Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-03-09
CONCERNING LUCK.
WHAT RICHARD A. PROCTOR says ON
THE SUBJECT.
A Belief that Men are bat little Likely
TO Give Up-rhe Horse.
ShoA

and sO evidence it is the belief in luck
lt l. essentially an unscientific belief
ance in every form in which we recoo.
nize It we see the idea OF causation. on
which all science is based, rejected in
favor OF some form OF fetishos in which
in the savage we should regard as de.
FRA hng. The man who deliberately
nsilS up horseshoe over the door that
luck may be brought to all who PASS he
meath It knows of course perfectly well
that that horseshoe cannot in any
natural or physical way affect The
events which he wishes 10 hrn
ont veil. Yet he expects it somehow TO
bring luck though, strangely enough.
he has not even heard OF the reason
which the original use OF the horseshoe
;mplied. / suppose not one of those
who faSien the horseshoe up in this way,
though usually selecting the right place.
8 doorway, Is aware OF the real signifi
cance Of the symbol for those oriental
races among whom the usage originated.
1u entering doorway so ornamented
each believer, rightly 70 carry out the
OILS rvance, ought 20 make an obeisnnce
before that, which is. in reality, one of
Ie symbols OF silva. the third
rol OF tho Hindoo trinity. /
suppose occidentsls. however sin
core Their confidence in the efficacy of
the horseshoe, would scarcely care 10
worship silva even symbolically and
certainly If the actual symbolism in this
case we're generally known the horse
shoe would be even more summarily re-
,c'ed from our doorways Oh that
account than on account of It's re-
hcous significance. Yet nearly all
onr luck symbols are in like manner
fbe emblems either Of superstitions or
O.. imprOprieties (once held sicred). or OF
both and 1t is hard TO say whether faith
ntAem rs uDmeaning fetishes is less or
more degrading than would be such
faih IN them as Is felt by the wor-
Shippers of idols and unseemingly svm-
bolsms. For belief in all unmeaning
snd imperative luck-emblems or per
iofmances implies the absence OF all those
l.eas OF causatiou which raise the cul-
t.red man above the savage. Indeed.
the savage has better reason for bis faith
~ O fetish than the American or Euro
pan Of the nineteenth century has for
MS corresponding belief SINCE the lat
teI knows certainly that his horse shoe.
his vedding-slipper, his mascots of all
sorts, shapes, and sizes, his turnings to-
vsil or from the new moon, and kim
dr,i ahSurdities, can have no causatye
influence on his success while the
savage who attributes life and will to
,nanimate objects thinks he has good
Teason for expecting real assistance from
bis fetishiSms.
Relief ia luck apart from such iancies
AMI superstitions is equally unsclentifc
and unreasonable. The average mind,
which has ever been an illogical mind,
draws no distinction between the OBJ
served III luck and good luck of indi-
viiuais. and i'll luck or good luck which
nav be expected 10 continue. Ii is this
trust in luck, this expectation based on
past events. which IS unscienhfic and
illogical, not the recognition OF the fact
that such and such men have been lucky
or unlucky in the past This last
Is a certainty, the belief based on
II by the average mind is our
=
who have not only been lucky in all the
leading events of their lives, but who
have seemed unable to fail IN chance
matters. so persistently has good fortune
followed them. And on the other hsnd
there have been persons whose lives pre-
sent so persistent a continuance OF bad
luck. 1t seems to the illogical average
miad simple sbsurdity to say that IN
any event OF pure chance, still 10 be de-
clded affecting one whose record is OF the
former kind, we ought not to exrect his
success, or that where such an event will
affect person who has been persistently
unlucky We ought not to anticipate his
failure but to the man OF science, or
indeed 10 any one who has (what is I'M
oommonl the faculty of logical reason
ing. either expectation appears preposte-
rous on the face Of it. Granted that an
event depends solely on chance, to ex-
pect its nature to be Influenced by the
past success or failure Of man In mat
iers entirely uncOnnected with it, Is TO
accent the absurd contradiction that a
series of events can affect the decision
Of an event in no way connected with
them. This clearly indicates weakness
oireasoning as obviously as the belief that
. horseshoe will bring a man good for
,une if nailed over his door, or such IAN
cies as card-players entertain about
changing the luck by changing their seat
or the pack with which they play.
Il NAV seem harsh to say that beliefs
Of this sort, which are entertained by
nine;v.nine men IN a hundred, indicate
a weak place in the brain. But lnso'
much as more than one profound phlo-
sopher has expressed the belief that
very man has some weak place IN the
brain-as each man would admit OF HIM
self II he tested all his beliefs and com
pared them with those of his fellow-men
dispassionately-to say that faith IN
mex and fetishes indicates a mental flaw
Il merely 70 say that the weak piece IN
the average brain includes this paTIlcu'
ar weakness.
Consider the case OF believer IN luck
actually putting his belief to the TEST
not merely as TO its correctness, but as 10
bis own faith ia it, which may not, per
haps. be so real as be imagines. Take
as concrete exam piC q ShiA"AN ~ 1880
Carlo, who has been having great run
OF luck. An on-looker, possessed with
the belief in luck, begins to regard this
PLAYER as one Of the lucky, whose for
fuues he will do well to follow, in order
that the luck may be. as II were.
reflected upon himself. But his
mind is divided by several thoughts. in
TIE first place, he is not altogether sure
that the gamblers good luck is likely TO
be steady. The longer he notes its con-
tinuance the more satisfied he becomes
on this point. Yet he knows. or thinks
he knows. that even the stesdiest luck
mas its limit, aud the longer he has
looked on and watched success after
success. the more anxious he becomes
lee, this limit should be close at
hand. lie wishes 20 share the sue
cessful gamblers good fortune; but he
fears lest. st the very moment when
be makes the attempt, that fortune VIII
for the time turn. and he viii reap loss
only and no gain. These doubts, which