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Show Mistletoe Was Ancient Panacea. Numerous curious nnd ridiculous superstitions su-perstitions ns to methods of preventing prevent-ing disease were believed In yenrs ago, nnd are not altogether extinct even today, It Is said. Much ancient faith clustered nbout tho miindrnkc root, which wns carved In tho form of n doll, dressed In fine clothes, nnd kept In n box or collln concealed con-cealed In some corner of tho house. Euch month It was wnshed In wlno und water and freshly garbed. Another universal cure was to carry a piece of mistletoe which had been cut from n tree by a golden sickle nnd caught In n white vessel ns It fell. Metal scraped from n church bell or a piece of the rope wns supposed to have a similar protective Influence against disease, as also n cloth stained In tho blood of n murderer, or tho rope with which ho was hanged. |