Evening Star Newspaper, March 16, 1930, Page 97

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 16, 1930. Goblins That Haunt the Wori;l;s How Black Cats, Horseshoes, Four-Leaf Clovers and Other Symbols of Alleged Good or Bad Luck Figure in the Lives of Famed Leaders in the Realm of Art, Music Letters and Sport. Ignace Jan Paderewski, world-famous ist, is reputed to be unwilling to ma a venture on certain days which he considers unlucky. Scientific marvels of our present age have crowded many ancient beliefs and superstitions into the back- round, but as yet have not entirely obliterated &m. Nor is the often-repeated phrase, “Only the orant are superstiti ' en -true. Substantially the idea that many highly intelligent persons still make use of charms, fetishes and mas- woo the idess of 1 are stories here told, relating to world-famous men and women who have achieved the pinnicle of success in their par- tichiar line of endeavor—in music, art, the stage and sports. The majority of these per- sonages admit to some metrtenme belief in the power of certain objects or rituals to aid them. OLA NEGRI, the famous Polish film star who started the invasion of continental movie actresses to Amer- ica and achieved the dizzy heights of stardom in Hollywood, declares that she believes in the mysterious influence of certain objects, astrology and numerology. “I am not capricious, but I do admit I am superstitious. I believe in the stars, in the mystical meaning of figures and objects and in horoscopes which I draw for myself. “Another superstition of mine is the fear of a cat crossing my path. At Hollywood you do not count cats singly, but in hordes. All the studios are full of cats. What was I to do? I had inclosures made at my own expense and had the cats put into them. It did not make any difference to the cats. They were just as happy in one corner of the studio as in another, but it was an immense relief to me to feel that on my way backward and forward between my dressing room and the set I should not run the risk of encountering a cat; and I did not have to keep all the great actors waiting because I knew that a cat was on the lookout for me. “Many great artists are superstitious. D’An- nunzio is one of them. He constantly wears a bracelet madé of monkey hair and he has other charms 'in which he believes. Anatole France had a collection of dragon signs and amulets from Oriental countries and thought them his greatest treasures. Paderewski also is supersti- tious. He thinks some days unlucky and would not begin an undertaking on one of them. Then there is Charlie Chaplin. He is fright- fully superstitious about.his old shoes, his black coat, his round hat and his stick, all of which he brought over to America from England and which have helped him on the road to fame. ‘They are all falling to pieces, but he still pre- serves them, together with his first false mus- tache. He would not have duplicates made of them for anything. He still uses them when playing his parts. “I am superstitious and I shall remain so. I believe in the magical influence of my horse- shoe. I believe that this rusty piece of iron has some mysterious influence on my life. I keep it with jealous care, and I keep my opinions, too. I have had this conviction since childhood, and it is conviction—that is to say, belief and faith—that counts in life. “Thus I always carry my horseshoe about with me.” CAP’I‘. MALCOLM CAMPBELL, famous Eng- ¢ lish auto race driver, who piloted his ma- chine to a world speed record in 1928 at Day- tona Beach, Fla..denies any belief in omens of good or ill fortune, but admits that he is a fatalist. “If by superstition is meant a belief in the potency of particular charms to ward off evils or to bring the possessor good luck, then I am not superstitious. Many racing motorists and many people in other branches of sport, par- ticularly the stage, do, I believe, place a great deal of faith in such things; but, though I gen- erally have a mascot of some kind on my car, I am afraid it is there for an ornament and not for use. So far as I am concerned, it does not inspire me to succeed, nor would its absence make me pessimistic of winning any particular race. It is simply a mascot, and no more. “On the other hand, I am definitely a fatalist. Experience has convinced me that if a man is fated to have a run of bad luck, no charm or mascot or anything of that nature will prevent it. Similarly, if he is born under a lucky star— and there is a great deal of truth in that old ‘tag,’ then he will be fortunate whatever super- stitious beliefs he may observe or deride.” FEODOR CHALIAPIN, famous Russian con- cert and opera singer, who is known to millions for his rendition of the “Song of the Volga Boatman,” admits having a very few pet aversions which he is careful not to violate. “Although I am not particularly superstitious, I take great care when I get out of bed in the morning not to put on my left shoe first. Why? Pola Negri, screen star, has a very definite dislike for black cats that cross her path. probably because this practice dates from my hood, in which I was often told that putting the left shoe first brought bad luck. I have 'ways been afraid of the number 13. Of course, know it is absurd, but the idea has become of my being, and whenever I encounter this number I feel uncomfortable. Some artists refuse to sing on the day on which they have encountered this number. I do not go as far as this, but I certainly feel uneasy. “There is a general belief that Russians are William T. Tilden, 2d, recently re- named ranking United States tennis player for the tenth consecutive year, carries, during his major court battles, a four-leaf clover which once belonged to Lincoln. more superstitious than Western Europeans. I have traveled a good deal in the course of my life and I have seen many different kinds of people, some well educated and intelligent and others only peasants, but without being at all influenced in favor of my own