ISBN: 9781145639751

THIS unique title applies technically only to the first chapter of this well-furnished book; but as that chapter is much the longest of the seven, and occupies two fifths of a volume devo… Plus…

THIS unique title applies technically only to the first chapter of this well-furnished book; but as that chapter is much the longest of the seven, and occupies two fifths of a volume devoted to omens and auguries, it may appropriately represent the whole. The first chapter, and the one upon the superstitions relating to common salt, owe their origin to papers read by the author at meetings of the American Folk-Lore Society. Evidently his preparation for these papers has carried him far into the THIS unique title applies technically only to the first chapter of this well-furnished book; but as that chapter is much the longest of the seven, and occupies two fifths of a volume devoted to omens and auguries, it may appropriately represent the whole. The first chapter, and the one upon the superstitions relating to common salt, owe their origin to papers read by the author at meetings of the American Folk-Lore Society. Evidently his preparation for these papers has carried him far into the literature of the general subject, and given him the occasion for telling us many interesting things about Fortune and Luck, the Omens of Sneezing, Days of Good and Evil Omen, Dealings with Animals, and the Luck of Odd Numbers. We may congratulate ourselves that we are not living under the influence of these numerous and complicated superstitions. They have had a long life and have died hard, - if indeed we can say that any of them are yet dead. In this part of the world, at any rate, we flatter ourselves that we are delivered from a vast amount of superincumbent rubbish that still seems to oppress mankind in the older countries. To many practical minds, myths and legends have not the slightest interest. But what would Greek and Roman and mediaeval literature be without them? How could our children get on without the creations of fancy which have come down to us from Teutonic and Scandinavian tales and ballads? Notwithstanding the absurdities involved, they clearly reveal the aspirations and struggles, the traditions and beliefs, the hopes and fears, of the race. In this light, nothing that has occupied the serious thought of men for so long a time is unworthy of our attention. Science has learned to despise nothing, but rather to search, analyze, dissect, eager to get at the original, underlying meaning of things. Dr. Lawrence does not assume to moralize about the many strange customs he has collected. He is content to classify them and let them speak for themselves. He Books, History~~General, Magic-Of-The-Horse-Shoe-With-Other-Folk-Lore-Notes~~Robert-Means-Lawrence, , , , , , , , , , Nabu Press<

ISBN: 9781145639751

Paperback, [PU: Nabu Press], This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant ma… Plus…

Paperback, [PU: Nabu Press], This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.<