COINCIDENCES AND SUPERSTITIONS. 405 



who are discussing the particular superstition relating 

 to salt-cellars, can cite instances of an apparent con- 

 nection between a misfortune and the contact of salt 

 with a table-cloth, the circumstance is in no sense to 

 be wondered at ; it would be much more remarkable 

 if the contrary were the case. There is scarcely a 

 superstition of the commoner sort which is not in like 

 manner based, not on some remarkable coincidence, 

 but on the occasional occurrence of quite common 

 coincidences. It may be said, indeed, of the facts on 

 which nearly all the vulgar superstitions have been 

 based, that it would have amounted to little less than 

 a miracle if such facts were not common in the 

 experience of every person. Any other supersti- 

 tions could be just as readily started, and be very 

 quickly supported by as convincing evidence. If 

 I were to announce to-morrow in all the papers 

 and on every wall that misfortune is sure to follow 

 when any person is ill-advised enough to pare a finger- 

 nail between ten and eleven o'clock on any Friday 

 morning, that announcement would be supported 

 within a week by evidence of the most striking kind. 

 In less than a month it would be an established 

 superstition. If this appears absurd and incredible, 

 let the reader consider merely the absurdity of ordinary 

 superstitions. Take, for instance, fortune-telling by 

 means of cards. If our police reports did not assure 

 us that such vaticination is believed in by many, would 

 it be credible that reasoning beings could hope to 

 learn anything of the future from the order in which a 



