The Portland daily press., 1898-04-15
THE FATEFUL THIRTEEN.
The supee stition in Regard to 1t Is Wide
spread.
(London Telegram.

Fer good or for i'll, the superstition
about the number thirteen has chung to
the thoughts and imaginations of men
from period of remote antiquity. 1t
would be difficult to exhaust all the
different forms which this obstinate delu-
sion has assumed among various natlohs,
both of the east and the west. Every one
knows that it is highly lnexpedleno' II
not dangerous, to sit down thirteen at
table. and there are "a large number OF In
telligent men and women in the metrop-
oils who under no circumstances would
consent to be included in this precise
number of guests. There are streets in Par
is. as we'll as elsewhere in France, where
houses are numbered Hl2 bis" and "1l2
bis" while in many American hotels no
room has IL painted on the door. The
Partisan who makes his living by d.
ming in other peoples houses goes famil-
iarly by the name of Quartorzieme be-
cause it is his chief function to add q well
come fourteenth to the unlucky 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 fur
niShed for our choice.
In the ola Morse mythology, when the
gods in Valhalia were holding high revel,
Loki came in as an uninvited 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 to another and more
solemn incident. There were thirteen
who partook of the last supper, and Jul
das, who left the table first, went and
hanged himself. 1t was in consequence
of this that the number was accused, to
gsther, apparently, with all combinations
of figures into which it enters. Sooner or
later it was. Of course, inevitable that SO
widespread and so fascinating a supersti-
ton should be challenged. Some thirteen
years ago-the very interval of time is an
odd c0incidence-a club was started in
New York for the express purpose OF wa
ging war against the associations con-
nected with the luckless numerai. The
members were always to consist OF some
multiple of thirteen. They dined together
on the thirteenth of every month, thlr-
teen at table, and their club dues were
thirteen cents IA month. 1t will be re-
membered that only short time ago a
similar institution was established in
England, and q farcical entertainment
was provided, at which knives were
crossed, salt was spilled, DEATHS heads
and cross-bones ornamented the walls
and the walters were chosen because they
squinted and possessed the evil eye. The
American club habitually published re-
ports to prove that individually and col
lectiyely they are q healthy, prosperous
and Iong-liyed as other members Of the
community; nor, so far as we are aware,
did any serious calamity fall upon their
daring imitators in London.
1t is idle to imagine that an inveterate
superstition can be got rid of by such.
merely theatrical bravado as this. The
case stands with it as it does with q SIM
liar idea about the folly of undertaking
any serious enterprise on Friday. There
are whole classes of mankind to whom
these notions form sort Of unwritten
creed. Every one knows that sailor
does not like to have his ship to be COM
missioned on Friday. Indeed, one of
the explanations given of the disaster
which befell the Thrasher torpedo boat
was that it unluckily commenced its
cruise on the penultinate day of the
week. Soldiers, though not quite go
superstitious as sailors. are by no means
free from similar prejudices, and gam
blers who live the life of the nerves be-
lleve in luck with obstinate tenacity.
The theatrical profession again has its
liked belief