Show Babbits' Babbits Feet and Other a 0 Amulets Given Gi ven Credit for Saving Saving Lives Live of f S Soldiers d ers 4 r rl q By Forbes W. W Fairbairn La S I ONDON ODO N Aug 30 Just 30 Just how far did dill I tho soldiers soldier's mascot go so toward i Did tho the who nho lavIng his lifo life boy fie mO through h tho the thickest of or the tho fray frayo o u unscathed o owe we LI Ma good fortune fortuno to the tho 9 d luck ho carried cu on his hla pern pcr- pcr son n or Is a the tho popular t bleh held bel sway s in all armies a 1 mere mera fallacy discussed byr by 7 These Questions are arc Edward t r J vett honorable curator of or ortho tho Folk Loro section of or tho Imperial articles written m In a series of oC f fora r a London publication publication- He makes Lo no no direct comment on tho the value of or o the mascot but details some soma of or the curiOUS curl curl- fous OUS beliefs held by tho fighters and the Ule 4 most religious ious awe ave with Ith which the they r regard gard their luck pieces A picco o of or coal wrapped in a small liken bag baC given to an nn American officer of- of by his sweetheart b before oro ho left leU ome was one of or the curious rinds finds finds mado by Mr Lovett during during- tour ho made among among- the British and Dominion troops in France This of officer of- of fiver firmly believed ho lio owed his hiJ lIfo life lifey y j to this bit of coal and told of or several miraculous escapes he had during tho war ar Another officer in the same reg- reg 1 was waa so superstitious about his l mascot that ho refused to even en toll I what hat It was I r 1 tf Wouldn't Show Ilia nl Charm I la i f I T I wont won't show it to you and I 1 wont won't even cn tell you jou ou what it is because It would spoil m my luck ho told Ir Iov ett ott tt and the latter had to bo be content with that answer Another Australian carried tarried a Swastika and a fourth had a 3 small grotesque c cross on his per person on onto to guard ft him against enemy shells and ba bayonets Ono One of ot tho the most curious examples of superstition among amonS' troops was discovered ered ored b by Mr Ir Lovett in tho the person of or an I Australian private ho met in IA London r This man malt the figure C 5 r on tho the collar o of his tunic explained Mr vett velt I 1 asked him If be ho knew the that had grown up around 11 figuro uro in tho the continental armies annes Ho lie ViaS rather Inclined to sneer at luck iu nu iu general but ho told me that his company com con pany an which was the tho Fifth Firth was Yer very lucky and day after aCter day tho the men tad had I many man narrow escapes from death or wounds The lLo com company pan in fact had l lost only fifteen men out of or ISO whilo tho second company had lost a much larger proportion He also toll told that the figure uro 13 was considered by them a luel lucky number and that most mot of r the tho n men cn in the Fifth Irth company compan culy curious cu- cu rious ly enough had 13 in their rc regimental regi- regi l- l mental numbers his own number beIng boSn boing bo- bo ing Sn 7 But I 1 think most superstitious case so of or all was waa that of or the officer who would would not tell me rno what hat his mascot Cot was was as Nothing I could say would Induce In- In duce uc him to alter his decision I I Inck Fifth FIrth Referring to tho figure figuro 5 6 it is known on the continent as Pentad rand and the B Belgian lan soldiers consider tho the Fifth regiment tho the luckiest t ono one In the tho f division Tho The logic of or tho the Pentad I is exceedingly Iy curious and an Is eXI explained in tho the following manner I Figure ure 1 stands for God absolutely alone figure Is tho mind of ot God GOll in operation a as shown by tho the w works rl of or nature figure uro 3 represents man aa us the highest work worl of God lakIn Taking S' S therefore therefore therefore there there- fore figure 1 as ns being unique tho figures figures fig fig- Ig- Ig ures 2 and 3 that 3 that Is is Gods God's work in tho hands of man man equal equal C L and this th's 5 Is said to represent everything c In England wo do not fully Cully appreciate tho the meaning of tho the figure uro C. C Tho Maoris New Zealand colored troops who fought In France furnished furnished fur fur- tho the investigator with quantities of on tlc