The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-03-03
DINNER sUPERsTITIONS.

-
DINNER SUPERSTITIONS.
Thirteen at Tabie-The Clock At Dant.ic-
Thomas Meore-Preper Number OF Guests
Solitary Diners n
The world, and particularly that Sec
tion of it which is called society, is full
of superstitions. Many of these, how
ever, are harmless, and belief of them
has gradually declined, in these later
years.
Among those which continue to be
received is the belief in lucky and un-
lucky numbers. Auguste Comte, the
famous French writer, author of the
Positive Philosophy. eagerly adhered
to this belief.
Touching "Comteism," as his YER
bose doctrine is called. one cannot help
being reminded of the level-minded
Scotchman-he was only gardener,
but thought for himseh-who, being
asked for q definition Of philosophy,
gave a terse reply.
"When the mon," he said. "gets out
OF his depth. in arguing with other
folks wha isten-when the listeners
dinna understand what he's driving
at, and when he dinna ken his own
meaning-that's Jeelosophy, and he's .
feelosopherr' --...-
1t may be doubted whether Auguste
Comte himself (who died in September.
1850, could have given better defini-
ton than this. Very many of the most
noted philosophers have fondly believed
In things almost incredible. ftf ~
Comtes peculiar belief was that thir-
teen at table was not q fatal number.
Twelve was unlucky to him. but extend
the company to bakers dozen. and
Comte, much delighted. would enjoy
himself immensely. .s
General credulity runs the other way.
Indeed, in Dantzic, the wel-known
Prussian port ON the western bank of
the Vistula, there is Cor was) a clock
which. precisely at noon, admits through
q door Christ and the eleven, shutting
out Judas, who is allowed to come in at
one.
1t is stated in Fosbrooke's "Antiqui-
ties" under the head of Popular Super
stitions, that "thirteen in company was
considered as an unlucky number BY the
Romans" His authority for this state
ment has not been discovered.
1t would appear, from an entry in the
diary of Thomas Moore, the poet, that
Nine. Catalani, the great Italian vocal
ist, in the early part Of the present GEN.
tury, had refused to make the thirteenth
at q fashionable dinner. and sent for q
friend to join the party and thereby
change the number. - =.
Moore also mentions, having Lord
Landsdowne as his authority, that Count
Orlof, the Russian Ambassador, who
had invited him to dinner. did not
himself sit down to table, but walked
from chair to chair-the reason being
hat 4 L. 49, n
teen at table.
Lord Erskine, the great English law
yer, would run out of the room rather
than occupy the thirteenth chair. Sir
Walter Scott hated the ominous num-
Der; Lord Byron's countenance ever as
sumed its gloomiest expression on see-
ing thirteenth man bring doom on q
party Of twelve.
Albert Smith. one of the earliest and
sprightliest of the early contributors to
Punch, attempted to ridicule the super
stition bv q supper of thirteen, which he
gave to twelve British officers bound for
the Crimea, at the beginning of the
Anglo-Russian war of 1886, on the eve
of his own departure.
1t may be asked, "How many of the
party lived through the yearP" Candor
cempels me to say, erery one of them!
Smith came back, safe and sound from
far Cathay, and so did each and every
one OF his dozen friends.
The clock at Dantzic, with its thir-
teen marionettes, or little peep-pets,
reminds me that Petrus Molinaus, in
the earlier half of the seventeenth CEN
tury wrote, IF there be thirteen guests
ut feast, one will die within the year"
bis reason is that "just so many per-
sons reclined at table at the Last Sup
per-" He also states that among the
superstitions thirty is number Of evil
omen, because that was the number of
pieces Judas received for playing his
Master falsely. -
1t was formerly the habit in Paris, be-
fore the Monarchy was destroyed by the
first Revolution. to invite one or two
extra guests, on the chance of some of
the party being unable to attend, and
thereby reducing the number to the
formidable thirteen.
In London, it was believed, in those
days, that there was q knot of we'll
dressed, well-looking and well-con-
Quoted gentlemen, who had seen better
days, out of which little corps "four-
teenth" was always 20 be obtained.
In Paris, it has always been denied
e~A>ss seASSo PAOACcoiVn0A oAuCISs Cdll0u Ou
at pinch and literally paid, were q
British and not q French institution.
From diners to dinners, the transition
can scarcely be out of place. For q
long time, twelve has been regarded as
the highest permissible number of
guests for dinner given for enjoyment
rather than for pomp.
Some eminent gourmands think that
six at table is the proper number. Nine,
after the Muses., used to be regarded as
about right
DR.. King. the particular friend of
Dean Swift, and author of the "Art of
Cookery" sanctioned seven in the IA
miliar lines:
"Crowd not your table. Let your number be
Not more than seven. nor less than three"
Count dOrsay's uncle, who edited
the Z" "Almanack for Good Livers," gave
the preference to three. which surely is
too contracted limit, but also main
tanned stoutly that six was no objec-
tionable number. 4eG &
should think not. Four is convent
ent. when the intention is to wind up
with the Englishman's favorite rubber
OF whist; but the majority of votes,
among the ancient and modern diners,
has been declared in favor of three.
In times Of political excitement and