The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-11-09
MONTE CARLO.


 The Tragedy and Humor of the Casino.
 The large sums that are carried away from here are very few and far be-
 tween; generally what ia won in one day Is lost the next. There are no anlusements of any kind. The admin istration looks after this detail with ad- mirable judgment; everything is abso- lutely concentrated in the Casino. This is the magnet pur ct simple, You have
 delightful concerts free of charge, the atrlcal performances with the very best of talent at extremely moderate prices;
 but all within the walls of the all-ab- solbing Casino. Very few can resist
 the magnetism of play. If you win even small sum you feel obliged to
 continue; if you lose you wish to re- gain, and so it goes on until in the end
 you have dropped more than you can
 well afford, and are obliged to retire sadder but wiser man, or woman, with the option of applying to the Casino au-
 thorities for the wherewlthal to return
 home this request is never refused a player who has lost.
 An evening, or even afternoon, in the rooms is a study for lifetime. The in-
 descrlbable air of doubt, deathly still
 ness, pervades every apartment; the strained look of even the onlookers, the peculiar dense atmosphere, the sick ening odor of scent (mingling with even Worse), a queen of the demi-monde
 shoulder to shoulder with an English
 duchess (democratism prevails here to
 an excessive degree), is a never-to-be- forgotten picture. Watch the faces of the inveterate gamblers who pass their
 time between this den of vice and Os- tend. Interested in nothing but the roll of the ball or the turn of the card, for getting entirely beautiful nature out side, having no other thought but of play and sleep, probably induced by ar- tificial means, the haggard look and sunken eye, the trembling hand all tell
 their tale. The pleased smile of the fair young English bride as she arises from her place at the table, the smile of congratulation from her immediate neighbor, the extremely friendly crou- | pier who only too we'll knows that she will return again and leave what she | has gained, and more besides--it is all study! The dense crush of humanity ! the heat, the intense excitement, the magnificent jewela and costumes-one is more than satiated; for the outsider | it becomes nauseous.
 | You leave the rooms with a sense of
 oppression and glad to breathe the pure air of heaven again and gaze upon the beauties of nature which God has pro- | vided i'll such magnificent abundance. | For the beauties of this spot are end- | less sea and sky are constantly chang it1cy Tt1rAy, rrID which very rarely occur, there is all ways an interesting study in tone. | Strange to say, one never has the feel ing of being at a seaside place in Monte ] Carlo. There is an utter lack of the
 briny or exhilarating effect of salt water, and but for the boundless hori- zon of the Mediterranean you might as | easily imagine yourself at either Aix
 les Rains or Spa. But for the occasion- al visits of private yachts, there is scarcely ever sail to be seen, and nev- i CT passing steamers or other craft; but | still there is never a sense of isolation 1 in any way, and the charming little | place is always brimming over with | gayety always crowded with the very
 creme of society of all countries | great celebrities jostIe each other, and | pretty and smart women predominate. | Monte Carlo to be thoroughly appre-
 ciated and properly studied should be
 visited more than once, and then for a l longer stay. The general public, who 1 have a run over there for a week or ten | days and lose a hundred or two on
 which they expected to amuse them- | selves on their return to Paris and then
 storm against the Hell on a Rock"
 are not always to be considered I one
 day overheard a guide to a party of ex-
 ceedingly simpIe-looking Germans-the
 usual tourist lot, sde-elastic boots, etc.
 telling them, "Gentlemen, here is the 1 celebrated Casino, the gambling of l the world; daily men and women are
 ruined and duped at the tables. The | most selected spot for suicide is just to | your left, under the palm trees; all l though you will find no bodies there Tow, in the morning plenty will be car i ried away. If you wish to enter, gen.
 tlemen do so. l shall await you at the cafe opposite" It was all too comical
 for words but such is the general idea | conceived of one of the most charming
 and fascinating spots in the world | Ludgatc Magazine.