Whatever may be the origin of the superstitious employment of the
horse-shoe, its adoption as a token of good luck appears to be
comparatively modern, its earliest use having been for the exclusion of
witches, evil spirits, and all such uncanny beings.
Before leaving the subject an extract may be given from an article in
the “London World,” August 23, 1753, against the repeal of the so-called
Witch Act, wherein the writer offers the following satirical advice to
whomever it might concern:—
To secure yourself against the enchantments of witches,
especially if you are a person of fashion and have never been
taught the Lord’s Prayer, the only method I know of is to nail
a horse-shoe upon the threshold. This I can affirm to be of the
greatest efficacy, insomuch that I have taken notice of many
a little cottage in the country with a horse-shoe at its door
where gaming, extravagance, Jacobitism, and all the catalogue
of witchcrafts have been totally unknown.
The world moves and civilization progresses, but the old superstitions
remain the same. The rusty horse-shoe found on the road is still prized
as a lucky token, and will doubtless continue to be so prized; for human
nature does not change, and superstition is a part of human nature.