The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-12-11

the strength Who will tear from my heart envy
hatred avarioe, and all the train of bad passiol]
which have invaded it?
al have not had the courage to set foot again
the workshops have kept away from il sind
! Sunday.
"You will say TO me, perhaps, You have dod
wrong. You ought not to yield to such perniciol
temptations. You ought not TO abandon yourse|
to such crazy dreams Of fortune. You ought not, \
'Yes, yes; ought not, and should not have WELD
ed. have done wrong to be tempted. But TIL
temptation-who offered il to me? These senselel
dreams-who called them into existence5 Is itI
who invented this lottery? Is il i who had the bI
ingot cast? Is il | who exposed il in the mod
crowded street Of Paris? Did it not come and see|
me out at my bench with its perhdy, its insinuI
tons, its promises, and its lies, TO corrupt and I'D
grade meme, an honest and hard working laboI
er, who had not thought Of the lottery-who ii
not know that II existed-who only asked OF Pr{
violence to preserve my vigorous arms TO gain nd
daily bread? And this is the way We are taug(
morality, by lotteries which steal our money; q
dreams OF wealth which steal our peace of min
and our love Of honest TOLL
ga WoRKMAx''|
am sorry to say that there are still some half
dozen lotteries actively engaged in forcing th,
scrip upon the public. The lesson taught by n
goldeningots seems TO have been speedily lorgotte
for the new schemes are, like their great predcceI
sor, authorized by the government 1t was hop
by many that the lingots dor would strike deaf
blow at the whole system
singular trial of skill has Just taken place.
hairdresser of the city offered two prizes in mon
to all his fellow BARRIERS who were willing to co
tend. Twenty presented themselves upon IL
solemn occasion, and commenced operations upd
twenty female heads. The offerer of the prizes hf
constituted himself both judge and ju35, and hl
the hardlhood to declare of his a. To Niece an
his predecessor in his establishment winners of
two prizes. OF course the other eighteen disputanj
protested, and. proceeding by the gradations pee
liar to such cases. ended in row. The ladies fA
in terror, ana the melee became general THE y 4
lice interiered, aad soon put stop to this most
teresting ceremony.
You are acquainted with the French superstitid
IN regard to thirteen guests at a table, and wild
lhe iact that 10 guard against the necessity of sea
ing that number at once, the profession of s.Fou
teener" has been created in the principal cities |
France. was present some days ago at a dinnd
party, few miles from the city, where, spite {,
the precautions of the hostess, that fatal numbd
collected at the hour announced. Fifteen bal
been invited, but two, for some unexplained rea
son, did not make their appearance. 1t was i'm
possible to reduce the party to twelve, and at thu
distance from Paris it WINS equally impossible I
obtain the services ola fourteener. The lady of III
house sat down to table with evident uneasiness
and throughout the meal seemed anxious and dis
tressed. She declared that never in her life, he,
such a circumstance happened without being fol
lowed by immediate disaster. in the evening sli
accompanied the party, most of whom from
Paris, to the railroad station. While awaiting tn
arrival of the train lady, the intimate friend ant
companion of our hostess, inadvertently leaned
against badly fastened door, which gave way
and precipitated her down a flight of stone step
leading to cellar She was seriously though no
dangerously wounded. could not conscieu tious
ly accuse her friend of superstition or of weakness
in finding coincidence between the thirteen q
table and the accident when saw chance or de
sign, or whatever it is that regulates our subluna
ny affairs, thus lending itself to the support of ia
BILE, and the confederation Off belief however alb
surd it may appear. OF course it is idle TO attemp
to reason person out of such doctrines, when tht
evidence is all their side. 1t is really probabl,
that these superstitons are perpetuated by
strange persisteney on the part of hazard, to
every dinner of the thirteen guests TO be succeeded
by nose bleed, an overturn, or fall down stair
FRANCO.