The San Francisco call., 1897-07-18

The age of superstition has not passed
away; before an idol, seemingly popular,
men yet make reverent genufextion.
Diana of the Ephesians is yet divine.
am convinced OF this because l have
heard the evidence. have seen q class
of wealthy, intelligent men bow before
the shadow of a dark and gloomy fable
and / have seen the numeral system of
our language distorted at the maundering
behest of relic of the middle ages.
In other words, the hotels of San Fran
cisco, the Athens of he Pacific, have no
rooms of the number Is.
My investigation embraced the seven
leading ones, and with but two exceptions
room l3, as an entity, has no existence.
People will not sleep in them, the clerks
and managers say. OF course it is foolish,
but men who are superstitious will
not discuss the matter. They object to
the number say they do not want it, and
that ends it. "If you want to keep man
who is superstitious with the house, give
him another room. II you want to send
him elsewhere, stop 10 argue with him
about it. There are secrets in all trades
and this is one OF ours: Do not argue
with a superstitious man about his
hobby" saith the clerk.
This, with variations, is an expression
of opinion used by them all. Men, they say,
do not like the number and the num ber
must vanish. Hotel men are not evan
gelists; it is their business to make money
by pleasing people. The thirteen can go
more easily than the guests, and that is all
there is TO ii.
OF course almost every body knows the
superstition had its origin with the Last |
Supper. Christ was crucifed, Judas com
mitted suicide and several OF the apostles /
became martyrs within the year. The re- |
suit is that for centuries thirteen guests at !
table has been Stunned with pertinacity
equaled only by the manner with which |
the superStition clinEs and finds Iodg gment
in even the most highly civilized commu-
mites. In Paris the IA man"-homme
ouatorze-is 4 profession. In all sorts of
out-oi-the-way places he is found, and is
known by the tin sign that hangs outside
his window, which announces for a suit
able remuneration his entire Willingness
to make the fourteenth man at any gath
ering whatsoever.
A curious fact is that the Jews do not
CIcA4L lDe SUPERSTITION, UuL IuOSe VINO De-
lieve in the brotherhood of man may find
some comfort in the fact that nearly all
nations and races have their fated mum ber
In Hottentot it corresponds to our nine.
TIE American, however, always progress
sive, has not been satisfied with this, but
refuses to so number his tram cars, his
railway locomotives or coaches. In many
cases he refuses TO undertake a Journey
on the 9th OF the month; will not sit in
seat Ii at the theater; will not be served
by waiter 13; will not sit at a ia bic of that
number, and refuses to sleep in room 13.
Mine host sees all this, and with his ac-
customed suavity says the American is
right. He shall not sleep in the room if
he does not wish to, and straightway as
signs him to parlor A, which is room 13
by another name-all of which goes to
show how even the scoffer is permeated
with the ever-d ON inant religious thought,
There is the Palace Hotel, for instance.
A magnificent caravansary, but it has no
single room Is. The room which would
bear that mum Der is part of suite, and
when a guest is given it the number that
goes on the register is II. The affable
chief clerk says that in his San Francisco
experience he has never had a man object
to room 13, but at the Metropole Hotel in
New York years go a titled foreigner, an
En- glish nobleman, Mr.. Cummings thinks,
came to the hotel and was assigned room
13 He would not have it. He knew he
was foolish, he said, but as he was he was,
he concluded, and he was given another
room.
At the Baldwin there is no such room.
af 20
from there goes merrily on. Clerk Nc
Cue knows the reason for that He can
tell how many times men and women
have refused to occupy an apartment SO
mum bered. For years he was cashier at
the Palace; was a. the Californis some
time kept the Vance House at Eureka;
was chief clerk al the Rainier at Seattle,
and in one capacity or another has been
all over California.
Why" he said, you can't get actors,
actresses or com mercial men in them.
When l was running the hotel at Eureka
l took the number from the door and
made the room parlor A. After that l
had no trouble, but before-why couldn't
give it away. AS matter OF fact do
not think one man III forty will sleep in
room so mum bered."
Then, as an instance of how even the
otherwise most intelligent men are in a
manner governed by their superstitions,
he tells OF an army officer who came to
Seattle in 1893, the time of Vice-Presi-
dent Stevenson's trip to the coast. The
city was thronged with visitors, and the
Rainier had but one room unoccupied, and
that was 13. "Col. Al bert Morrison, u.
g. A." was the way he put it on the
register and Mr.. McCue in the proper
column added '15 "
inquired the prospective guest.
AZ am sorry. but have not" was the |
reply given, with all due savoir faire, 'but /
! may have one in the morning.