About I 3 "St with .«uperstitions. There is some so of reason to begin with, usually a mistak« fuess; bu', this is forgotten, while the beli remains. For instance, take the 'thirteen tab;- n, which has spread to thi teen of anything- even to No. 18 in a stre or terrace, which often remains unlet, tl landlord sometimes resorting to the subte fuge of 12A and 1¿B. The origin of this pre adiee against the number i« usually suppose to be the fact that thirteen persons sat dow »? the La«: Supper, after which occurred tl rno»t tragical event of the Christian era. Bi it car be shown that of any thirteen peop! taken st random- or any twelve or fourtee la an even chanci« that one wi à'.* m »bout a year. Quételet pointed this ov in his 'Theory of Probabilities' applied to p< litical and moral science; but superstitio dies hard when it has a sort of quasi-suppoi from facts. "Matthew Arnold was one of a party o .«en, and ho died within the year. T many people this would be convincing evi dencc of the maleficence of the number; bu h« would have died all the same If there ha b«en fourteen. Moreover, the thirteen super it.tier, is older than Christianity, for Hesio «.7« it is unlucky to sow corn on the 13th o the first month. "And there is an old Norse legend accord jig tc which the twelve great divinities wen ft-.ning in Valhalla, when Loki, the god o d.'cord, appeared, and a quarrel with Baldu «nsued, in which the latter.the god of peac was killed. There is a similar belief il The superstition languished in th late Middle Ages, but had a curious rejuvena tior. Iq the last, century. In many capital! no*ably London, there were men who made li»ir.g by hiring themselves out at a moment' notice as guests at dinners where, owing t. »crr.e disappointment, the number at tabl. would otherwise be thirteen. The Mystic "Three" Has Also Its Important Significance ce Bismarck shared the 'thirteen »ea-.r.e?s, and indeed was rather ¡»per.ali} ««perst.'ious about numb«-: was hi! one. He wa* Chancellor under three «cperors, received three title* of nobility «as responsible for three wars, and had three Iren; ar.d, according to the caricaturists, aid three hairs on an otherwise bald head. "Tkers are various forms of this 'three' aa- HMti'.ion, one of the most objectionable. from ¦ housewife'« point of view.being the .Saamoo ht -anti that if they break .c article two more are sure to meet the urr.e fate before the day is out. A certain ». Baacouaiat» lapsrstitiea, was »'.er.; to »ce her Abigail open the back door »¦ : 'lei.beiatcly smash a jam j. t on *.c« fr?, fturwafd pieklag up the piece« »nd trrwi- thaa* "'o the dustbin. Hv cautious inquiry she discovered that the girl had accidentally broken a plate and a cup that morning, and a« she firmly believed that thi gods demanded three such sacrihces be¬ fore they would be appeased, she selected the jam pot les*, the doom should fall on some¬ thing more valuable. Then There's Friday.the Day Feared by Many "The 'Friday' superstition has a religious origin, having arisen because the Crucifixion is supposed to have taken place on that day. It ha» been recognised as particularly un¬ lucky by «sailors. A« with all such »uper»fi- tion», men noticed when it 'came off,' and overlooked the mi<s whca it did r.ot. But with greater control of the elements, and greater safety of travel barring torpedoes the superstition has faded. Probably few people now, even sailors, have much fear of embarking on a Cunarder which sails on a Friday; and railway journeys are undertaken on that day without hesitation. To many millions of people Friday is the hu-kiest «lay of the week, for it II their wage day! "The unluckiness of spilling the salt has not been unanimously «wplain.