The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1898-06-18
THE HATEFUL THIRTEEN.
The superstitution in Regard to II Is
WIDESPREAD.

The tsuperstitution in Regard to 1t Is
Widespread.
For good or for i'll, the superstition
about the number thirteen has chung 10
the thoughts and lima ginatlon of men
from a period of remote antiquity. 1t
would be difficult to exhaust all the diff
ferent forms which this obstinate de-
fusion has assumed among various ma
lions, both of the east and the west.
Every one knows that it is highly In
expedlent. If not dangerous, to sit down
thirteen at table, and there are a large
number of intelligent men and women
in the metropolis who under no circum-
stances would consent TO be included in
this precise number of guests. There
are streets In Paris, as well as else
where in France, where houses are
numbered 10 bis and ZIP bis" while
in many American hotels no room has
ID painted on the door. The Partisan
who makes his living by dining In other
peoples houses goes familiarly by the
name of Quatorzleme, because 1t is his
chief function to add a welcome four
teenth TO the unlueky number. The
Italians never use it in making up their
lotteries, and In one of the games the
thirteenth card bears the figure of
death. Similarly, in Turkey the num-
Der thirteen is very nearly %expunged
from the vocabulary of the people; nor
Is there any lack of explanation of this
almost universal idea. AT least two are
furnished for our choice.
In the old Morse mythology, when
the gods In Yalhalla were holding high
revel, Loki came In as an unlimited
guest. The consequence was that as
soon as Baldur arrived he made the
number of guests thirteen, and fate
decreed that he should die. Christians
refer 10 another and more solemn in
cident. There were thirteen who par
took of the last supper, and Judas, who
left the table first, went and hanged
himself. 1t was in consequence of this
that the number was accused, together,
apparently, with all combinations of
figures into which it enters. Sooner
or later 1t was, of course, inevitable
that so widespread aud so fascinating
Il superstition should be challenged.
Some thirteen years ago-the very in
terval Of time is an odd coincidence
a club was started in New York for the
express purpose of waglng war against
thea associations connected with the luck
less numeral. The members were al
ways TO consist of some multiple of
thirteen. They dined together on the
thirteenth of every month. thirteen at
table, and their club dues were thirteen
cents a month. 1t will be remembered
thai only a short time ago a similar in
stitutlon was established In England,
and a farcial entertainment was pro-
yided, at which knives were crossed,
salt was spilled, deaths heads and
cross-bones ornamented the walls and
the walters were chosen because they
squinted aud possessed the evil eye.
The American club habitually pub
lished reports to prove that, indiyidu-
ally and collectively, they are as
healthy. prosperous and long-liYed as
other members of the community; nor,
so far as we are aware, did any serious
calamity fan upon their daring lmita-
tors in London.
1t is idle 10 imagine that an inyeter-
ate superstition can be got rid of by
such merely theatrical brayado as this.
The case stands with 1t as ii Toes with
a similar idea about the folly of under
taking any serious enterprise ON Fri
day. There are whole classes of man
Kin TO whom these notions form a sort
of unwritten creed. Every one knows
that a sailor does not like have his
ship TO be commissioned on a Friday.
indeed. of the explanations given of
the disaster which befell the Thrasher
torpedo boat was that it had u|nlucklly
commenced It's cruise on the penultl-
mate day Of the week. Soldiers. though
not quite so superstitious as sailors, are
by no means free from similar preju-
dices, and gamblers who live the life
Of the nerves believe in luck with OBJ
stinate tenacity. The theatrical profess
sion, again. has its fixed bellefs.--Lon-
don Telegraph.