president’s address. 
635 
Ancient distrust for strangers, and contempt of men 
“ from the shires,” has indeed almost vanished, but the older 
Ruston folk certainly retain in part the Boeotian reticence 
and indefiniteness for which the inhabitants of the district 
were formerly famed. They “ don’t mind if they do,” when 
invited to partake of something that they greatly desire, 
and speak of “ several ” only, when they mean, perhaps, 
hundreds. 
Information concerning the sayings and doings of the past 
is difficult to extract from the ancestral type of commoners, 
but much might still be written about the curious things 
that are believed in and done by them in secret. 
A tale was widely circulated here a few years ago, which 
redounds creditably to the wit of a Ruston lass. She was 
leading a Donkey to or from the common, and was met on 
the road by a visitor from London. He, on chaff intent, 
enquired whether she would sell her Donkey, to which she 
promptly replied : “ Lor, bor. dew yow think yar father can 
afford ter keep two ? ” 
Fried Mice are still administered to children for whooping 
cough, and Hodmadods (or Snails) are prescribed for 
consumption. Tom Breezer, the Dragon Fly, is captured to 
bite and cure writs (or warts). Two or three items of Scatology 
are practised. Lucky days are observed for sowing seeds. 
To dry off a cow, a libation is made to the Gods by milking 
her on to the ground. The evil eye of an offended woman 
has been supposed to afflict local cattle during the present 
year ; and within the past decade I buried a woman who 
died (as I afterwards heard) with a fiddle string tied round 
her middle to ward off the Evil Spirits! The last Jack o’ 
Lantern that was reported to me appeared on Ruston Holmes 
in October, 1890 ; but the old idea of a Frog or Toad living 
and growing within for months after having been swallowed 
by a human being, was supposed to have been exemplified 
in a Ruston boy who swallowed a “ Fresher ” for fun last 
