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NATIONAL ODDITIES.

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NATIONAL ODDITIES. Peculiar Characteristics of the World's Peoples. To FBIGHBN EVIL SPIRITS. The Grecian mother, before putting her child in its oradle, turns three times around before the fire, while sit ging her favourite song, to ward off evil spirits. A CURIOUS HERALD. The Royal family of Hawaii have a curious herald—a shoal of red fish, or alulaa, in the harbour of Honolulu. When this shoal comes into the harbour natives know one of the Royal family has to go. The fatal fish appeared in immense numbers in January last, the nets were full to breaking, and the natives said, "Our king is doomed." And so he was. Twenty days later King Kalaltaua crossed the Great Divide. STRANGE SUPERSTITIONS. Superatition takes on some very peculiar forms at Hawaii. For instance, some of the natives believe that if they cross the thres- hold of the Royal Falaoe with the left foot first, a train of bad luck will follow them in some way, either in health or business. The average Hawaiian would as soon welcome the sight of an ocean of hot lava pouring over the country from Mauna Loa. as to see a foreign warship anchor in the great harbour. The natives believe a warship brings bad luck. 1; NAMING BABIES. In some oountries curious customs prevail in regard to selecting names for the baby. A Hindoo baby is named when it is twelve days old, and usually by the mother. Some- times the father wishes for another name than that selected by the mother. In that case two lamps are placed over the two names, and the name over which the lamp barns the brightest is the one given to the ohild. In an Egyptian family the parents choose a name for their baby by lighting three wax candles; to each of these they give a name, one of the three always belonging to some dignified personage. The candle that burns the longest bestows the name upon the baby. The Mohammedans sometimes write de- sirable names on five slips of paper, and these they place in the Koran. The name upon the slip first drawn out is given to the ohild. The children of the Ainos, a people living in Northern Japan, do not receive their names until they are five years old. It is the father who then ohooses the name by which the child is afterwards called. The Chinese give their boy babies a name in addition to their surnames, and they must call themselves by these names until they are twenty years old. At that age the father gives his son a new name. The Chinese care so little for their girl babies that they do not give t hem a baby name, but just call them Number One, Number Two, Number Three, according to their birth. Boys are thought so much moro of in China than girls are that if you ask a Chinese father who has both a boy and a girl how many children he has, he will always reply, "Only one child." German parents sometimes change the name of their baby if it ia ill; and the Japanese are said to change the name of a child four times, NEGRO BELIEFS. A writer on this subject in LippincotVs Magazine, says :—" The Southern negro has a sign and a meaning for everything. You can scarcely move without running counter to some superstition. Take up ashes after dark, you bring death into the house; sweep dirt out of adoorafter nightfall, you sweep out the wealth of the family with it; pour milk on the ground, the cows will go dry. If after start- ing away from your house you will have occasion to return, sit down, if only for a moment, before starting off again, otherwise your errand will be fruitless. The ory of the soreech-owl bodes death, as does also the notes of the whippoorwill, if heard near a dwelling-house; in the woods it is in- nocuous. Kill a lizard, its mate will come to count your teeth and you will surely die. The howl of the dog foretells the death of one of the family, as does also the orowing of a ben. The disaster may, however, be averted in the latter case if the hen is instantly slaughtered—a clear case of the survival of the oustoms of the saorifice of a cock to the devil by way of propitiation. If the eyes of a corpse refuse to shut, they are watching for some member of the family who will soon follow. When a grave is dug, the spades, &o., used in the work must be left out overnight, or they will be needed soon for a similar service and no fear need be enter- tained of their being stolen, since the thief would bring the doom on his own head. To bring a hoe into a dwelling house is I mighty bad luck,' as any old maumer will tell you; and a bird flying into the window or door Is an unfailing messenger of woe. If your hand itches, rub it upon wood and put it in your pocket; it will bring you money or a gift. Should yoor eyelid quiver, you will weep ere long. If a snake cross your path, beware of harm from your enemies, which may be pre- vented if you pursue and kill the snake. The small knuckle-bone