-d. Some think that it is because Judas Iscaiiot seems to be spilling it in Da Vinci's picture of the Last Slipper. Others think that it is because salt is a symbol of incorruptiblity, and its spill¬ ing is therefore a sign of broken friendships and general upset«. Wry superstitious peu¬ ple will take a pinch of the spilt salt and throw it over the left shoulder, which is sup¬ posed to avert the evil consequence» of the mishap. The left shoulder is associated with the devil, or one's evil genius, and the thrown pinch is supposed to appease hjm. "There are iome curious and very wide¬ spread customs, of superstitious nature, about sneezing. Old country people will often say 'God bless you!' to the sneezer. The Romans had a similar custom 'Jupiter pre¬ serve you!' etc. as Martial and other writers show. The Greeks did the same, and the custom was ancient even in the time of Aris¬ totle, for he endeavors to account for it in his 'Problems'; but he evidently knew nothing of its origin. "The various knife superstitions are ea«i!y explicable. It is unlucky to give a knife to a friend, because knives «ever things, and might fcvfr friendship; but if he gives you a half- prr.r.y in return the danger is avoided, for his gift is a token of continued affection. It is unlucky to place one's knife and fork cross¬ wise on nn empty plate, because it invites crosses and misfortune, also recalling the Christian symbol of suffering. Black Cats Are Esteemed Emblems of Luck "Black cats are lucky, but nobody knows why. Cats of all sorts were regarded with reverence In ancient Egypt; but if is curious that black the sign of mourning in Western countries should be associated with luck. The Jam of Nnwanagar i'Ranji' of cricket fame) had a partiality for this superstition, claiming that twice in succession the timely appearance of a black cat had been instru¬ mental in winning a county match for Sussex as well as on other occasions. "A rather common bit of p»uedo-science is the belief that for healthful »leep the bed should be north and south. I know a man who believes that he was cured of long stand¬ ing disease by changing his bed from its former east-west position. Charles Dickens, whenever he left home for a night, always took a compass with him, so that he could his bed north-south. "Other famous men have had their weni. Uacaolay had superstitions about stepping on this or that part of flagstone» or paving «tor.«-; Mas Mailer always tarried in his pocket a small coin with a hole in it, and Lord Roberts irai OOCt ctcdited but in a German newspaper) with a fondness for a horseshoe picked up near the Nelson Monu- ...r Sqaatt, as well as with a constitutional dread of cats. "The superstition» connected with marriage are legion The most sensible one is "Happy the bride the eun »hine» on,' for fine weather ia particularly welcome at time« of gorgeous apparelling. But in some countries the brido prays for rain, taking it as an omen that all her tear are shed before marriage, which »hows the optimistic faith of the female heart in assslslsi Ala« that she should some¬ time» be disillusioned!" In the Air and Under the Sea rHESE fantastic get quite plausthlc tj-position» of tuhmarmr and aeroplane ncttvitie» ore reproduced bj tourteau of ''Popular Metkauaica Monthly." The larqrr picture represent» a \iiualuni approximately duplicated in grim rraittt, mom » then » tint «¦ the th ginning of the Herman reign of ruthlessness at sea. The submarine, pictured here glidinc/ on to fresh forat/r, hat just tunk the stramrr, which lias »titled (o the bottom of the ocean. Of the two tmallrr view', the upper illuttrates a postible collisityn in the air, while the lower portrays much the same tort of occident, involving, however, l-boatt instead of aircraft. Defying Wound infection THE demonstration of the value chloramine paste in wound aseps Il the latest contribution to tl science of conserving life by the Rockefc 11er Institute for Medical Research, c which Dr. Simon Flexner is the head. D Alexis Carrel, the distinguished Frana American surgeon, who has done almo; I as much to save human life as Hindenbur j las done to destroy it, is the actual demor ttrator of the extraordinary value of thi new antiseptic treatment. The latest bu! letin from the institute's field laboratorie i under Dr. Carrel in France gives us thes j üei.ails of chloramine paste: "The chloramine paste is designed to main tain in an aseptic condition wounds whicl have already been disinfected, or to sterilu slightly infected wounds. It should only b applied to wounds which yield small quanti i.e.