The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-08-07
BILL ARP.
The Philosopher Handles the Lottery
Roughly.

Time and chance happeneth to them
ALL"
In a thousand ways we have to take
our chances in this sublunary life, but
there is no good reason for taking a
chance in the Louisiana lottery. 4
man wouldent think Of such a thing
if he based his chance on facts and fig
ures. His chance to draw IS is about
one in a hundred, and to draw a 500
about one in thousand, and for the
capital prize one in halfa million. But
he bases his hopes on good luck or fate
or destiny, and all this is founded on
concelt. lie has no clear idea on the
SUBJECT, but has dreamy superstition
that fate has picked him out for her
lavorS and will give him prize this
time.
But figures don't lie, and chances
can be calculated with as much GER
tainty us the motions of the stars. The
best lecture | ever heard in college was
from Professor Mccoy on the regularity
of irregular things. The wheel Of for
tune is not going to drop a prize to
man because he needs it, or because of
his faith or his hope or his conceit. I
was Illuminating over this because l
have received a letter from a good,
fond, ycarning mother who wishes me
to invest S. for her in the Louisiana
lottery. She had a dream that she
would draw Il prize and this would en-
able her to give her only child a first
class education. She is very poor, and
the letter was written with tears, but l
knew that she would lose that money,
and so I declined her request. The
good spirits don't send dreams that en-
courage lotteries, and bad spirits would
make us believe lie.
There is L kind Of gaming that never
gave me very deep concern. mean
professional gaming where the parties
all have money and just swap it around
sometimes one Is it and sometimes
another, and no,,dy suffers. Then
there is the gaming hat is engaged in
by the sporting gentlemen, such as
Clay and Webster, and Breckenridge
,,l An T
slider that very heinous sin. There
are men who have a passion for gam
ing. Some men will throw dice or play
crack-a-loo all day for the love of it. I
have known men who were so fond Of
betting on chance that if they saw two
birds sitting on telegraph wire they
would make a bet which bind would
fly away first.
But most Of the sports like to mix
skill and judgment with chance. A
man will bet on a horse race, and in
this way back his Judgment, and if he
wins he feels good in two ways-one
over his judgment and the other over
his money. If he bets on cards he has
to do some brain work. Mind and
memory are exercised, and his success
is compliment to both, and, Of course,
he is pleased with himself. If he does
not succeed it is easy to lay it on the
cards. He never lays it on himself.
1t takes smart man to play cards.
Daniel Webster and Clay and Aleck
Stevens were good players, and so are
most of our notable statesmen. Zeb
Vance, they say, is skilful performer,
but Joe Brown does not play a good
game. He is too slow and deliberate.
These great statesmen never bet enough
to make anybody rich or poor. know
gentlemen who play for recreation and
never stake more than a dime at a
time. l say gentlemen, for they are
gentlemen, and conduct themselves
honorably in all the relations of life
They would scorn to cheat anybody or
to fleece lamb. Some good, old-fash-
ioned people have holy horror Of
cards. That is all right. To him who
thinkcth it q sin, I reckon it is a sin.
Professor Proctor, the great astronomer
and Christian gentleman was very fond
of cards. He said that game of whist,
with congenial friends, was rest to
his mind. There is really no more
harm in playing cards for mental recre-
alton than in playing chess or draughts,
or backgammon or dominoes. The
schoolboy begins with games as soon
as he begins the alphabet. He loves
to take his chances. He spits on chip
and tosses it up as he says, "Wet or
dry.' He throws up piece of money
and says, "Heads or tails.n Children
draw straws for first choice. All this
IS harmless. But when the chance is a
desperate one and strains the purse to
take it the sin begins. 1t encourages a
desire to get something for nothing and
that is the curse of this generation.
The Louisiana lottery has impover-
ished thousands of young men and
kept MANY workingman poor. 1t
keeps their secrets and their money
and never publishes their disappoint-
ments. 1t is very kind to them. 1t
throws halo or rainbow color around
the few who are fortunate, and this
draws in new victims and invites the
old ones to return. This lottery offers
millions to the State for renewal of
its charter, and they say it will be re-
newed. The old maxim that "every
man has his price, will be realized.
The members of the legislature are to
be bought. The lottery runs the State
and the banks and the press and, some
say, the pulpit. There would be no
great harm in this if the patrons Of the
l.,