The Washington herald., 1916-04-16

lie was almost cross with when ! asked
him If his faith in Friday were not superstitious.
Well" he said, II suppose ] happened to
notice"
Here is a significant point We notice. We
get into the habit of noticing
But we notice accurately and don't leave
out important considerations, we shall discover
that there is nothing in superstition after all ex-
eept the influence of suggestion.
Some friends of mine once paid months rent
rather than on Saturday. They stayed till
Monday which took them over month.
What did you do that for? said.
Don't you know the superstition one of them
asked. Saturdays fitting makes short sittings ~
You see we had intended to on Thursday,
but we weren't ready. And, of course, we couldn't
move on Friday. That would be altogether out OF
the question. We preferred to pay ~ months
rent rather than run the risk of having to move
again"
Perhaps reason why there is so much su-
perstition may be traced to child-life. From the
time they are able to think children are taught
to be superstitious. Superstition is made men,
ace to them, means of control and of punish
ment. 1t darkens their days and their nights; it
darkens even their dreams with terror Here is
one of the most pitiful of human wrongs, due
trated without harmful intent, as so many wrongs
are perpetrated.
Some people are controlled by many supersti-
tions. They can reel them off, one after another
in prose and in rhyme. They make collections OF
superstitions. Just tell them that there is this
| superstition that and they will become at once
enslaved for life.
You needn't know any established superstitions
you make them up. They will do just as we'll
An actress once told me that thirteen was her
lucky number. There were thirteen letters in her
| name. There thirteen letters in the name OF
her manager There were thirteen letters in the
name of the theater, where for years she had been
winning success, and there thirteen letters in
the name of her associate, the leading man.
/ supersttious enough to think of these
things when she failed in her starring tour, lost
her health and died while she was still compare
lively young
Yet many people, not identified with thirteen
have failed and lost their health and died young
And, unquestionably, many others with thirteen
al about them have gone prosperously on.
Who could have started that prejudice against
thirteen and against friday,
Can it have been some joker, far in advance
of his time, making experiments in suggestion and
| in the relation of human beings to sheep?
scholar of my acquaintance says the popular
belief is true, that the apprehension about Friday
comes from superstitious fear of the day in the
week when Christ nailed to death the
| Cross.
| How oddly the human spirit works! Christ's
death a glorious sacrifice, made to redeem
the world And yet the world has tried to darken
one day each week, in kind of atonement that
carries with it the fear of divine revenge, like the
old savage fear 1t damages what it would seem
ought to be the most benehcent, the holiest of
all days in the week, making it not day of free
dom but day of concern, of inhbitons in which
| it behooves US to look out.
The world has made Friday "hangman's
day" Perhaps here may find certain fitness.
Human beings sacrificed Christ in the of
righteousness. Human beings in the name of
righteousness, sustained by their distortion of the
message of Christ, still sacrifice other human
beings.
| If we hunt down superstitious stories we find
lndt, III nearly every instance, Iney Can DC cx-
planned away. And yet, in many cases, it is almost
unkind to explain them away They give so much
comfort to those concerned. They bring the
flavor of mysticism, of strange adventure. They
are associated with the delightful element of
chance.
So perhaps it is just as we'll for US to get as
much as we can out of our superstitions.
| But we should be prepared to pay the conse-
quences. And the consequences are sometimes an
noying. For superstition has the effect of upset.
ting some important plans of life, keeping people
from doing things that should be done, that
should be done on time, too.
Here, indeed, is the worst mischief that is
done by days like Friday, the 18th, and at all
times and occasions they have become associated
with superstitious fear.
Fear is really the worst element in supersti-
ton 1t is unconquerable fear, too, that rea-
! son, mo skill, experience, can guard against,
fear of some alien and malignant force outside
Precipitation.
AS if without superstition the world did not
have enough fear
An IRRESPONSIBLE Rover