- of secretion, have little or no necroti tissue, and little or no infection. Neutra sodium oléate is poured onto the wound an. the surrounding skin from «a flask with i rmnll opening. The granulation», the epv thelial «dfjes. nn.l the skin are genMy swabhe« with a piece of absorbent cotton attached t( I i<,rce|.«. "The chloramine paste should be applied only under the condition« »pecit.cd in «>ui experiments; that is, in connection «ritt erately infected wound« which have beer carefully wa«hr«l \.-ith sodium oléate anc I possess but flight quantities of secretion Under these conditions, the chloramine past« I effects the complete disappearance of th« bectena, and maintains the sterility thui | secured for as long a time as may be wished I Chloramine paste is not injurious to the tis¬ sues, for the cicatrization curves of the wounds thus treated show but slight modiil- cation from the calculated curves. Chlora¬ mine paste makes it possible, therefore, tc keep wounds »ulTiciently free from micro- orgfinifms so that the effect of substances which are believed to influence cicatrization can be studied." Tapping Alaska for Naval Coal / \ * y*-~r g4#^ fr«yaj»a«»»M«ai«B«h^t«. «V I »i ^%/9 W JP^*£'*** etatatstat \ ^Oí V^ «Z' SWS í«Vae» i . . \X -# ? «PS-*-«iff ; \ Jrè g*r ß fjr £ i f omtm CroJiajcj'r>fi't'4rJ*Y4/e&t'*ojr c*0$f..-<- '' .*~" _.»_._-. ¦ ¦¦ tmMmmmmmmmmwl moÊmÊmeTommmwsmwsa*mmwsmwswsmmomwmsa*wo**oM=* » «Ve» Map of AUtkan Coalfield Section THE United Sutes has not embarked upon railroad building in Alaska »ut a dual purpose, economic sr.d nava'.. The coaling of the Pacil.c fleet bas a!-.«.a tad a problem, for which oil burning engines have been sug- ¦. medy. The government, however, has gone Ottt after a fat pocket in the heart of Alaska. This will be rrm if more accesaible than is any pres¬ ent source of coal. "The Official Bulletin" authorizes the use of the adjoining map ar.d eaatrihutas this information: "Or. : |fl4, the Alaskan railroad a« was apprcv«d b| the President. This act ..-id directed the President to lo- *Sm * ra-.lroad in the Territory of Alaaka »*>t to exffe'l In th» »rgr*g*t« 1,000 mile». 1h* parpo»*» of th» ro»d, a» »et forth in that sra: "1. To «Mas --. ¦ | e r.r saeee <>1 the open M »he southern co»»t ef Asska with the navigable wate« in th» tterior. 1 7o i«vr.r»-t with the coal flelde so as n th» development of th» agri- eesel '¡t other resources. - ..»...«iir of coal for "? »fit«/ ar,d navy, »rar,»portation of troopa, ¦«»¡?.¡or.» of y,%T> the mail», »nd for other «t»v«rB«r.n.a| mTxe\ public uaas, Including th» tr*"»fer'«'.',r. »J p»«««ng»r» and freight. T«>» r» U«aa af the road I» now under Weetreetion from S»w»rd, on th» Pacific «ovt, Maes' for 470 mil«« to Fairbanks, on , t,!» Ter.ar» llvar, a large and navtgabl» Wb-jUry af .;,,, «, J<or. Theft is now in .**'»t¡.-,r, ¡',o altas Tas «a*)sss»faaylai m»p *..» the ;,n« of the ro«d *T»e rtja-i »%r,» fee large «*eal fields, th» T*»*«"«-» sad ;ha Neaaaa It is estimated **'¦ »'¦ the pr«»*r.t rat« MaUnuak» cal ran ¦. eali«*,jr«d for tr« reeds of the navy and .....?'.1 ase on »h« Pacifie Coaat In th» ***** «ws»m»r of 1911." The Prehistoric Tickle THE tickle is a relic of prehistoric perils, according to Dr. George W. ("rile, the distinguished surgeon,: .in his new volume. "Man.An Adaptive Mechanism." Dr. Crile'b "kinetic theory" is an attempt to apply Darwin's c-voiu- tionary theories to medicine and surgery. His studies show the various discharges ¡of bodily energy by which the organs of the body protect themselves. The external studies include an analysis of ticklish- ness. Dr. Crile says: "it is more strange than appears at first I fiance thnt the tickle reflex can be excited only la certain parts of the body, by but types el tactile impre.s.-ion, and that it is invariably accompanied by a h.'