The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-13
Squaring
the Circle
With
THE HooSIER EDITOR

THIS is Friday the thirteenth,
Il but it could be a lot worse. For
instance, it has long been a super
stition that it is unlucky to fish on
Friday-any Friday, no matter what
number.
It's bad luck to kiss your girl on
Friday. Never wash your face on
Friday. Il causes bad luck to sweep
the dirt out of house on Friday,
because the house will burn later
Never carry ashes out of a house on
Friday after 4 in the afternoon.
Wait till Monday morning, else you
will lose a dollar.
It is bad luck to move on Friday
or Saturday. AL these things are
contained in a superstition book be-
longing to the state Library.
Friday is some good, though. It's
good luck to begin anything on Fri
day, although it's bad luck to end
anything, such as to pay a debt.
Eggs laid on Friday never decay.
And if you cut your toe nails on
Friday you will never have tooth
ache.
IF you go up to an alert usher in
i any theater in any downtown
theater and say:
How many seats are there in
your aisles?" he will tell you to the
seat. He's trained to do that. When
he walks down an aisle his head
in turned right and he is counting.
When he returns his head also is
turned right and ne still is count
ing.
Then he reports to the usher in
the front of the theater who keeps
telling him that the best seats now
are available in aisle three.
The first ushers on duty have
the additional chore of checking the
lights, the screen, the seats and the
sound machines. A hair across the
lens of a projection machine looks
like a snake on the screen.
THEY only work about 10 hours
Il a week at the Indiana the
alter, but they are alert every
minute of the time. If they are
not they will lose their jobs. If
they are they get better ones.
They know how to handle people
who don't know how TO handle
themselves.
More than year ago there was
a stage fire in another Indianapolis
theater. The ushers picked up for
the run of the legitimate play were
not trained in how to keep the
crowd orderly.
Three ushers from the Indiana,
off duty for the night, were mem
bers of the audience. They arose
and quickly quieted the panic. Mr.
Henry Sommers, Indiana manager,
was pretty proud of them.
People lose the silliest things in
theaters, such as $4,000 diamond
rings. One lady lost one one night
one she knew was too large for
her and upon which she had no
insurance.
HER escort called at II at night
l. Il and told MIR. Sommers of the
loss. The man wanted to search
the house Immediately. Mr.. Som
mers said no. If the audience knew
something was lost, each person
might start hunting, and some dis
honest person might find and keep
the ring.
After the crowd left, they found
the ring, all right, but it was a lore
shot.
Ushers are taught politeness
when they don't already know it.
Most of them. at the Indiana have
been there for the last five years.
Before that the turnover was pretty
big.
People even lose false teeth in the
theater but they always come
back right away for them.
II +
| A N employee of the postoffice
L n here wrote to Washington to
ask if it was all right if the saplings
on the central office lawn were re-
moved and transplanted before the
sap begins to rise this spring.
The idea was to get them out of
the way of the new addition that
is to be built some time this sum-
mer. BY removing them before the
sap rose, the lives of the sapIings
would be protected.
Washington wrote back this
peremptory order:
Don't do anything until you send
us the scientific names and ages
of the trees"
That's just where affairs stand
today.
TN 1863 the Indianapolis common
l. council voted $500 to the chief of
police for the next year. 1t was for
| the hire Of q horse and 1.io IN t,al,o