The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-06-11
DEFYING Il SUPERSTITION.
Members of New Nork's Thirteen Club
Dine We'll and Live Long.

The Thirteen Club was organized or
January 10, 1852, with thirteen original
members They have dined together
regularly ever since at thirteen minutes
after on the thirteenth day OF the month
| with thirteen at a table. OF the oriGi-
nal members only four have died, two
OF them within the last year. This is a
record for longevity which the members
Of few dining clubs can show. The total
membership at the close of the year was
LA. and the total number Of deaths
twelve. OF these twelve six, or just half.
had never attended a dinner and so had
! not violated the thirteen superstition.
! This, too. makes IL seem that the mem
| bers of the club who attended the din
ners and sat thirteen at a table on the
| thirteenth day of the month have better
| prospects for long life than the men,
bers who stay away from the dinners.
In order to strengthen its defiance Of the
thirteen superstition the Thirteen Club
has increased it's number OF officers until
1t now has thirteen. 1t would also try
to dine on the thirteenth Of the month,
and on Friday. but the thirteenth and a
Friday do not always coincide IL has
done the best IL could. though. by fixing
the initiation fee at s113 and the dues
at l3 cents a month.
George Francis Train, one OF most ac-
tive members of the Thirteen Club, and
it's unofficial poet. is also opposed to the
Friday superstition. The Thirteen Club
are with him here. for their historian
has complied a record Of the events that
have happened on Fridays. including a
great deal of old Anglo-Saxon lore. The
first OF the facts about Friday in Anne
rican history is that Columbus sailed
from Palos on Friday; he discovered
America on a Friday and he arrived back
at Spain on another Friday. George
Francis Train has boiled down number
of these Friday happenings in this para
graph;
washington born; Queen Victoria mar
ried; Napoleon Bonaparte born; battle
Bunker Hill fought: America discovered;
Mayhower landed; Joan of Arc burned at
stake; battle Of Waterloo fought: Bastile
destroyed; Declaration of independence
signed; battle Marengo fought julius
Caesar assassinated; Moscow burned;
Shakespeare born; King Charles /. be-
headed, battle New Orleans fought; Lin
coin assassinated."
Mr. Theodore w. Davis, the historian
OF the club, writes that in Constantine
pie and In Spain Tuesday was considered
an unlucky day. A Spanish rhyme trans
lated reads:
on Tuesday neither wed, nor go aboard
ship, nor leave thy wife.
There is an old English superstition
that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden
fruit I'm the Garden Of Eden on Friday:
hence the day has been unlucky ever
since. In France 1t was thought I'M
lucky to cut your nails on Friday, but in
Holland there was a superstition that
cutting the nails on Friday would cure
a toothache In England hardly per
cent. Of the marriages are celebrated on
Friday. The Chicago records show 4 IL
per cent Of the Chicago weddings are on
Friday. In Scotland there is the con-
trary superstition about wedding that
Friday is the best day to be married on
In Glasgow nine-tenths OF the marriages
are celebrated on Friday, and none on
Sunday. while very few take place on
and Monday.
1t shows how confident the members OF
the Thirteen Club are of long life. that
at the one hundredth dinner OF the Thir-
teen Club last January two centennial
thirteens. one headed by the Hon. John
II. ", Arnold. and the other by DR..
George W. Boskowitz. sealed and stored
thirteen bottles OF wine. which are 10 be
opened and drank at the two hundredth
dinner OF the Thirteen Club. which. II Is
inquired out. will take plaoe In about
thirteen years.--New York Sun