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

the strength Who will tear from my heart envJ
hatred. avarice, and all the train of bad passior
which have invaded II?
al have not had the courage to set foot again !
the workshops have kept away from it sind
Sunday.
"You will say TO me, perhaps, you have dor
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 Yield
ed. IhAve done wrong to be tempted But tn
lemptaton-who offered it to me2 These senselel
dreams--who called them into existencei Il id
who invented this lottery? Is il who had the b
ngot cast? Is il | who exposed il in the mo
crowded street Of Paris? Did il not come and see
me out at my bench, with its perhdy, its insinu;
tone, its promises, and its lies, 10 corrupt and
grade meme, an honest and hard working labo
err, who had not thought Of the lottery-who
not know that il exsted-who only asked of Pr
violence to preserve my vigorous arms to gain II
daily bread? And this is the way are taug
morality, by lotteries which steal our money;
dreams Of wealth which steal our peace of min
and our love of honest TOLL
GA WoRKMAS."
am sorry to say that there still some half
dozen lotteries actively engaged in forcing the
scrip upon the public. The lesson taught by
golden ngots seems to have been speedily lorgotte
for the new schemes are, like their great predcce
sor, authorized by the government. II was hop
by many that the lingots dor would strik deaf
blow at the whole system.
A singular trial of skill has just taken place. |
hairdresser of the city offered two prizes in moud
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 hd
constituted himself both judge and juo5, and I'D
the hardihood TO declare Of his To ,ticcs, al
his predecessor in his establishment, Winners of Nj
two prizes. OF course the other eighteen disputan1
protested, and, proceeding by the gradations pee
liar to such cases, ended in a row. The ladies IN
in terror, and the melee became general Tire y 4
lice interiered, aad soon put stop to this most
teresting ceremony.
You acquainted with the French superstitjd
in regard TO thirteen guests at q table, and wild
the fact that to guard against the necessity of sea
ing that number at once, the profession Of ..Fou
teener' has been created in the principal cities
France. was present some days ago at a dinnd
party, a few miles from the city, where spite d
the precautions of the hostess, that fatal numbe
was 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 was equally impossible 4
obtain the services off fourteener. The lady 9th
house sat down to table with evident uneasinees
and throughout the meal seemed anxious and dis
tressed. She declared that never in her life, la,
such circumstance happened without being fol
lowed by immediate disaster. In the evening sh
accompanied the party, most Of whom were from
Paris to the railroad station. While awaiting tn
arrival Of the train, lady, the intimate friend an
companion of our hostess, inadvertently leanc,
against badly fastened door, which gave way
and precipitated her. down flight Of stone step
leading TO u cellar. She was seriously though no
dangerously wounded. could not conscientious
ly her friend Of superstition or of weakness
in finding coincidence between the thirteen q
table and the accident, when saw chance, or de
sign, whatever it is that regulates our subiuna
ry affairs, thus lending itself to the support of ia
bic, and the confederation of belief, however alb
surd it may appear Ofcourse it is idle TO attemp
to reason person out of such doctrines, when tn
evidence is all on their side. 1t is really probabl
that these superetitions pcrpetuated by
strange persstency, on the part of hazard TO caus
every dinner of the thirteen guests TO be succeeded
by nose bleed, an overturn, fall down Stair
FRANCO.