Evening star., 1898-03-12
THE FATEFUL THIRTEEN
The Superstition in Regard to It is Wide
spread.
The Italian Respects II, the NOrsL
Fears II, the Frenchman Omits II,
the Turk TaboOs 1t.
From the London Telegraph.

From the London Telegraph.
For good or for i'll, the superstition about
! the number thirteen has clung to the
thoughts and Imagination of men from a
period of remote antiquity. 1t would be
difficult to exhaust all the different forms
| which this obstinate delusion has as.
sumed among various nations, both of the
east and the west. Every one knows that
| it is highly inexpedient, if not dangerous,
| to sit down thirteen at table, and there are
large number of intelligent men and
women in the metropolis who under no
circumstances would consent to be in
cluded in this precise number of guests.
There are streets in Paris. as we'll as else
where in France, where houses are num-
bered ''12 bis and ''112 bis while in
many American hotels no room has IL
painted on the door. The Partisan who
makes his living by dining in other peoples
houses goes familiarly by the name of
Quatorzieme, because it is his chief func-
tlon to add welcome fourteenth to the un-
lucky number. The Italians never use it
In making up their lotteries. and in one of
the games the thirteenth card bears the
ngure of DEATH Similarly, in Turkey the
NUMBER thirteen is very nearly expunged
from the vocabulary of the people; nor is
there any lack of explanation of this al
most universal idea. At least two are fur
nlShed for our choices
In the old Morse mythology, when the
gods In Falhalla were holding high revei
LOkl came in as an unlimited guest. The
consequence was that soon as Baldur
arrived he made the number of guests
thirteen, and fate decreed that he should
die. Christians refer to another and more
solemn incident. There were thirteen who
partook of the last supper, and Judas. who
left the table first, went and hanged him
SELL 1t was in consequence of this that the
numher was accused, together, apparently
with all combinations of figures into which
II enters. Sooner or later it was, Of course,
inevitable that widespread and so fas-
clnat1ng superstition should be chaileng-
eo Some thirteen years ago-the very in
terVal or time is an odd cOincidence-a club
was started in New York for the express
purpose OF Waglng war against the asso-
Citations connected with the luckless numer-
al The members were always to consist
OF some multiple of thirteen. They dined
together the thirteenth of every month
thirteen at table, and their club dues were
thirteen cents month. 1t will be remem-
Dered that only a short time ago a similar
institution was established in England,
and farcical entertainment was provided
at which knives were crossed. salt was
spilled. deaths heads and cross-bones or
namented the walls and the walters were
CHOSEN because they squinted and possess
ed the evil eye. The American club hab-
ltuaiiy published reports to prove that in
ulVloually and collectively they are as
nedithy, prosperous and long-lived as other
inemperS or the community; nor so far as
we are aware, did any serious calamity
1aIi upon their daring imitators in London
1t Is idle to imagine that an inveterate
SupeLsutlon can be got rid of by such
merely theatrical bravado as this. The
case stands with it it does with a sim
iiar idea about the folly of undertaking
any serious enterprise on Friday. There
these notions form a sort of unwritten
creed: Every one knows that sailor does
not IKE to have his ship to be commissioners
on on Friday. Indeed. one of the explana-
tions given of the disaster which befeJI
the Ihrasher torpedo boat was that it had
uniuckily commenced its cruise on the nen
ultlmate day OF the week. Soldiers, though
not quite SO superStitions as sailors are bv
no means free from similar prejudices. and
gamblers who live the life of the nerves
Deneve In luck with obstinate tenacity.
fixed beliefs ~ 40