New-York tribune., 1903-06-07
CO1IEGE BOYS NOT FREE FROM SUPERSTITION.
WHY THE NUMBERS IN CLAVERLY HILL ARE MIXED
7P-UNLUCKY ROOM 1S.

c,,hr,aga Mass June (speciaD-The fact that
man goes to college is by no means PROOF tha' e
IS free from those childhood nursery room
tions concerning which James Whitcomp rllieS a
other child writer's often sing. Even Harv rvalu' va
with all its philosophy and learning, cannot uii'0
raoson into its students heads, and although ohe
might reasonably expect them to ce 1nooeis u -
soning and saneness, exceptions to the RUE are wv
frequent for any such apparently sehsioio ~
clusion. , .,.-.
aborienes are subject to superstitious fears aho'
as has been demonstrated more tnan once IA
totally upset by circumstances which reason easily
teaches have absolutely no signl1lcaice coHie0'e0
with them. =,
IF one sbould happen to visit Claverly Hall In
Cambridge any of these days he would undouot-
edly be greatly surprised at rather unusual con-
fusion of the numbers the doors of the stu
dents rooms. In the first hallway he would ma
the numbers TO- Is and 130 within only few rect
of each other and If he in anything ike q
decent hurry he would probably be at MS VIII
end get any nkling from this 1umbled Gle" aS ~
how to find so or 80 or whatever other huilOer He
happened to be looking for.
This indeed, has happened to more than one VS.
itor to the dormitory but always at the right mo-
rnent along the familiar crowd OF Joking
college boys to pull the stranger out OF ms un-
comfortable dilemma.
Can you tell me- he begins where to hnd Mr..
x? He lives In room so-and-so, but the numbers
about here jumbed that L can't tell Wnere
70 look for him" He points, with both hands and
deprecatory shrug of his shoulders to 10 and 1'o
onlv O. few feet apart, and they all laugh
ooh - saws one of them you mean No 13O. You
mustn't mind that. That's hoodoo room. 1t used
to be No 49, but 1t was rather unlucky to live In
It during those days. and so they changed IT by
adding a cipher at the end. It's all right now.
guess but If you don't want to get too near to 1t
come this way and I will show you where TO ma
your friend"
When the stranger finds the student he IS looking
for his first question is about No 13 The story IS
always The same. Here II is:
Room 13 is of the most desirable rooms IN
Claverly Hail. and inasmuch this is without
doubt the weathiest. most comfortable and most
exclusive private dormitory in Harvard one can
easily see why students have always been anxious
to live in it.
At first all went well, but after time III luck
began to attend those who lived in it,
First the of Governor of western state
got into bad odor with the Crimson faculty anu
wrote TO his paterfamilias that the strain Of work
at Harvard was becoming too great for MIN ana
that he thought he ought to leave college at once
Paterfamilias was one of those sensible creatures
who places health before education and withdrew
his son mmediately-just in time to save the fac
ulty from writing ar unpleasant letter.
The Westerner out, in came young Newly ork-
err He stood things for short time. and then,
his predecessor. yielded to superior power and
beat a compulsory retreat. 1t Is said however.
action-that the hoodoo of the room was strong
upon him-and that realizing the fate which was
inevitably his, he had made calculations for his
departure from the beginning of his freshman year
These calcuIations' consisted simply in recogniz-
ing that he would or later have to give up
the room and in refusing. therefore, to waste any
money in It's eesthetical decoration. Instead he
used his money for other things, so that when his
fears had finally been realized. like the light
armored troops of Cesar, he picked up a few nee
essary remnants and fed.
Following these misfortunes came others. One
sick; another in too frequent communi-
cation with the college office; another troubled with
Nightmares and creepy feelings" and others af-
hicted with all the petty annoyances from which
their fortunate neighbors were entirely free
The reputation of the room naturally began to
spread. and many misfortunes were imputed to
It's direfu influence. One man, after living there
for year, found the strain too great and moved
into No So Hardly had he done so when his new
roommate taken sick and died. The first man
a student named Bauer: the second was Nelson
Robinson. in whose memory the Nelson Robinson
scholarship founded at Harvard. and the new
Robinson Hall of Architecture was given and dedi-
Gated.
These things of course cast an influence over the
room which decidedly unpleasant. and So only
a few years ago the number changed to 13O by
adding cipher the end Since that time pros
perity and happiness have favored the longer
unlucky inmates Of the Malcolm Whitman
the tennis champion, found the fact Of his occu-
pancy no obstacle to his winning national fame a
racket wielder. and his roommate. E. r. Marvin
attained equal renown tennis doubles cham
pion despite the bad reputation OF the Other
occupants have met with equal success and the
present exception to the rule r
Wfnsor. OF Weston. Mass, and II. F. Mason OF
Boston. both sophomores and wealthy are now
living there. and each. far is known. sleeps
well. is troubled by means. window shakngs
and supernatural sounds. and is as happy and con-
tented and fortunate the average wealthy
sophomore in the university.
The only other room at Harvard which has a
distinctly "hoodoo' reputation is No 13 Divinity
Many, many years ago-so long that the jan
itor has forgotten his name-a student lived in
this room who through its baleful influence II is
said came 20 a most untinely end.
This student Southerner and after he had
been at Harvard only a short time his mind was
completely upset by what he claimed to be super
natural noises and midnight demonstrations in his
room 'The spirit of Divinity 13 is upon ma.
he would tell his friends, when, after hear
ing him cry wildly in the night they would
come rushing down the hallway in night robes or
pajamas to rescue him Then he would tell how