Much-Maligned Days and Have you ever occupied cabin No. 13 on one of the largest trans-Pacific steamers} No? The reason is not because you would refuse the cabin if it were offered to you, but because there is no such cabin! The builders realized long before.you thought of booking that such a cabin would bring in poor returns, and purposely left cut the number. You sleep peacefully in your cabin—which may be the 13th—but your dreams are uninterrupted, all because a different number is over; the door. Does this not prove—even before we examine the ques-tien—that superstition is based on ignorance Yet, what a deal of ignorance ed that the dread of No. 13 dates j back to the Last Supper, when 1: sat down at the table. This was {purely a numerical coincidence and Tean bear no weight in the light of casson. But we must fight shy of reason if we would hold to our superstition! Incidentally the Last Supper gave rise to another superstition, It is related that just before Judas went out to betray his Master, he stretched out his hand, accidentally overturning 2 dish of salt. There would never more be Judases in the world if we were as scrupulous in all things as we are superstitions with reference to salt.{
Tus Moon any 13.
The mystic light of the moon has {always been associated with the dark and weird aspect of the; supernatural. Can it be that the moon, long before the Last Supper, was responsible for the evils attend-there must be in the world. Amer- ant on No. 132 We know of one joan, sleeping cars no longer have! person - in' Shanghai who would PP swear it to be true. He has cause length of the standard car was just to remember.
He rented a house suitable for 14 berths,—but the pre from a Chinese owner, at a stipula judice of the public against the, next to the last gave rise to 1 new jated rental, only to find out later that the rent was per moon and nat typo of car—12 berths and a draw per month. There are.12 months in ing room! Generals in the battle! the year, but 13 moons! line have been known to delay offensives on the 13th of the month, Thirteen is a universal supersti-when all strategy pointed to the tion, but unlucky days of the week zero hour. Capitalists financing are allied to local folk-lore. Friday the erection of huge office buildings is regarded by all Anglo-Saxons as have insisted that there be no 13th the worst day of the week. (Per-floor. Business men are secretly sonally we like Friday better than glad when no important dealings "blue? Monday.) This belief goes have to be negotiated on the 13th back to Freya, the Venus of the day. And when the jinx of the North, whose festive d y was Fri-13th is married to the hoodoo of day, named for her. A'l who went Friday—heware! Their misfortune-about their own undertakings on bringing-offspring are legion. that day wi décrezarded her desire thit they skeuld make festive A Sayine or Napouson. ities in her honour were thg sub-The great Napoleon once said jects of her wrath. But here too that "the human race is governed se find the Christian associ ition by its imagination." No more apt with Good Friday. application could be made than in this matter of days and numbers.
Irrespective of wisdom or ignorance are this superstitious trait cuts right mated on that diy.
The Nerweacross humanity, for imagination gions and Swedes have a devout transcends all knowledge. And it fear of Thor, the god of thunder, has its blessings; for even if wed-and hold no weddings on Thurs-tings are delayed, business halted, day. People in Devonshire regard social parties broken up, and cum-Friday as lucky. Ancient Egypt-shaw™~ diminished (according to ians regarded three days of all tha" "Notes and Comments" last Fri-year as most unlucky, and_ the day!) because of No, 13, there is Romans borrowed their ' Dies Mali the other side of the shield. Dark from them—the last Monday in and shady transactions, robberies, April, the second Monday in assaults are—checked—statistics August. and the third Monday in prove it—because criminality is a September. Indians consider it profession of superstition. very unfortunate to be married on Our civilization is so interwoven a rainy day—whatever the day of with religious history—because; the week. there is scarcely a dividing line between credulity as to the super-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.