New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-19
SypERSTITTON And COINCIDENCE

he DODlIldf superstition i'"' t,''N
never follows an enterprise which has been De
gun on a Friday is not justified by the tradl-
tions of the Columbus year. The most sue
ccssful voyage ever undertaken was that which
led to the discovery Of new world. That
VOYAGE symbolized coed luck and 1t was be-
prn on a Friday. II was on that day that
Columbus set sail from Palos with his three
caravels. |, was on the same day of the week
that he left the Canarles after renting his
squadron. When the Antilles had been diScov-
cred and the first colony founded at La Navl-
dad il was on Friday that he cast Oh from
land and set his rudder eastward bearing tdingS
by which Europe was 10 be electrified. Co
lumbus was a religious man. but he had too
large n mind 10 be influenced by the petty
s,Iperstitons OF his ago. If there be any magic
in his name in tho four hundrcdth anniversary
of his great achievement, il Is charm which
derives Friday Of evil omen rs "A day for
entering upon great undertakings. There are
pe>>im>tic croakcrs Of the opposition camp who
have been assuming that the Minneapolis nom
nation, are doomed because they were made
on n Friday. That is not the teaching of the
Columbus wear Instead Of consong them
selves with supcrstitious premonitions they
cccdines will hc SO happily timed rs 10 yield
a nomination on the same day.
This is practical age which has oyclgrown
its grcwsomc dread Of graveyards and the num-
Der thirteen. and has ceased TO heed the pos
sbo consequences Of spling salt on the table
cover or of catching glimpses of the moon over
the wrong shoulder. Small supcrSttions no
longer have power to disturb hcalthiul minds
or 10 bcwilder and fascinatc the imagination
II men arc now influenced at all by auguries or
omens of good or evil fortune, it is from the
deliberate reflection that what has happened
once is likely TO occur again. There is perhaps
no popular proverb that is more generally cred
tied than " History repeats itself" People al
WAYS attach Importance 10 condolences and
parallels whether in politics or in everyday
life. In the evolution Of popular supcrstitions
this is curious illustration of the survival OF
tho iittest. To forecast ill-luck from a glance
at the moon over the wrong shoulder, or from
starting OH n journey or from entering upon
campaign on Friday, is to convert an omni-
present Providence and the moral government
Of the human race into a caprciOus game Of
-small chances. That class of supcrsttionS
suf1ccd for the childhood of the world. To
recognize the fact that human history moves
in cycles and that a correspondence in char
acters, careers and events in different periods
involves rcpetitons and condolences in results
is to reduce Providence and moral government
to an orderly and intelligent system of muse
and effect That class of supcrstitions is not
unsuited to the mature development of the race
Familiar illustrations of these historical analo-
- l., t,i,o Ia,
there were many well-balanccd minds unin-
hucnced by partisanship which accepted the
theory of condolences as foreordaining Mr.
Blaine to defeat In character. popularity
genius and public services his career bore a
close resemblance to that of Henry Clay
and since the one had been fated 20 be the
greatest American of his times yet had been
defeated for the Presidency, the teaching Of
history seemed 10 be that the other was des-
tined to the same experience. In 1883 there
was another parallel equally striking. Mr.
Cleveland was a candidate for reelection just
as Mr. Van Buren, had been in 1870 They
were the only two Presidents evcr elected by
the people from New-York Mr.. Fillmore and
Mr.. Arthur having been chosen As VicePrcsi-
dents Each was candidate for reelection on
a low-tariff platform, and each opposed
and defeated by Harrison. The law of coin
cidenccs was most remarkably carried ont in
that instance.
This year another parallel is to be drawn
and if it proves equally true the study Of COIN
cidenccs may become favortc recreation in
American politics. Martin Van Buren,, elected
President from New York in 1S36 and defeat
cd by a Western Harrison in 1910, was a can
didate for denomination in 1874. large ma
jority of the delegates were pledged to his sup
port, but after leading in the balloting time
and again he was finally defeated by the opera
ton of the twothirds rule. The main cause of
his defeat was letter written in opposition