of a ham carried in the pocket ia a oharm against the evil eye in general and rheumatism in particular. If the birds use your hair in nest-building, you will have headaohe which will last untiU the yoang birds are fledged, and the nest abandoned." STRANGE MASSAGE CEREMONIES. Compared with the simple rites of less civilised people our marriage ceremony seems a trying ordeal for the young and bashful to go through. The Cherokee form of marriage is, perhaps, the simplest and most expressive of any. The man and woman merely join hands over a running stream, emblematio of the wish that their future lives, hopes, and aspirations should flow on in the same channel. Between the mountains of India and Persia is a powerful tribe, among whom an extra- ordinary custom prevails. Women's rights apparently have received fall recognition, for the ladies of the tribe can choose their own husbands. All a single lady has to do when she wishes to change her state is to send a servant to pin a handkerchief to the hat of the man on whom her fanoy lights, and he is obliged to marry her, except he can show he is too poor to purchase her at the price her father requires. The way the Singalese and Tartar tribes have of popping the question is about as singular as their marriage rites. The man sends and purohases the lady's wearing apparel. Of course, if she does not like the gentleman she need not part with the con- tents of her wardrobe, but if he is the favoured one she readily does so, knowing that when the evening comes they will be returned to her by the suitor in person, He spends the night beneath the same roof with her, and the next day, after a certain amount of feasting is gone through, the oouple's thumbs are tied together and thenceforward they are man and wife. In certain parts of Africa a custom once prevailed (and may still) of the intended bride bringing a bowl or calabash of water for the bridegroom to wash his hands in. If he oondesotafcd to do so Ih, then and there acknowledged him as her lord and master, and moreover drank the water as a proof of her love and fidelity, and cases have been known where a copious shedding of tears of joy and thankfulness accompanied the latter act. Among some of the aboriginal races of America the would-be bridegroom sometimes experienced considerable difficulty in winning a bride. There was a matrimonial mound on which the priest stood, around which the swain had to chase the fair one. If he was not a favoured suitor the lady generally managed to make the circuit three times before being overtaken, in which case she was not compelled to marry her pursuer. How amusing it would be in this country to see a fat old batchelor (that is if minus of riohes) chasing a nimble maiden round a hillock. But infinitely move trouble has a youth of the Philippines ere he is allowed to take a wife to bis bosom. After the parents on both sides have come to terms, the young gentle- man has to work for his intended father-in- law for a certain time, very often for four years, and sometimes longer. During this time he must mind his p's and q's,-for if he does anything wrong he is instantly discarded, Very frequently unscrupulous fathers make a practice of dismissing their daughters' young men on the merest pretence, thus enriohing themselves by their gratuitous labour. A strange praotice is that of betrothing a girl before she is born, conditionally, of course. The Calmuos do so. But the girl is allowed an opportunity, on her bridal morning, of winning her freedom, should she dislike the man her parents have chosen for her. The marriage ceremony is performed by the bride riaing away at full speed, pursued by the bridegroom, who must capture her and bring her back; if he fails to do so he is deemed unworthy of her band. Very rarely can a Calmuc lady be overtaken unless she has a partiality for her pursuer. In some parts of India an extraordinary marriage ceremony is performed. The bride- groom, bride, and priest drive a cow and calf into the water, and then all three lay a hand on the oow's tail while the priest pours some water on it from a brass vessel, by which act the couple are joined forever in the bonds of matrimony. The priest olaims the cow and oalf, together with all the money the happy pair may give to the idols to propitiate them, as a recompense for his trouble. When a young Savoyard goes a-woomg he pays considerably more attention to the ad- mired one's fire than her face. If she leaves the billets of wood undisturbed on the hearth it is a sign be is welcome; but should she place one of the burning fagot in an upright position against the others, it is a hint for him to take his departure.

WOMEN'S COURTESY.

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-SOCIETY GOSSIP.

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[FIGHTING IN INDIA,

!HEAVY SENTENCES ON %: •«4»…

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