Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-12-21
THE EXHIBITION LOTTERY,
The Great Gambling Scheme OF
France.

TICKETS Al A HUGE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
FOR THE DRAWING.
The establishment OF the lottery as a perIla-
nent institution in France would put about one
nall the population In a mad-houSe, il we can
Judge from the excitement produced by the
scheme which grew out of a desire To supple
Inent the Exhibition by something wearing the
cloak or beDevOlence. Tie sale OF tickets hung
fire little at first, so much So indeed, that the
ministerial letters to provincial functionarleS
charged with their distribution were almost
things have changed, and In proportion as the
number OF tickets increased. so did the number
OF victims who imagined that the prizes would
be in the same ratio. judicious system OF
puff5 was likewise employed to which even
some OF the opposition papers did not dsdain
to lend hand, although they did so by ridicullng
the whole affair and telling OF lucky numbers
dreamed by Nine. y. or Monsieur Y, or predicted
by some fortune-teller or SOmnambuliSt.
Then speculation took 1t up. and now not only
stock, but there Is a rush TO buy tickets from
the jObbers. who throng the outskirts OF the
BOurSe and deafen you with offers of all the
cent. ON the original price. All these series
have the same chance absolutely, but there are
preferences. Why NO one can tell. The first
million for long time was at q high premium
but somebody insisted upon million No. g and
proposed ~ francs for ticket No. 2i7. 32j. where
upon a million o linoecileS took up the cry, and
at present that price Is current, although there
Is an anxious Inquiry after No. 1.1ls,912 for
which popular rIInOr states 400 francs have
oeen proposed. No one has yet been adj
mlleo ID see the prizes, now announced to
NUMBER 4O,OO-we heard that it was 5000
a fortnight ago-and only week before the
wheels OF fortune begin to turn Will the
payment OF one franc "open the doors of
the Temple of PlutuS,' as one OF the
pvii22y raners logically STYLES the Palai5 de
lIndrstrie About 2,016 prizes are estimated 4.
2,p'o francs, and upward, each; these are to be
attributed TO a single number of a single series
whereas, with the others, the same grouping of
n.y. nsures VIII draw something supposed TO be of
The same value, whether they belong to the
nrSt or the twelfth million. Last week the
Finance Minister and the Minister OF AgricuI-
lue ana Commerce, accompanied by a select
lew, We're present at the experiments made
with that clever invention of decagonal and do
decagonal wheels. which have already tried to
describe, the result being that only 80 numbers
can be extracted every hour making $50 Der ,Iay
for the big prizes. as the intention is to keep the
employees 10 their work for five hours each dav.
AFTER this, affairs will go on more rapidly. II
times as last IN fact so that the business viii be
completed inside OF three weeks from its CON-
mencemunt. ct, again, here nothing is exactly
certain, as the council OF ministers cannot de-
c.de the mOmentoGS question whether the val
udpie prizes snail be drawn for before. after or
during the other performances, so as to keep
puOlic curiosity on the Qui viye and distract
Puolc attention from the electoral maneuvers
IN the PROVINCES. The only really benevolent
feature SO FAR made known Is the purchase of
2sS complete sets OF baby-linen, which are to be
ulStrlDuted 10 neceSSitouS females; unfortunate
~ II ouI pellenCe vi lie past De any criterion
Dy winch 10 form ones Judgment, political con-
nectionS, rather than want or merit. will intu-
ence their distribution, and the pctro,euses OF
BeneVille, the wives and sisters and COncubines
Of ''our exiled brethren" will be the only ones
TO profit by the charity. Two hundred and for
ty pictures have been bought by the committee:
some are by painters OF reputation, both OF
French and foreign schools, but with the choice
OF the majority fear that prejudice and par
TALLY have had most to do as we look in vain
for the names Of some who are as familiar as
household words, both on this and On the other
side OF the Atlantic.-[ Paris Cor Ny. Times