The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-14
THE WORLD "a BETTER MAN"

The pessimists who insist that the world
is growing worse while it is certainly old
enough to know better, are bound in fair
ness to note the long step forward in pub
lie opinion on the subject of gambling.
The Prince of Monaco has closed Monte
Carlo at the cost of 100000 revenue to
himself, and he has been brought to the
determination by bis knowledge that the
public opinion of Europe was strongly set
against the renewal of the lease to this
famous Casino. The government of
France, to which Monaco owes allegiance.
was ready to forbid the renewal of the
lease, and the government influence of
Germany, England and Russia was in
directly arrayed against it.
With the closing of Monte Carlo next
year there will not remain public gam
ing table in Europe operated by the
authority of law. Fifty years ago public
gambling saloons were maintained at
Baden. Spa and Homburg but since 1856
they have all been outlawed by the Ger
man government, and it is only within
the reign of Queen Victoria that the great
gambling saloons of London, like Crock
ford's. have been compelled to close their
doors. The government of Italy has re-
fused the dispossessed lessees of Monte
Carlo an asylum in San Marine, and even
the comparatively shabby and low states of
Servia and Bulgaria repulse them and
they are driven to the mountainous dis
trict of Andorra for refuge. 1t is not likely
that their stay here will be permanent, for
this little republic is under the patronage
of France, and if France should ever OBJ
ject Andorra would probably expel the
gambling-house keepers.
Gambling. drunkenness, prize-fghting,
cock-fghting, bull-baiting are vices that
are steadily losing influential ground
through the gradual growth of higher
and more refined public sentiment both in
Europe and America. Gentlemen of intel.
lect, education and high public character
within this century were not ashamed to
gamble all night, like Fox, or to get drunk
at dinner, like the younger Pitt, but the
leaders in politics, law or literature no
longer drink to excess, or gamble, or lead
irregular lives. as some of them did in the
days of Lamb, Coleridge, Campbell, Byron,
Scott, De Quincy, Lander and Shelley.
In America our American con-
gress is a sober body, while be-
fore the war and after it it was
disfigured by intemperance, and congress
men do not gamble openly as a rule as
they did in the days of Clay and Webster,
or even in the later generation of Thad
Stevens and George Ashmun, who were
conspicuous for their devotion TO poker.
Purer manners and nobler laws is the
record of civilization for the last fifty years
in both Europe and America. The recrea-
ton of the decent and educated classes re-
volts from prize-fghting, which was once
popular in England, and it has been rele-
gated TO the ditch and the dogs from which
it sprang, and more refined sports. like
the best men. The death of Burgess.
the designer of the Puritan, is subject for
national regret in every circle of opinion
above that which includes only ruffiians
for business reasons and blackguards for
revenue. Certainly the world in its pleas
ures, as well as In its business, is "a far
better man" than it was fifty years ago.
either in Europe or America. There is a
great deal more complaint than there used
TO be, but that is only because there are
| more people intelligent enough to be
sensitive TO the existence of better things.
and because il Is safer under law to criticise
and complain.
The gala day for priEe-fghting and brute
sports is past with this generation; the
prizeiighter mas come to be regarded by So
ciety very much rs it rates the English
sparrow, as a nuisance. full of fight and
feeding power, but neither useful nor
ornamental factor in the productive forces
of society. The prizefghter who cannot
find state where he can legally make a
match will be real figure in less than
twenty years. figure tina; will be as mel.
sneholy as that of drunk&rd without a
dime YET raging for drink.
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