The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-05
GOOD DAY AND NUMBER
Greatest Events in Americas History
Have Happened ON Friday or 18th.

| Today is April 13. 1913. But don't
! get scared. 1t may be your 1uckiest
day 1t was for Thomas Jefferson He
| was born on April 13 and rose 70 be
president of the United States. Thir-
| teen sounded so good to him that he
always signed himself Thos. Jefferson
so he would have 13 letters in his
name.
A good many people-it is probably
safe to say a majority SILVER at the
mention of Friday and shudder at the
18th. And at Friday, the 18th. they
nearly have Mysteries. The supersti-
ton that Friday and 13 are ominous
is not borne out by events On the
contrary, history gives Friday and 13
remarkably good records. When it is
all simmered down there is only about
one thing unlucky in connection with
them. That is to refuse to take the
money if a man who owes you $13.13
calls on Friday, the 18th, to pay it.
Politically speaking, IS has set a
presidential record. Washington, in
order to have g letters in his sigma
ture, abbreviated his first name to
Geo. Andrew Jackson, Zachary Tay-
lor, James Buchanan, Andrew John
son and Ulysses S.. Grant were blessed
with thirteen letter names, and pos
sibly that lent them some political
strength. Woodrow Wilson knew he
would be elected president, because
he observed many years ago that he
had Americas lucky number 8 in his
name, but he performed surgical
operation on his name when he was
a lad; his parents gave him the addi-
tiOnal name Thomas, and by a pain
less and it is said bloodless operation
he managed to amputate a section,
which gave him a name of 13 letters
and he has lived happy ever after
Mr.. Wilson has shown the people
that with him, as with Jefferson, ID
has always been a lucky number. He
recently commented on this odd sup
erstition by saying:
"In selecting a berth on a train or
a room at a hotel, if I can have my
way about it, L choose a seat or room
marked 13. At places of amusemen
| take seat number IS and enjoy the
place, since well know 1 will be safe.
In my life 10 has been a memorable
date. When I had been professor at
Princeton 3 years L was elected to the
presidency of the university: And I
was the thirteenth president Of the
university proper"
In accordance with this idea, when
Mr.. Wilson recently visited Lincoln,
Neb., the committee in charge had him
stop at the Lindell on corner of
Thirteenth street and assigned him to
room 113. Mr.. Wilson was declared
president of the United States on Jan
uary 13 and was inaugurated in 1913.
Mr.. Wilson has a handsome minia-
ture of the great seal of the United
States engraved as a scarfpfn, and he
intends to wear it all during his adj
miniStration. He was impressed with
the liberality which the forefathers
blazoned the figure 10 on this sigma
ture of our nation. On the seal there
are 3 stars, 1 8 stripes, 10 arrows, 8
olives and last, but not least, the
motto, "E Pluribus- Unum," with it's 1 3
letters.
This symbol was designed by Thorn
as Jefferson, who not only suggested
the motto with it's letters, but approved
of the repeated appearance of the 13.
And If Jefferson could have had his
way he would have had on the seal 8
small shields Gin the border). to. rep
resent the ID colonies. He drafted a
design in which these shields were fas-
tened together by Is silver links In
another device which Jefferson sug-
gested he had a harp that contained
strings, symbolic of the confederated
colonies.-Chicago Tribune.