The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-07-26

III mine for yourself if it
A is not very like the
game of life which we are all playing
every day, whether we will or not.
Take two slips of paper, perhaps two
inches wide and as long as ordinary
note paper. Two persons and two pen
ellis are the rest of the simple apparatus,
and sitting so that they do not overlook
each other each writes at the head of his
or her slip the name of a man known to
both either by personal acquaintance or
historical renown.
This DONE the name Is folded out of
sight and the slips exchanged, when
each writes woman's name and again
folds it out of sight and exchanges the
slips. Next is, where they met, and
next, "What he said" then, What
she said;" then, what the world said, y
and finally, 1.-The consequences. The
fun comes in when the two slips are I'M
folded and the queer conjunction of per-
sons, places, speeches and consequences
are read out, as for instance: Henry
Ward Beecher and the Infanta Eulalie
met at Barnum's show. He said, Rock
me to sleep, mother She said, 'Ratap-
lon, Rataplonr The world said, What's
flesh. The consequences were:
when a body meets body
Comm thrO the rye,
Gin body kiss body,
Need body cryi''
Of course if the subjects are among
ones own acquaintance the whole
thing is funnier and sometimes rather
embarrassing if the persons happen to be
present-as, for instance, if your maid
en- aunt is said TO have met the wicked
est man in New York at ''masquer-
ade," and the consequences We're "a
sweet, sweet kiss The maiden aunt is
apt to afford very pretty sport ON
such occasions, to use an anglers phrase.
But, rs l said before, how strangely
fond the fates are of playing at this
game among themselves and 70 our cost.
Just fancy ClOtho writing your name at
the head Of one slip of parchment and
LacheSis yours on another, while Afro
pos grimly Odds that of some other hu-
man being, and each, folding down what
she has written, handing it to her sis
ter. the two regarding each other with
that calm, ir%lical glance of conscious
power and half malicious purpose which
one must ascribe TO the fates.
The papers filed and read out, des-
tiny is declared for him and her who
have thus been coupled together, and
the wild abSurdities which complicate
this destiny are the puzzle of lifetime
to the haplcSs victims.
This theory may be held fancifully by
some persons, but really it seems to me
avery satisfactory explanation of a state
of things in the world not to be ac-
counted for i'll any other way. The next
time You notice or perhaps experience
most absurd conjunction of persons lead
ing TO q disastrous or perhaps highly
ridiculous state of affairs, when next
you hear some virulent gossip tell how
Mrs. So-and-So and Nr. Whatever We're
seen together at such and such place,
and the world, with a very big w, eX-
presses her opinion and fOretells the
direSt results, just say TO yourself, ''Ah,
the fateS have been playing at cOnse-
quences!" And in our own lives how
very often we wonder what under tho
sun possessed rs to take Il certain course,
almost certain, as our calm common
sense now tells Us, TO lead to the annoy
ing consequences under which we now
smart, Why, we ask ourselves, should
my name ever have been so coupled
with that name? When ] went TO that
place, why did that person blindly select
that very time TO go also? Why, when
he said what he did, should have re-
piled as l did: Surely l was not free
agent in all this, but was blindly impell-
ed forward by some unknown force.
Truly
There Is a divinity that shapes ends,
Rough hew them : we may.
And then some so called friend kind
Iypoints out TO Us what theworld says"
anent our affairs, and our hearts sink at
the Injustice and unfairness of its YER
dict and the treachery of those in whom
we trusted for loyalty, and we feel an
CRY at the stupid levity of those who
cannot know the real meaning of the
tragedy they insist upon treating as
farce, got up for their amusement,
and altogether we retreat sick and tired
from the contest and ask ourselves: Why
am thus placed? Why has the world q
right to pass its Judgment thus upon
what it does not understand? Why am
/ set upon its pillory before the gaze of
every fool or knave or idler or enemy
who chooses to point at me and make
mock of my distress:
Did YOU ever have the occasion to ask
yourself these questions? If not, give
the gods thanks that they as yet have
let YOU alone, and at the same time
strengthen yourself for the future by re-
Numbering that when next the fates
feel like amusing themselves with
game of consequences your name may