.f-pro- trc-tive reaction. One type of the tickle re¬ flex is elicited by a light, running n.otmn on ihe seriate of the skin, which produces a sensation like that produced by a crawling insect, with an irresistible desire to scratch St rub the affected part. A »harp impact crtii ss pain, but if the. adequate stimulus of eoataet which simulates the crawling of an insect be applied again und «K'n.n in the same spot it will cause each time the same This refles srs rdly «Jereleped St a '.ime When .ns'Ci were i great menace to life, and when only thosi individuals which evolved an i war« ablo to prevail. "Another type of ticklo r« flei Is elicit«. 1; leen pressure in the ribs, the loin.» or tii of the feet. The reaction is a viole:. of laughter, with cries for mercv In the Middle Ages rictimi of torturo wen OftCfl killed by prolonged tickling. Tin tickle r.reas have always been the peint, most frequently attached by savage beast» "i'hildren and young animals at play in variably recapitulate the ti¿ht maneuvres ol their ancestors by attacks in ticklish apota Playful puppies in frolic lie flat on then backs. with »hoir le«?« u«raiMai, Th«y &ghl playfully and in *( if-def- cc while the on« or. top pummel; and claw« the «other in nee! and ribs in a playful effort to excite him the m.mic contest not Infrequently termi¬ nating in a reil fight, in which the same :.re vigoro-. ed. "The relation of tickling to laughter is an interesting feati.i :<flex . . Jim DOW it is sufficient to note that there is nc luught«-r m response to tickling by an ir. act, but boisterous laughter .¦ stimulation of t'.ic d ep ticklish areas. l*he e.<rtnditure of en- »port louai to the f the original condl- I refl x. r-flex i« an excellent I«r»»n t» H J niawa»ll>» loll 1 »r A I n!»>¦'« Latf« "Í An.:. Contest between ant-bear and puma. This attadi «with teeth and claws upon unprotected parts illustrates the m.-thod by which deep ticklish points may luve been evolved. .From Mor.An .\da¡<tatiie Mechari*m. Artificial Limbs Made of Cardboard Few people would imagine that artificial limbs could be made of such unlikely material as cardboard. Yet this is bein<-: done on a considerable scale. hecOltUag to the London correspondent of "The Man¬ chester (iuardian." Legs and arms sr« cut out from cardlxiard about three-sixteenths of an inch in thickness and bound togfthar w ith bandages soaked in a solution of starch. Two flat pieces of cardboard ars cut cut, of which the combined widths equal the girth of the limb. These are scaked in water until they can be bent round into the requisite form, when the afOtWJêU star.-hel bandages nre applied. The finished article being holl«iw. ir etM) be worn before the stump of the leg or arm has COCDpletelj healed; in fact, this is often done within s fortnight «if amputation. In the case of «eg! tKi-* invention obviate« the need for crutcheu..Chambers's Journal. Shaw on Child Welfare THE presence in England of Judçe Henry Neil, of Chicago, "father of the American women's pension laws," has prompted George Bernard .-haw to make another drive at the mod¬ ern state for its neglect of tho primary rights of children to food and to protec¬ tion. Judge Neil is in England for the purpose of conferring with Lord Lytton and members of the House of Commons on the subject of the mothers' pension sys¬ tem. He recently sent to the Council of National Baby Week a message received from Bernard Shaw, which was subse¬ quently printed in "Everyman" (London) : "Child poverty is the only sort of poverty .hut mutter». The adult who has been poor - shlld will never «¿ret the chill of poverty out of his bones; but he will make room for tter nourished generation. "There are no doubt property owner* in America who tell Judg». Henry Neil that it is confiscation to tax one man's property to ay tor '.he education of another man's chil¬ dren. We have scoundrels of that sort in England, too. Some day they will perhaps have the opportunity of saying it to a higher judge than Henry Neil. He will send them to the place he reserves for those who huv« learned to say 'Our Father,' but have not ay 'Our Children.' The one with¬ out the other is a blasphemy. Also it is un¬ businesslike folly. N'eglectad children soet more than vvcü-iiourisii< il ants '«¦ >¦¦ r\',.. !