pinned to the floor. The trick was then shown to consist in wearing
under-garments, with which she could emerge from her external apparel
with ease, and, to all outside appearance, without any disturbance.

To our mind, the most foolish of all foolish exhibitions is that at
which one has the presumption to stand before an intelligent audience
and declare his ability to call one from the dead for his or their
amusement. But if we can by any great stretch of imagination suppose
that Englishmen and Americans have succeeded in opening up a
communication between them and spirits, they are still far behind the
Russian peasants, who have their house spirits, who are of
considerable use. These spirits take persons, houses, cattle, and
chattels of every description under their care. They are heard wailing
before a death. One of them rouses the inmates of a house if fire or
robbery be threatened. Pestilence and war are foretold by such spirits
lamenting in the meadows. Here we have useful spirits, worth
having--not like our ones, capable of communicating only by means of
knocks and through showmen. If spirits can do no more for living men
than they have done, they may remain away, and let the showman medium
return to honest labour, or be sent to seek knowledge and truth within
the walls of a prison or in a house of correction.

CHAPTER LXXIII.

Superstition in Roman Catholic
Countries--Miracle-working Images, Winking Madonnas
and Apparitions--Image paying Homage to the Virgin
Mary--St. Dominic--Madonnas at Trastevere--Girl
carrying the Sacred Stigmata of the
Passion--Miraculous Cures--The Virgin Mary appearing
to Children--Superstitious Ceremony at
Dieppe--Blessing the Neva--Lady offering up her Life
to save the Pope--A Legend--Superstitious Belief of
Napoleon's Mother--Trust in Amulets--Zulu
Superstition--Witchcraft forbidden under Treaty of
Peace with Great Britain--Eating Fetish--Superstition
among the Ashantees--Endeavour to prevent the Advance
of the British Army--Shah of Persia's
Talismans--Bathing Fair--Indian Princes consulting
Fortune-tellers--The Queen of Hearts--Procuring Rain
in India--Superstition in America--Mysterious Lights
at St. Lawrence--Superstitious Artists--Hogarth's last
Picture, "The End of all Things."

In Roman Catholic countries superstition frequently culminates in
miracle-