The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-10

though heperseyered inrepeated endeavors,
they all came 10 nothing. Tor as often as ho
eat down to n gains all that he had learnt
went out of his heaa. But such instances
hard work. unrelieved by compet-
tive games. Is apt 10 produce
"erooviness' = and snperfinons leis-
ure. stupidity. It 10 difficult TO
mis- falling prey TO the morbid seif-con-
sciCusness which consumed the Comtesse
de Senecterre. whom Taliemaat des keaux
describes as q beautiful. but very foolish.
woman One of her fancies was to have
pillows OF every size in her bed. even for
her thumb for she prlded herself on her
beautiful hands, and slept with them open
TO keep the joints small. Athletes. IL 10
true. are peculiarly prone to vanity. but
the form that vice assumes in them is that
OF the pride OF life. by many degrees more
pardanable than the deliberate seif-love OF
Incidence.
LISA long descent from gamee which
exercise mind or body Co those OF pure
chance. yet these have as firm hold upon
human inclination as il they possessed
merit In themselves. No more piteous OK.
preston can be made on q mind capable of
reflection than Is left by = VISIT to the Ia
bles Of Monte Carlo. Hour after hour. day
after day. year after y ear. the same crowds
gather around them. blind TO the beauty
OF sapphire sea and glorious sunshine, con-
ront to swelter and scramble and wrangio
for WHAT Well. they are under the thrall
Of one of two motives-two deplora-
bic motives: one the lowest, the other the
eaddest that can be conceived. For the
first is avsrice-of all lust the mos tobscene,
of ell passions the most disastrous. Valor.
self-dovotion. truth, humanity, may tso
complex is human natureD coexist with
much that 10 evil IN .. character. but
avarice taints the whole being; unlike
other desires, &c IL never satisfied lt Is
never at rest. nothing sweet can flow from
the source which IT has polluted.
Let there be 10 mistake or Dallia-
ton about this: Avarice is the
primary lure to the Casino. Take
be SO childish as to play for counters or
sweet-meatsf The other and subsidiary
motive which collects crowd round the
tables 10 the desire of idle mon 10 rid them
selves of that most precious possession
time-which. once II is gone, can never be
recalled. the loss OF which Is ever the cause
OF frultless regret.
''Knowledge comes, bat wisdom tarries;r
but here even knowledge seems TO be
people, with ready access to all the
stores of knowledge laid up through
the laborioas ages for present use,
affirm the contemplate creed of luck.
Never was there q god SO false. never one
before whom so many bowed the knee in
profound and ignorant faith. 1t would be
lost labor TO combat tho belief-almost
universal and wholly ineredicaole among
gam blers-in an inscrutable influence upon
human occasion, capable of being offended
or proptated. 1t differs in no respect from
idolatry; for civilized. weileducated peo-
pie behave Just as the pagan does In re-
gard TO rhe Great Spirit the souls of has
ancestors, OF the deitied powers of nature.
It is. In fact, q kind of iusorial snimlsm.
Don't disappoint your luckw-the gam
bler's cardinal rTecopt-impliss the same
dread of offending a powerful be,nc. i'm
patient of slight, as still moves the inhab-
itants of Tinnevelley In Indo-China. to lay
brandy and cheroots on the grave OF GER
tain British officer whom they hated and
over them. believing that his spirit can
only be kept from mischief by being piled
with the same little iuxuries he loved when
alive. The Lord thy God is jealous
Lord" Is dogma not peculiar to Jewish
hgion.