The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-03-08

Curiositles OF the hotterye-Ouu DIS Va
Human N ature--How Benjamin Frank
lin and Thomas ] Jefferson Advocated
and Aided the Lottery Business
Bunker Hill Monument and Christ
Church Bells-A Lottery or q Bible
Society A Singular Bit Of Social
History.
| By one of those cOincidences which are
called strange" in fiction, although they
are all the time occurring in real life, 1t
| has happened that while Monsieur Les
seps has been agitating the idea of lot
| terry in France to carry through his new
Panama canal project) the old Union
canal, the very oldest canal in this coun-
try, and which was originally and mate
rally aided IN it's construction by lot
tery, has outlived It's usefulness and has
! been abaLd oned.
The Union canal, of Pennsylvania was
the first projected on the American con
tinent It was suggested by William
Penn in 1890, years before canal was in
operation even in England. The route
was surveyed by David RittenhOuse, the
astronomer, and DIR. William Smith, pro-
yost of the University of Pennsylvania.
The drawings of the lottery in aid of the
| Union Canal took place in the old Arcade
in Philadelphia, on Chestnut street, near
Seventh, and were regarded as occasions
of public interest. The work was inter
rupted by the Revolutionary war, but later
on Robert Morris, Robert Fulton and
| Jacob Francis became interested in it.
The canal was eighty-nine miles long,
and necessitated in its construction some
of the greatest engineering work of the
day. The first tunnel in the United States
was bored for this canal, and a colossal
pumping apparatus was used to raise the
water to the necessary height.
The canal cost $3,OOO,OO0 equivalent to
ten times the sum at the present time)
was worth to the country every dollar 1t
cost, and would never have been COM
pleted had il not been fol- the lottery.
A rival to the Union canal was after
wards started by the Bostonese, to enable
1.-The Hub" to compete with New York;
but although this c1ual wus completed
(through the agency also of a public lot
terry formed to aid in its construction, it
failed to render Boston equal to New
York, though it did much good, nsVer-
theless.
Various public works besides canals
resorted to the lottery for aid. When
New England patriotism fell short of fin
ishing the Bunker Hill monument, a
large lottery was suggested to continue
the good work, and "ratf1e" was gotten
up at ladies fair" to which Fanny
Essler, the danseuse, contributed, and
which supplied the funds required.
Even the phlegmatic Germans took
kindly to the lotteries, and drawings OF
interesting magnitude took place in
Vienna and Berlin. The lottery then
found its way, on the general principles
of human nature, into Great Britain,
where it took root and flOurished. The
first English lottery was for the repairing
of harbOrs and Notifications along the
coast. The first public drawing in Eng
land took place at the west door of old
st. Pauls cathedral in the presence of a
vast crowd.
Queen Elizabeth, the most sensible and
successful of English sovereigns, estab-
lished the lottery by royal edict and
placed it under the control of the prime
minister and the chancellor of the ex
chequer. So successful were its results
that it was continued as an accepted in
stitutiOn for raising revenues down to the
close of the Eighteenth century. 1t WAS
dnring this brilliant period thatthe bank
ing system, insurance, exchange and
paper money were first introduced, and
all, if not born of, were undoubtedly
Graded in the lottery system.
The greatest public institution in Lon
don, or perhaps in the world, the British
museum, was mate rally aided in itI in
ception by a lottery. Nearly 100000
were thus contributed to this magnificent
object 1876 years ago.
Meanwhile, the lottery had gained a
firm fOothold in France. The merourial
Parisians took kindly to it. they dearly
loved the excl ement of the drawings,
while at the same time the governme mt
took care to devote the major portions of
the funds thus raised to public purposes.
At present, lotteries in France are in
full favor for charitable and art purposes,
and are regulated by government, a public
official being present at all drawings.
Over forty lotteries have obtained the
sanction of the French government during
the last decade. The lottery known rs
1.-The Central Union of Decorative Arts"
had a capital of 100000 francs (nearly
S3000,000). One lottery disposed of
100000 tickets in twenty days. The
Algerian National lottery sold over a NIL
lion of tickets per month for five months,
| and the terry for the SOcietie DIES Gems
de LottOjes sold over half that Number at
a higher price.
In this country, as has been previously
-tated lotteries have always been popular,
and, until late years years, have been
sanctioned, while regulated by law. Reli
gion has, even in America. awaited itself
largely of human natures tendency to the
lottery.
Churches, from Maine to Louisiana,
| have BET aided by lotteries. The Phia
delphia Steeple lottery was managed by
no less man, statesman and philauthro-
pist than Benjamin franklin, and, through
his agency, the steeple OF old Christ
church, Philadelphia, was raised and its
peal of bells secured.
Thfse Christ church bells are almost as
well known and historical in the Quaker
city as are Bow Bells" in London; the
whole peal weigh over nine Thousand
pounds, and are very harmonious-lit-
eraIl emusic by the pound" They were
cast in London, and brought over with
great care and large expen-e to Phila-
delphia. The lottery, the funds of which
procured these bells, was regarded by the
good men and women st the time as
public benefit.
In New England lottery was origina-
ted for the purpose of raising funds to
supply sailors and strangers with Biole-,
and succre ed largely in accom- plishing
its obiect Tins a lottery became n Bible