Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 74, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 March 1917 — 1 Match for 3 Cigarettes, Jinx [ARTICLE]

1 Match for 3 Cigarettes, Jinx

Strange Superstitions, Coming FrorriTrenches, fake Firm _ Root in England. IS SURE-fIMEN OF DEM# Lighting of Three Cigarettes From One Match Means Death to One or More of the Smokers—Origin of the Superstition. London. —With every month of the great war new superstitions are continually finding origin among the rank and file of the British soldiery. These -superstitions are speedily in trod u ced irito«civil life and London is rapidly becoming one of the most superstitious cities in the world. It, would seem; almost, that every man—home »n leave has a new parcel of things that must be done or must not be done to avoid trouble. • Probably the most generally accepted superstition is that of using one march to light three cigarettes. It Simply must wot be done. The noncombatants are every' whit as superstitious in this respect as the soldiery. It is ,a crime almost for anyone to light the two companions withthe match tie has Jujst_jmetL4h light his own. place where -Englishmen or soldiers are found and the offending match will be Means Speedy Death. The chaps from the trenches say that the lighting of three cigarettes with one match means the speedy death of one, if not all three of the group, and they will cite you a hundred and one instances to prove their contention. They will tell-you of an instance last fall near St. EJoi. A group of men were billeted in a house far back from the battle line. There had not been a shot or shell dropped in the villages for several weeks. A new recruit, just over from “Blighty.” as they cull England or home, had parsed a box of cigarettes among his new-found friends.. He struck a match and before any in the group had (realized it three cigarettes had been lighted. When It sud-

denly dawned on the group what had ■occurred, there was deep silence for fully a minute. “Too bad, old chap,” finally remarked Tommy to the newcomer, “but it means light's out for you, if not the three of yani.” The offender tried to laugh his fears away, but he couldn’t. Two hours" laTer”The _ Tfst”shel 1 irT weeks struck the billet and when the Tommies had extricated themselves from the ruin they’ found that all but the newcomer from “Blighty" were safe. The. lighter ,of the three cigarettes with the one match had been instantly killed. Origin of Superstition. There are many explanations for this "superstition, but: probably the most plausible is that of its being symbolic--, of the three candles placed at the coffin of the dead. It has been the custom, to place two at the head of the coffin and one at the foot. So for generations in England and Ireland. it has been considered a bad omen to hav© three burning lights in a room. Whenever it is found that “three cahdTes“are""buf riihg in "*a room it is taken as a certainty that a death is soon to occur. But whatever the origin of the match superstition, it is a firmly fixed one, and thrice brave is the man who dares to hold it in contempt.