The times., 1899-01-16
SCENES AT GAY MONTE CARLO.
Management Careful That the Ca
sinO MonOpolixes Attention.
(From the Ludgate Magaz


The large sums that are carried away
from Monte Carlo are very few and far
between; generally what is won in one
day is lost the next. There are no anuse-
ments of any kind. The administration
looks after this deal with admirable judg
ment; everything is absolutely concen-
trated in the Casino. This is the magnet
pure and simple You have delightful con-
certs free of charge, theatrical perform
ances with the very best talent at extreme
ly moderate prices, but all within the
walls of the all-absorbing Casino. Very
few can resist magnetism of play. If you
win even a 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 authorities for
the wherewithal to return home (this re-
quest is never refused a player who has
losU.
An evening or even an afternoon In the
rooms is study for lifetime. The inde-
| scribable air of doubt, deathly Stiffness
pervades every apartment. The strained
look of even the onlookers, the peculiar
dense atmosphere, the sickening odor OF
| scent (mingling with even worse), a queen
! Of the demimonde shoulder to shoulder
| with an English duchess (democraticism
| prevails here to an excessive degrcey, is
( Il neVer-t to- -be-forgotten picture. Watch
/ the faces OF the inveterate gamblers who
I pass their time between this den of vice
/ and Ostend. Interested in nothing but the
( roll of the ball or the turn of the card
forgetting entirely beautiful nature out
! side, having no other thought but of play
/ and sleep probably induced by artificial
means, the haggard look and sunken eye
/ the trembling hand, all tell their tale
/ The pleased smile of the fair Young En-
I gish bride as she arises from her place
| at the table, the smile of congratu.ation
I from her immediate neighbor the ex-
! tremely friendly coupler, who only too
well knows that she will return again and
/ leave what she has gained and more be
! sides-it is all q study. The dense crush
of humanity. the heat. the intense excite
| men;, the magnificent jewels and cos
tunes worn-one is more than satiated:
/ for the outsider it becomesc nauseous
/ You leave the rooms with a sense of
oppression and glad to breathe the pure
I air of heaven again and gaze upon the
beauties of nature which God has provid-
ed in such magnificent abundance. For
| beauties OF the spot are endless; sea and
sky are constantly changing. Even on
| gray or gloomy days. which very rarely
( occur. there is always an interesting
study in tone. Strange to say, one never
has the feeling of being at seaside place
/ in Monte Carlo. There is an utter lack
OF the briny or eXhilarating effect of sat
B water and but for the boundleSs horizon
of the Mediterranean you might as cas- ly
imagine yourself at either AK les Bains
or Spa. But for the occasional visits OF
. private yachts there is scarcely ever a
sail to be seen, and never passing steam
I ers or other craft, but still there is never
nff ,,I..tf in, h.