The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-16
GAMBLING CURIOSITIES.
CIVILIZATION NOT THE CAUSE OF
THIS EXCLAMATION.
The savagos of Africa Are All Born

The Savages Of Africa Are All Born
Gamblers-Oldrime Players and
Some OF Their Queer Stakes.
From the London Standard.
If it is true that "hope springs eternal in
the human breast" assuredly the spirit of
gambling does no less. 1t is hard TO state
accurately wherein the attraction of gam
bling consists. Johnson's definition-''play-
ing extravagantly for money"-is clumsy,
while the winning Of money is certainly not
the primary object OF many players. Cot
ton, at the end of last century, in his Com
pleat Gambler" neatly calls gambling IAN
enchanting witchery gotten between idle
ness and avarice.n AT all events the eIe-
ment of excitement seems much more
prominent than that Of gain; and from this
point of view even such q sober moralist as
George Herbert half approves of gaming;
Play not for gain, but sport; who plays for
II ore
Than he can lose with pleasure, stakes his
heart.
The ennui of civilization cannot be charged
with the invention OF this form OF exhila-
ration. On the contrary, sayages and tribes
in a very primitive condition are aud
always have been addicted to gambling.
Tacitus tells Us that the Germans, whom he,
at least, thought sufficiently unsophisti-
Gated, entered so heartily into the thing that
they evel staked their own persons she
loser-although he was much the stronger
often becoming the absolute property OF the
other. Still further back in the worlds
history Herodotus relates that a certain
King of Egypt gambled with Demeter in
the Internal regions; while Plutarch says
that Hermes gambled with the moon.
The old Greek hero, Patroclus, on the un.
Improbable testimony OF Homer. "lost
his temper over dice" Parysatis the mother
of Cyrus, when one Of her sous had been
killed by a slave, played with the king, her
husband, for that slave, and by her skill
won him-were the dice ''hoggedp Cards
were known in China long before they found
their way into Europe. The simplest
natural objects will serve as implements of
gambling. Thus. the African negro at the
present time uses shells as dice-dice them
selves, of course, we're originally only the
knuckle bones of animals. Perhaps the
strangest shift to which would-be gam blers
ore put is exemplided by the practice in
vogue among the Russian prisoners in
Siberia.
These wretched men are allowed 5
pence a day, and they gamble with that
paltry sum. They draw circles In the dust
or dirt around them, and then, producing
various specimens OF saltatory insects
which are never far TO seek-thsy bet on
how many will jump into the ring, or, if
they put them there to start with, how
many will jump out within given time.
1t Is not everybody who can carry his rae
ing stud about on his own person.
AT Rome very stringent laws against alea
existed but many of the emperors played
and Claudius actually wrote a treatise on
the science Of gaming AS a satire upon
this Seneca represents him as condemned in
hell to play dice forever with a bottomless
box. in France gambling always -four
ished In spite Of various attempts to check
1t. Alphonse Of Castillo founded an order
Of chivalry in which IL was prohibited, and