The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-18
CHE NnJaek9 Dap.
Is Friday
Unlucky.

creouIous. For many years he was re-
ported 10 nave arranged his Journey
mss ana business affairs with refer
ence to suspicious hours, as DETERMINE
ed by professional reader Of cards.
IN AIsace Wednesday and Friday
are accounted unlucky days, and the
former is never chosen for a wedding
or baptism. But Of the two. FridaY
is more undesirable, and no business
OF Importance is transacted nor any
Journey undertaken on that day. 1t is
the foremost among witch DAYS. for
eVl! spirits are then abroad, and their
ACTIVITY on a Friday is proverbial.
Ihese sentiments prevail in other Ger
man districts, and are entertained bv
people OF culture and learning. Indeed.
II may be affirmed truly that the pos
session or intellectual strength is by
no means incompatible with a super
stltlous belief in the luck or ill-luck of
particular days. The superstition Of
the great Napoleon in this regard is
wei known. Even Bismarck was NOT
1ree from such credulousness. He is
Salu TO nave written to his wife from
Letznngen, village of Prussian Sax
ohy: have not had such good luck
in hunting today as 1 had three wears
ago. put then-it is a Friday"
Gen. Boyer, Bazaine's envoy. arrived
at the German headquarters at YER
SallleS on Friday, Oct 21 1870 hut
bismarck would not see him until the
next day, saying that he would never
90 anything of Importance on any Fri
uay' much less on Friday the date
OF which conceded with the anniyer
sary of Horchkirk, Jena and Auerstadt
he was talking one day Of a defeat
the Germans had experienced in the
course of the campaign Of 1870. "T
beg you to observe, gentlemen" he said. /
that that happened on Friday" Bis
marck would never sit down at table
when he made the thirteenth.
Among Americans John G. Carlisle.
ex-speaker senator and secretary of
the treasury, is said to have aversion
to Friday
A writer Of an inventive turn Of
mind has suggested that FRIDAYS I'M
popularity in these times is partly ow-
ing 10 It's being late in the week, when
money runs short to the poor. Sat
urday being the close of the week and
a common pay day, there is no time
then for superStitions. A recent writer
on folklore says that if by general con-
sent we should teach our children that
FRIDAY was the luckiest day Of the
week evidence in favor Of this theory
would no doubt rapidly accountants and
the new belief would soon be worth
just as much as the old one.
Friday has not been an unluckv dav
IN American history Columbus sailed
from Palos on his first voyage Of dis
covery on Friday, and 1t was on Fri
day that he first discovered land in
the new world. 1t was on a. Friday
that Cabot received his commission
from Henry VIII.-the first American
state papers of England-which lead to
the discovery of the continent, and the
basis of England's claims The little
ship Mayf1ower arrived in Province
town Bay, Mass, on Friday 1t was
q hot
tive legislative body in America met at
jamestown, Va. 1t was on a Friday
that the resolution declaring in favor
OF independence from Great Britain
was introduced in congress. 1t was
on a Friday that Gates fought his first
battle with Burgoyne, which ended
later in another battle and the surren-
der of the British forces, a victory
which resulted in the recognition of
the struggling colonies by France. 1t
was on Friday that CORVALLIS surren-
dered, and Perry won his victory and
American authority on
the Great Lakes. 1t was on Friday
that Grant began his attack on Fort
Donelson and won the first signal
Union victory in the civil war. 1t was
on Friday that Washington, Monroe.
Pierce and Hayes were born, and MANY
other distinguished Americans, includ- n
ing the late Speaker Reed and the
States senate, William p. Frye. VIII
liam Waldorf Aston head of the Aston
fortune, and August Belmont, capital
ist and American representative of the
Rothschilds, have Friday as the natal
day, so, too, w. E. Gladstone and Leo
XIII.
In today's issue, under the heading
of a Week of Fridays" we begin a
series of records of important annfver-
saries, births and events, excluding all
deaths and disasters, the object of
which is the Encouragement of the
and widespread superstition
concerning this supposed unlucky day,
This series Of articles will cover a, Fri
day on every day Of the year from
Jan. l to Dec. 81, and it IS hoped that
any of our readers who distrust or fear
"hangmen's day" may be fully relieved
OF their groundless and absurd belief.
The fact that Secretary Long, of the
navy, changed the date of putting the
battleshfp Wisconsin in commission
from Feb. 1 to Feb. 4, 1901, because
the date originally announced han
pened to be on Friday the crew ask
ing for the change, gives renewed and
even official recognition of the SUPER
stitution. Moses Folsom