The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-06
SUPERSTITION GENERAL
IGNORANT NOT THE ONLY ONES
WHO TRUST SIGNS
Most Everyone Has Pet Superstition
and Laughs and Ridicules the Silly
Ones That Possess Other People
Hostess Considered Discourteous
Who Gives Dinner for Thirteen

We are in the habit of thinking that
superstition is characteristic of the
ignorant, but we seldom stop to think
how very superstitious we all are, not
excluding the most intelligent. When
there is danger Of sitting down thir-
teen at table, we hurriedly send out
to the highway and bring some one in
and then sit down fourteen strong and
calmly discuss the awful superstitions
of foreigners. A st. Paul woman gave
a dinner the other night and at the
last moment discovered there would be
thirteen at table. When the guests
came the disquieting fact was dis
closed to them and CONSERVATION reign
ed. The most concerned of all was
the hostess, who racked her brain to
think of some one in the neighborhood
for whom to send, but there was no.
body. Much discussion ensued and the
hostess a last told them they must sit
down thirteen or not at all, but she de-
clared fatty that she would not be the
first to be seated. Finally they went
to dinner, the hostess sitting down last
With some the superstition is that the
first one to rise from the table will die
within the year; others say the fated
one is she or he who sits down first 1T
really doesn't matter much, it is all so
silly. Yet silly as it is, how few of us
there are who will brave these things OR
are not influenced by them. Who has
not indeed, pet superstition?
The writer knows very intelligent
women who would be utterly wretched
should anyone open an umbrella in the
house, begin journey on Friday, put
on anything new on Friday or spill
7 no co1t
some of the salt over your left Shout
der Immediately and break the spell
As for breaking a mirror there are
persons so shocked and Mortified by it
that women have been known to faint
away when it has happened We are
not now speaking of the ignorant, but
of we'll educated people. There are
those who would go squares out of
their way before they would walk
under ladder The writer confesses
herself victim of the latter super
sutton. The dinner spoken of above
was discussed afterwards by some of
the women guests and they agreed that
the hostess was most discourteous and
thoughtless to invite them to an affair
of thirteen. The fact that in many
cases recorded some one of the thir-
teen who dined together at a certain
time did die before the year was out
does not prove anything in particular.
One in thirteen is quite likely to die
but the number at table has nothing
to do with it, ,'.e-
1t is impossible to account for these
things. TheV- transce nd experience and
survive even after education has taught
us that foolish incidents of, this kind
can in no way affect our fate 1t is
undoubtedly true that the ignorant are
more likely to be moved by super
stitions than the learned, but even so
the most cultivated man or woman
has been known to pay tribute to some
foolish superstition which he finds it
impossible to forget or overcome
One of the commonest of these things
in this country is to knock on wood
when we brag. If you say, Il have
not had headache in a month"; you
must Immediately touch wood for fear
you will wake up the next day with
an aching head. There is hardly a
day passes that we do not touch wood
TO ward off some impending evil
So the next time that we feel in
clined to scott at some people whom
we regard as highly superstitious, let
us pause and consider how much we
are given to that sort of thing our
selves. 1t will make us more char
liable and consistent.