tIe subject of or mascots mascota Th They y didn't object at all to telling all they knew about their charms and the tle Information In gleaned was very ery interest ing Tho The greatest mascot of or tho the Maoris Is Isa Isa isa a quaint contorted greenstone fI figure uro which Is known to bo be of enormous antiquity writes Mr Lovett Thita a greenstone a kind o of jade jade IS is extremely ex extremely ex- ex hard hard In In fact it Is almost as ashard ashard ashard hard as corundum or the diamond The sized ordinary Jade tiki or club would take a native naU of or New Zealand lealand several months or even years ears to rub rubdown rubdown rubdown down and It hat hart been stated that sorno some of or the lan largo c clubs of or pure Jade take the lives of or three thre men at constant work ork to make maJe There Ther arc are however a largo number of ot made machine in inthe inthe inthe the market I was told that when a Maori Mao dies his tiki Is always alwa's buried burled with him Tin Hilt But i the commonest st charms amon among I th the lc i rs of F France and and Belgium ium arc are arc made of aluminum and copper fragments fragments frag frag- ments of or German shells It was considered considered con con- that If Ir you wore a piece picco of tho the onen enemy's projectile it inoculated you IOU I against future danger daner from Crom such sueh I sources This 53 ka 3 similar to the Irish cottage has s Its thunderbolt which is supposed to protect tho the home from Crom being being- struck by lightning Instances of this doctrine exist practically throughout Europe Shell tI Priced keen n keenon Tho The French Trench soldier was very ery on fragments o of shells which he carefully carefully care care- rull fully wrapped In cloth and secreted about his person Aluminum and cOPPer copper cop- cop Per Pcr fragments were prized most high high- ly be They were fashioned into crosses anchors stars diamonds shields finger fin fin- ger rings and even cven into model flying machines by clover soldier artisans Thoy were carried as amulets by thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands 0 of r S men Italian troops wore charms that have ha been common in that country for centuries Th They y were generally phallic emblems emblem such as may maybo maybe maybe be bo seen by the thc thousands in tho streets of Rome Romo or Naples ples The Italian soldier soldier soldier sol sol- sol sol- dier usually wears some somo religious emblem em em- blem The doughboy amulets amulet consisted of or a mixture of all the thc ones worn b by bytho bytho tho European soldier and scores of or his tola own particular fanc fancy Rabbits' Rabbits feet were numerous among the American divisions especially tho the colored troops and other curious essentially American American Ameri mer can charms were carried The Tho Yankee soldier it seems was waa Just as ns superstitious superstitious superstitious as tho the others when it camo came to luck good pieces Mr Ir Lovett Lo has a a. number of German charms most of oC which were taken taleen from German prisoners The They are aro of or ofa orr r a character one might expect from I such a 3 people bo tic says and consist largely of or pigs piss many of which aro arc grossly indecent and vulgar rl Pig Pis ns Wealth aUh Insignia Moreover he ho says sas the pl pig is no noa not nota a a. lucky charm as wo we might regard It It It simply Implies wealth and that 1 Is not much use In actual fighting Another Another Another An An- other German charm Is a small natural natura red blood-red color This is really n a I. I emblem A third kind is tho the meaning chance On the other hand in the German Gennan nav navy or what whal remains of or it they have rather a pretty prett charm It consists of or a 5 t cheap medal bearing the tho fig fig- ure of or Christ stilling the tempest with tho the motto safety in storms Despite tho the wide prevalence alenco of or tho the charm and tho the care o with which the tho trinket was was was' w guarded g the invariable rule for tor the the soldier r was to deny al all knowledge whatever of or such euch Just the same it has been es estI es- es tI teJ l. that so cn out of or every ten soldiers in the war carried somo some sort son of or a luck good piece which they treasured tress treas Ted red above all oil else |