race, I find there is no reason to believe that Russians in general are more superstitious than the common people of any Latin country. There is, of course, a difference between Russian and Occidental su- perstitiions. In Western countries superstition is more superficial and seems more groundless, whereas in Russia it has a deeper meaning and deeper sources. In Latin countries, for instance, it is made up of ideas such as disliking black cats and certain numbers, but in Russia it is more poetical. “Lack of education,. which is the cause of nearly all superstition, is disappearing little by little before the advance of civilization. The credulity of grandparents will soon be a source of amusement for their grandchildren, and per- haps youngsters will no longer be afraid of ghosts, black cats, unlucky numbers and witches, That is the right way to progress, but until that day comes we shall continue to love our stories and to pass them on to our children.” WELL known prima donna of the Metro- politan Opera Co., Maria Jeritza, disclaims having any superstitious beliefs and relates how many persons bring misfortunes upon them- selves by putting credence in ill-luck omens. “I have no superstitions. I see no mysteri- ous meanings in days, figures or signs. Not only do I decline to take any notice of such things in my own life, but I always feel an- noyed when others give way to such ideas. To attach importance to signs and omens is sim- ply to make trouble for oneself. Here is an example: “One evening a man who was singing in an opera with me arrived at the theater in a very disturbed state of mind. “‘I'm frightfully upset,’ he said. ‘I left some- thing in my dressing room and had to go back and fetch it. Couldn't have had worse luck! Something unpleasant is sure to happen to me.’ “Wondering how a strong man could be so silly, I tried to console him, but in vain. ‘There will surely be trouble,” he groaned. °‘My voice will let me down, you'll see!” He kept on try- ing to clear his throat, and the result, of course, was that when he came to the third act he was quite hoarse. “‘Didn’t I tell you s0?’ he remarked to me when we came off the stage. Gabriele d Xnuuu:io, romaufc Latin , is said to wear a bracelet of mom- key hair for good luck. *“¢‘You silly man,’ I replied, ‘you have only yourself to blame. You are not hoarse because you had to go back to your dressing room, but because you kept worrying your throat.’” all-time American tennis ace, William T, Tilden, 2d—"Big Bill"—tells of a four-leaf clover that once belonged to Lincoln, which was given him on the eve of his first big victory: 3 “Most people have an idea that the terms ‘superstition’ and ‘luck’ are synonymous. It is a great mistake. Superstition is belief ‘in myths, in lucky charms, in some occult cause for desired effect. Luck is fate, chance—the- ‘breaks’ of the game. “Superstition is an element that strikes at the root of successful competition in athletics, at the confidence of the athlete. I know many athletes, and almost all are superstitious in some way. They all have their favorite racket or club or bat, according to the game they play. They are likely to have a certain sweater or a particular cap that spells victory in their eyes. “I personally am an exceedingly superstitious person. The day before I defeated Gerald Pat- terson at Wimbledon in the challenge round of 1920 and won my first major tournament, Mrs Benjamin Lathrop of London, sister-in-law of Samuel Hardy, captain of the American Davis Cup team, presented me with a four-leaf clover that had once belonged to Abraham Lincoln. It had been given her by Lincoln’s niece. From that day to August, 1926, I carried that four- leaf clover in every national cham match and Davis Cup match that I played, over that period I never met defeat. before I was defeated by Lacoste in Cup round of 1926 and a week American title to Cochet, my four-| disappeared and did not show up mr."when I won back my American “I strongly urge all tennis players not influenced by superstition nor yet to co luck nor fear its breaks. Emancipation luck and superstition alike is the ideal frame of mind for the athlete. H g! %] ] or | ii this T am proving myself a very average speci- men of mankind.” TAGE folk are generally superstitious, ac- cording to their own admission, but Sybil Thorndike, one of England’s greatest actresses, who achieved world face in plays of Shake- speare and G. B. Shaw's “St. Joan,” states that she daily breaks many of the pet superstitions of her craft with impunity. “I am afraid I am a flagrant offender against all of the general superstitions which infest the stage. It is supposed to be unlucky to quote ‘Macbeth.’ I quote ‘Macbeth’ with impunity on or off the stage. Whistling in one’s dressing room, according to the superstitious members of my profession, is simply tempting Providence. Yet I have done so for years and probably shall continue to do so as long as I retain my con- nection with the theater. So far these breaches of the theater’s traditional superstitious beiiefs have not brought dire catastrophe in their train, Somehow or other, I have managed to survive, Observance or desregard of superstitions cannot alter our destinies.” JAN KUBELIK, whose mastery of the violin has won him honors and popular acclaim throughout the Continent, England and Amer- ica, believes that even numbers are an indica tion of good fortune for him. “Fate plays a great role in life, and although it may sound superstitious, I believe that even numbers have a peculiar significance. At 6 I first started playing. At 12 I began studying at the conservatoire under Prof. Sevick at Prague, At 18 I left the conservatoire and started my professional career. At 24 I became a father for the first time. At 36 I started as a com- poser, and at 42 I made an important change in my domicile and bought a house at Abbazia in Italy, where I live in the Summer—a step which undoubtedly has had a great influence on my life.” (Copyright, 1030.)