-. except their immefliat» parent». "The principal bu»iness of a policeman a" present is to prevent hungry children from obtaining food. The proper primary business of a policeman is to seise every hungrv child and feed It, to collar every ragged child and clothe it, to hand every illiterate child over to those who will teach it how to read and write. "If America cannot see this, there is no future for America. And it is because sh» has been slow to see that so m-ich of her past .:. fil and so much of her present mis¬ erable." The Cattle Supply of the World IN FRANCE the itoek fell in the first year of the war from well over H,- 000,000 head to little over 12,000.000. The supply of Great Britain, Italy and Germany has naturally been decreased, but we have no exact figures. It goes without saying the reconstitution of adequate stocks in ail the belligerent countries will be a question of years, ami will entail large and continued importation» after the end of the war. Of the countries of supply the Argentine Republic takes the lead, with its herd of 29,000,000 head of horned cattle in 1008. Since then the number has remained sta¬ tionary, but there are, no doubt, large possibilities of increasing the production, above all, in the eastern sections of the country, which are sparsely inhabited. Canada and Australia, with 7,000,000 and 11,000,000 head, respectively, and New Zealand, with 2,000,000, continue to export largely, but care will be necessary to prevent undue depletion of stock through the present huge demands. Among the countries likely to come to the fore in the future, Brazil is probably to be placed in the front rank of all, the plateaus of the southern interior offering exceptional advantages. The stock of horned cattle is said to have already leached 30,000,000 head, and cattle rearing is being widely encouraged by the govern¬ ment. The states of Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul and Rio de Janeiro have, with great success, installed meet frees- hsf plants. Among the French colonies Madagascar and French West Africa will soon he cap- ! able of sending larga supplies of froten neat to the mother country. Eugenics and Birth Contro IS THFRE pn issue between eugen and birth control, or, if they can harmonized, how shall it b« dor Paul Popenoe tries hi» hand at blending the current number of Margaret Sango fugitive magazine, "Birth Control I view," which one may buy only surrep tiously on the street ccrners. Mr. I renoe, who is editor of "The Journal Heredity," drawing a fine distinction I tween birth c«introl as new practised the rich and birth cont-ol "as it should practised by the unfit," wiites: To be eugenic, a measure must favor t reproductivity of the happier and more e cient parts of the population and discours the increase of the les» c»p»bl« part». "It is a matter of common notoriety th birth control as at present practised do (eat the reverse. The superior part» of t population are limiting their famili«« much that they are not even reproduce .heir own number», while the increa»« of i ferior familie» is checked only by the dea rate, because they do not practise ofTecti method» of birth control. "It i» nocc»sary to conclude, therefore, th birth control «s »t pr«*ent practised in tl Datted State» is the reverse of «ugenic. is tending to race deterioration. "A spread of birth control to the les« cap Us part of the population will be an impo taut advance for ««ugenic» in cutting down t ráela! contribution of inferior stock». But i.» not likely that the gain will be a* gre as is ««.bmetime«, supposed. It seems probab that those who will practise birth contr most effectively are the prudent, far-sight» conscientious pareni«, whose children the ra needs; while even possession of a knowledi of contraceptive method» will not affect tl reckless and improvident, those who procr ate while drunk those, in short, whose chi dren the raco would be better off without. "EVOB though he firmly adheres to the prii ciple of intelligent and voluntary moth« hood, the eugenist cannot think that the un versal practica of birth control will have t drawback.». It will be a better condition