, 1873-12-06
GAMBLERS FALLhCEES,
Curious illustrations Of Ss.rcrat1tlon
Among Educated FTcn.

FROM tHf L0fiu0h spectator,
Tho nnBMtr which VIC publish to-day to o,1r
correspondent Of lnnt wooR VINO doscrlbad ls
gambling expo .ielico Mt Saxon- los -I}ni,ls IN a
curious illustration OF tho dept; to which COM
mon superstition reaches In olucAtei mon. Il g
ropnlar but worry orrouoons holior ;las bcca.tso
1t Is beforehand much marc unfil;olY that
very unoon,mot, ovent-say Tho nccdc1lta} lind
ing OF sovereign In Tho Atroo:-shouht il nppon
OH two days In succession. tlsau tia. It annllii
pei,si, il vii 10 mncll moro nnl'i;aly for It tito 10
happen Ayail nt once ihn, It was TINT it should
happou tic lrst timo. Tllore is no fAl'a:ywbicll
entora do"per into tho rnblie n.inl tIl.n this.
,n w. h0so k'9%n men T!o h'd lot somn-
Oh tho ground That 1t wns antcco;cntIy 80
unisolY that thoy should l,nyo such 'nlsfor-
tuuo two ia ~ running, t!iat its occurrence tho
against its happcnfn. again. People aomo :imeY
any tl,at bu,nt child slr6aas tho il.o Aud url-
tollbtedly MI nnlucly ilro insurnnoo company
dfeatth 2 tire: Yot "e doubt if oven nil ins1r-
Impression tint run Of ill-luek ~ against t
them ts loss likoly after auol1 a run Of Ill
luck has a1rcn " taken place .ha, it would
30 If Tho prosperity for years back Ind boon nj.
eclouded. Proverbs like 3fts long Iano that
lias no turniug," which aro qato trilo iu tncul-
selves, aro nsapplictt by tho naturally dofoas-
ive logic Of tho human mind, into arguments
why man might fairly expect tho turning to 10
nearer u lc nlu nlrcaay Wnakol fnt without
ono. than 1t would 10 reasonable to aup-
pose 1t II ile hal only q very Bllort blt IT
straight lano behind him. II Gao roruou
i1l Family e.ips OH n pioco of orangc-pe on
Monday and breaks his leg, tho other t,lon,b"rs
ct tho family will sometimes go out on rdolday
with moral cortniuty OF not slipping on pieces
Of orangc-pcol an1 b1caking thoir legs, bc,aueo
1t wonld bo 10 absurdly unlikely that n,lcl an
ovont should happen twice running; and gam
llovs hab1tually net on that extraordinary con-
fusion OF ideas, as modified. however, by
another strange BtpnrBtition Which ia pro-
ccsely as unreasonable, namely, that there
il secret tendency now aid then to
''rll1ts" Of luck, no that, il for two or tlrcd
tin,oa particular number cones up III n eaino
Of cllnncn- they aro half DISPOSED to givo For.
tuno creJt for having taten caprice n. III
lRvor, and aro disposed to stako upon it fur ut
least ollco or twtcu moro. or course, all these
notions arc equally Eroundless. It IL, no doubt,
quite true that it s much more Improbable tint
you will fluid sovereign iu tho street two
days running tllan OH ono single day; but
tho reason why it is moro Improbable Ia
that tho chance Of two intrirsically improbable,
and yet, quito independent, cyonts happening IN
pllccespion IL compounded Of l!io two chances Of
each Of tdeso oyoilts happening, mud ia therefore
1nu.ll loss thon than either rllauco Beparn. ely.
But directly onn OF tllenl has happened, Tho part
Of that imrrobatility which il dino to tho liyBt
event Of tho two is already gurlnountcd, aud
nop tho probability Of the joint ayont happen.
iB ls prcciBcy tho same AZ the probability thai
thu scconl would happen alone.