520 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



SUPERSTITIONS OF THE FRENCH CANADIANS. 



Bt Miss BLANCHE L. MACDONELL. 



THE folklore of Canada is the more interesting tliat it has its 

 origin in various sources. The Canadian transported with 

 him from fruitful Normandy, from poetical and superstitious 

 Brittany, a wealth of popular myths, traditions, legends, and be- 

 liefs which are almost as firmly held in French Canada of to-day 

 as ever they were in the ancient days of faith. Civilization has 

 scarcely invaded the sanctity of earnest faith, or broken its spell. 



In the legendary lore of Canada the devil plays a prominent 

 part. He does not appear as the strong angel, who fell through 

 pride, the enemy of God, but as the mediaeval devil of monkish 

 legend, the petty persecutor of man. In the rural districts of Can- 

 ada, Satan is supposed to be very active. His company may be 

 looked for on all occasions. The accidental appearance of a little 

 child in the room often betrays the presence of the evil spirit, as 

 the poor innocent is sure to bewail itself vigorously. The Prince 

 of Darkness may be met at a ball, in the guise of a handsome 

 young man who excels all the rustic gallants in appearance. He 

 wears gloves to conceal his claws, and disregards the trammels of 

 conventionality by keeping his hat on his head to hide his horns. 

 He selects the prettiest girl in the room as his partner, but his 

 choice is usually the village coquette, whose vanity or levity has 

 exposed her to the evil influence. In the midst of the gayety a 

 piercing cry is heard. A strong odor of brimstone becomes per- 

 ceptible, and the attractive cavalier is wafted out of the window, 

 carrying with him some useful domestic utensil, as, for instance, a 

 stove or the frying pan. The girl may escape with a sharp scratch 

 of a claw, particularly if she should happen to wear a cross or a 

 crucifix. Canadian rustics never answer "Entrez," when a knock 

 is heard at the door ; they invariably respond " Ouvrez." This 

 is founded upon an old legend of a young woman who replied 

 " Entrez " to such a summons, when the devil came in and carried 

 her off. 



When one is starting in a hurry to bring the priest to the sick, 

 the devil is stimulated to the most lively activity, for then it is 

 the question of the loss and gain of a soul. On such occasions an 

 endless variety of the most unforeseen accidents are sure to hap- 

 pen. The horses are found unharnessed, or the harness breaks 

 without any reason, and strange lights flash before the horses' 

 eyes. Prudent persons guard against such contingencies by pro- 

 viding themselves with two vehicles ; then, if an accident happens 

 to one, the other remains available. 



The werewolf legend constitutes one of the most somber of 



