The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-07-04
From Locke's National Monthly FOR july
Remorse-The Nature Of the Az.
erage Article.

longnosed sad looking man, who propoilnC
ed to him the query:
"What is Remorse?"
TO which Abou replied, The hur. iliatn
sense of an abject failure
"What!". exclaimed the seeker after truth
lis there no such thing rs sorrow and recrC
for wrong-doing?"
"Frequently, my aged infant, frequently
There are minds SO susceptible to proper i'm
pressions, so spiritualized if | may use tn
expression, rs to feel pang or two after they
have done wrong thing, but they are no
common
"I.isten to my own experience \ grea
many years ago, in Persia | made the ac
quaintancc Of Il party of men who met FIRE
quently to indulge in game played with
cards, which, presume you know nothing
of here, called, in Persia, drah-pOQuer. II is
a,curious game. The cards are dealt one at
u time, till each has tive-then those who
have taken, put On the center of the table a
coin, such as has been determined upon--say
..opeck; then they are allowed to throw up
as many cards rs they choose taking from
9Le pack an equal number; then the man
who sits next TO the dealer on the right re-
marks: IL am the aged one, impOverlsh me :"
and the betting begins. II is curious game,
and acknowledgement player being kept IN
a pleasant state Of uncertainty as to what the
Others have, till they come TO what they ca''
L showdown"
well, learned this game, and played it
with unyarying success for some DAYS, win
ming, on an average, four or five dirhems at a
sitting. As gathered in my spoils | saw
nothing wrong in the game 1t seemed to
me most desirable and, in all respects, a
gentlemanly game.
Il am sorry | said to myself for IIatiZ,|
the bcloWs-mcndcr, and for Nadir, Tie seller
of shawls, but Allah knows | risk my sub
stance on the cards as they do, and had they
my luck they would have my money. Be
chesm, 1t Is highly moral game, and had
an hundred children would teach it them.
What Is there wrong in it: 1t is nv money
which risk II is their money which they
risk. There Is no trickcry or cheating i'm the
game, for the cards are fairly dealt, and we
make wagers on our judgment, on our luck.
20 does the merchant who buys the wheat OF
hhurdislan, believing that the crop will be
short ana that it will 20 up So does the
merchant who sells the corn of Kohmul be-
Iieying that the crop Will be heavy and that
the price viii 90 down. What Is this but
gambling? II they play with wheat and
why should not llatiz and play with cards Z?
And then it strengthens the mind-it dcvcl
opes the Judgment, quckcns the reasoning
powers, and br0adens, widcns and strength,
ems the mental man. 1t is a noble game, and
q great pursuit.
Thus reasoned !, joyousy
had no remorse, nor did il occur 10 me
that ii was gambling.
But one night it 50 lappcded that had a
certainty on lIafz. | had three cards alike
IN my hand-that is To say, three accs--and
when the cards were helped as the phrase is
took another, Haiiz drew one card to the
four that he held and the betting began
IL "a str hn,, l.
but one that can boat IT, namely, a strac.
phlush. wagered kopcck to help Hahz
on to his ruin. How | goatcd over those
four aces saw nothing wrong in those four
aces, nor iii making out OF lIatiz the bellows.
member, all that he should make by his trade
for year. He saw my modest kOpeck, and
said he would wager dirhem in addition
Exulting in the strength of my four aces,
gladly put up the dirhcm, and remarked that
such was my faith in my hand, that would
!mpOversh him To the extent of ten dirhems
more. Hafiz, on whose head light curses
saw the ten dirhems and boosted me boosted
Is Persian phrase one hundred dirhems.
made sure that the four aces was not an op
teal dclusiOn, and went him one Thousand
dlrhems, which he saw, and came back at IN,
five thousand dirhems, which, feeling that i
would be cruel to utterly ruin him. | callcC
without further gymnastics
Smilingly laid down my four aces ant
reached for the property. Smilinglv he pu
away Ray outs'rcched and eager hand, and
l1ld down beside my -four aces his accursed
hand, which was strate phlush
The property is mine !" said lac.
tits" said !.
Ihenl experienced "A feeling of rcmorsc
Then ! fell that drah poquier was gambling
and shat gambling in any form was sin OF
the most heinous nature, and that had been
guilty OF Il crime.
"Oh, why" exclaimed, did | ever permi,
myself 10 become infatuated with the desire
Tor gaming! II | win, 1t is my ncighbor's
'orhems-if | lose, it is my own" In any
case, there is nothing of actual value thai
passes. While we use capital in gambling
we produce nothing. One side is richer. The
other poorer and there has been Il waste OF
precious time Besides i, is terribly demon
-alizing. II infatuates IA man and cnieebes
his mind. His mini dwels upon the gam,
TO the exclusion of everything that is good
AZ crushes out everything that Is high and no
bic, and dcvelopes everything that is mean
and small in ones nature. Ii ruins the losel
financially and ruins the winner morally
Wretch that am, why did ever permit nv
self 70 play at all? Why did | permit thi.
cursed iniatuation 10 grip me:
And Remorse sat on me, anu | beat IN,
breast and pulled my hair Bewailng my
wickedness, determined to purge myself Of
fhe unhcly thing.
Would have had so thought and so done
had held the strate-phlush, and the accurs
ed bellowsmender the four acest do moi
know.
Once more. In my youth drank deep OF
pleasure The wines of Shiraz were not too
COOL for ine, and the strong waters of the
Fra k ] INDUCED in to degree that was as
ton shing had constitution of iron, and
the endurance of an army mule. | could
drink all night and disport myself all day.