th« that which at present exist«, when the sup. rior eins«»« «lone limit the «is« of their fan ¡lies effectively; but it will inereaie th« tas of eugenics, aince it will require vigoroi measures to augment the birth rnte of ei geaieallp »uperior families, "Some people need fewer children, «om need more. It it not fair to expect the birt control propagandists to carry on a simultj neous campaign on the«e two sides of th question, but they ought at least to recojzniz th« two side« and not throw unnecessary or. ¡ stacles in the way of ««ugenic». "It makes no difference whether one be lieves in universal knowledge of birth cor trol; it cannot now be stopped and must b regurded a« a fact to be reckoned with. Bu [ believe eugenists go much further thai this. They will look with satisfaction on ai extension of birth control to the inefficien part of the population, and many of them an taking an active part in th« campaign." Havelock Ellis, writing in "The Eu¬ genics Review," believes: "That we posses» in birth control an in¬ valuable instrument, not merely for immedi. »te social betterment but for th« «lev»tlon of the race, is tacitly admitted to-day by n«ar> ly all thoughtful eug»nists, though they often refrain from emphasizing the fact." And this able psychologist discuss«? three «iirertions in which society might '¦..orí: "toward rendering eugenic ideal» effective la social and racial life." Briefly stated, these are as follow«-: "1. By increaiing and promoting th« knowledge of the laws of heredity. Knowl. edge must come before action, and our knowl« edge of the tendencies of heredity in Hi bearing on eugenics is »till far from ad«. quate. While th« expert biologieal In- .-ator may be expected to tak« th« chief part in thii extension of knowledge, j it i« by no mean.» confined to him. Ev«r« . -v 11 h ca»e» of family heredity weeld be de»:rav/e to explore, it far as may be possible, and it is hi» duty to put them on record. Without going outiid« one's own family, indeed, provided one can trace backward for a few generation«, it il possible to draw a picture, even if only foi one'« private edification, for example or foi wurimg; while those of us who ran follow our ancestors backward for 4ev«ral centurlei may find in our hands a study tall alike of íasc.nation and instruction. "2. By popularizing a knowledge of th« method« of birth control. A knowledge of the methods of limiting offspring by th« OSS of contraceptives, which in th« eighteenth century seems »till to have been confined to the rake« of the fashionable world and only used for immoral purposes, began about a century ago to be associated with moral snd priKlenMa! motive*. Since then it ha» »t«ad- ily tended to spre»d In all civilised eountri«! throughout the world. "In the United Status ... a barrier has been ererfd Ly the law. The result h«a been that heroic «pior.etr», like Mr». Margaret Sar.ger, in a generous pastion of humanité« rian ardor, have flung defiance at th« law«. The method of reforming bad law» by break« ing »hem is DO. that which commend» itself to an Instinctively law-abiding community, even when the law-breaker is inspired by th«* nob!e«t anotire«. But the fact that It should be neoessary to break a law In order to carry out ?o exalted a talk .. that of working for humanity and for the elevation of the race is itself an outrage on «omethlng even higher than law. In educating the com¬ munity and in remoulding the law In accord« anee with that educa'.iou there i* evidently »till room for much work In Arnerca. "3. By acting in accordance with ear knowledge. It is not enough to acquire a knowledge of the laws of heredity. It i« not enough to spread a knowledg« of th« methods of birth control. Fach of th«»« »«paraUly, however d?sirable, will »carce'.y «fr«ct rauch for th« pr»etic»l «ug«nie «Uvatlon of man¬ kind. It Is only when they ar« combinad, in the light of a hie-h sena« ot personal rcipon- libility, to become a guiding motive of ee- tion, that Um task i« achieved. For this high »«me of re»pon»ibility, directed toward indi« vidual action, lies at th« root ot the whole ¦satter "