| Show the why of superstitions by H IRVING KING DEATH CONTAGION THE rural districts especially IN less frequently lu in tile cities it Is 19 the custom both in this country and canada to give tile the whole house a thorough cleaning after a death has occurred in it though tile the death may have been the result of no contagious disease the deceased may not dot have had any long iong illness and may even have died from viole violence nee or accident the mere fact that death has occurred in the house Is supposed to necessitate the cleans clean ins in some sections many people will not walk through a gravey graveyard aed in going to make a call for fear of bringing death to their friends all this Is a survival of the doctrine of 0 the contagion of death primitive man had no idea of the contagion of disease but through ob of the effects of disease came to the conclusion that death itself was catching disease and death to liioi him were purely spiritual phenomena the nearer the relationship tion ship of the dead to the flythe living the more favorable were t livin living liable to be affected it if one of the attendants of th the P temple of 0 bambace saw the dead body of a stranger he be might not enter the temple for a day and night it if the body of a relative lie he was de barred for thirty days and in any case must be purified before resuming his office in the island of caos those who offered sacrifice to dead friends were unclean tor for two days and could not enter the temple until purified by water any number of similar cita eions might be made purification by water was the usual prescription for death contagion not because of its physically cleansing properties but because it was the ultimate source of life thus we see a primitive idea which has developed on the one hand into boards of health and the germ theory and on the other into a meaningless current superstition cal 1931 mcclure Now newspaper syndicate service |
