Salt Lake Telegram | 1928-12-10 | Page 6 | Superstition Persists

I-I I Q i Superstition Persists 1 I T isa ISa little bit hard to realize that hr ep e- e 1 1 p ope are being held in f for forthe r tb the murder that had its roots in a celi belief f in witchcraft A man and two boys are under t. t They killed an aged recluse it is is zai said they felt that he lie was casting spells ni n them if they could kill him hini and p perform l certain rites wi with h locks of his hair then thep spells would break breakdown down and all would be we elj h That t is a grotesque sort of thing to hap liap happen pert per country that prides itself on its effi- effi cie education and its general enlighten enlighten- me t. t But it is quite well attested indeed the investigating officers suspect that one or tw two murders in the same neighborhood can traced be to the same source The rh belief in witchcraft and black magic dies die hard It was born somewhere far back in th the savage Ravage savage infancy of the race and it has lingered on like an unhealthy taint in the blood to the pre present ent day Few of us are altogether ether free from superstition Ordinarily a to sit thirteen at a table is the extent t Of f it but now and then you will find finda a person who has a shadow shadowy lurking fear of hide hideous forces forces in the empty air about him If It will be a long time b before f re this belief dies out It is deeply grounded in human nature na na- na- na ture tur I Probably it owes much of its force to the fact fact that it is almost impossible for mankind mankind man man- kind kindt itoi t i realize without a struggle its own higH higl fruition in the general scheme of things fh The world must have been a terrifying placed for the aboriginal savage He had only his hv and such makeshift weapons as ashe ashe ashe he could devise of wood and stone to cope with y a universe that seemed everlastingly hos hos- tile Nature brought him floods famines and storms The forests were full of wild beasts There Ther r vere were ere hostile tribes beyond the next hill rea ready rea t to Ib fall upon him if he lie did not keep aler alert hat wonder if he lie felt that he unaided un- un aid aided d Was vas too weak and insignificant to stan staid stand alone atone that there must be unseen powers in th the silent air tI that lt could help or harm him if he performed he-performed the proper charms Na that attitude has persisted If is still sUU 1 hard ard for a ma man to realize that he lie holds the forces of the earth in his hand The idea ide almost nothing is absolutely impossible impossible sible t tc the human race is a relatively new one Ve We Ve still start and shudder at noises in inthe inthe inthe the dark Pes Despite ite all of our modern inventions and the world worM is still a perplexing be- be place The man who can confront it without lt a tremor is the man who can cancon- cancon con con- vin himself of his own spiritual grandeur Once Y u establish in your own mind the fact that you you are the heir of all aU the ages JJ the most mysterious and marvelous of all aU the works work of a mysterious and marvelous creation nothing can frighten or perplex you any more But 1 until that sort of knowledge is far more widespread r ad than it is we shall continue to have b backwoods corners wh where re the prince of the ers 4 rs of darkness is feared as a living real reality f i t 1 t t f A