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CURE FOR SUPERSTITION.

We find the following curious anecdote translated from a German work, in the last Foreign Quarterly Review:—­

A poor protestant who had fallen from his horse and done himself some serious injury which had obviously ended in derangement, came to a Catholic priest, declaring that he was possessed, and telling a story of almost dramatic interest.  In his sickness he had consulted a quack doctor, who told him that he could cure him by charms.  He wrote strange signs on little fragments of paper, some of which were to be worn, some to be eaten in bread and drunk in wine.  These the poor madman fancied afterwards were charms by which he had unknowingly sold himself to the devil.  The doctor, he fancied, had done so before, and could only redeem his own soul by putting another in the power of Satan.  “I know that this is my condition,” said the poor madman, “by all I have seen and heard, by all I have suffered, by the change which has taken place in me, which has at length brought me to my present condition.  All I cannot reveal; the little I can and dare tell must convince you.  Often has my tormentor pent me up in the stove, and let me lie among the burning brands through the live long night.  Then I hear him in my torment talking loud, I know not what, over my head.  All prayer he forbids me, and he makes me tell whether I would give all I have or my soul for my cure.  Then he speaks to me of the Bible; but he falsifies all he tells me of, or he tells me of some new-born king or queen in the kingdom of God.  I cannot go to church; I cannot pray; I cannot think a good thought; I see sights of horror ever before me, which fill me with unutterable fear, and I know not what is rest; my one only thought is how soon the devil will come to claim his wretched victim and carry me to the place of torment.”  The poor creature had a belief that a Roman Catholic priest had the power of exorcism.  The priest was most kind to the poor maniac, and tried to convince him of the power and goodness of God, and his love to his creatures.  It need not be said that this was talking to the wind.  In fine, he said, “Well, I will rid you of your tormentor.  He shall have to do with me, and not with you, in future.”  This promise had the desired effect; and the priest followed it up by advising the maniac to go to a good physician, to avoid solitude, to work hard, to read his Bible, and remember the comfortable declarations of which he had been just reminded, and if he was in any doubt or anxiety, to go to his parish minister.

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THE GATHERER.

A snapper up of unconsidered trifles. 
SHAKSPEARE.

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ADDISON.