Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1900-02-17
a MANIA FOR CHANCE
PRIMITIVE PEOPLE HAVE A LOVE
FOR GAMBLING.

Practice and SO Have Negroes, But
Indians Seem to Revel in the Vari-
Gus Games Of Chance.
Gambling games Of one kind or an
other form a not inconsidelaDle part OF
tie mental life of all savage people
who find In the vagaries OF chance.
aided more or less by ski ], the coca
alOnal exhaliation of mind which all
men demand In one form or another.
Much has been written about games
of chance. especial reference 70 their
origin. but this aspect of the case-the
nari which they play in the life Of to-
igy-has heen generally over 90 ed.
Inc ANS. negroes. Cinnamon, have been
Justify 81 ssed as inv eteiate gamblers
md such indeed from one point of
view, they are, says the hi, a 20 News.
l;ui there Is something more than tails
in the miNer al passion Tor play Will b
clalacter.zes all tile lower IA es. with
on being by any means confined TO
them.
The negro. whose whole soul seems
absorbed In the formula. Come seb-
c,i.- or "Come eleben," In his favorito
game OF craps. is yielding to the same
Impulse which causes the Chinaman
10 spend all his earnings In the never
ending, but to him ALWAYS fascina'i 9
+ ~ te les Of ian { D." and which
'usiihes tie Mexican, IN his own mind,
or the loss Of many hours and a few,
not many. dollars In the allurements
VI monte on the sunny side Of his
adobe shack. The fondness of many
business men for 'qulci little game
s an exhihitiun Of the same desi. Tor
/ lcnial excl ement and chan-e oil or
M. perhaps. in amount, hut not I'm
,ind. from that which holds a little
b. MI Of indians around a blanket
prpad upon the ground for days at
4 tine while the chances OF the game
are making one man rich and the 9th
,Is poor.
From This point Of view the gam
bling games Of the lndians have q cer-
tain value aside from the picturesque
la which Is nearly always an accom-
lanlnent. All kinds Of games are to be
fonnd among them. native as well as
IMPORTED. and While the latter are
gradrally supplantlng the former on
account Of greater convenience, AMI
p perhaps hecarse Of IN cker action, the
lot aboriginal games are by n1
means extinct. They can still be found
ia full swing in many parts Of the
United States which are a little re-
mote from the usually travelled lines
ard hut little changed by contact with
0tr own civilization.
There is little doubt that In their orr
gin many. II not all. Of these games
rp~e real re 81 rs CeremOn es. de.
Il Il Int
iisn played the same part IN ancient
o ili'es that IN y do to-day IN supplying
mental stimulus. Some of the gam
BIZ g come down pra Ii ally uncla 1ged
3 form. although now played I'm O.
rr.rely different conditions from wlai
thpv were originally. Among them
. 9cfhaps the most striking Is the game
F. 10 moccasin, which seems 60 BE- un
= Iuestional ~ the forcrr nner Of thl
j. "l'itlp Joker" which every year proves
Z 10 effective at country fairs 10 lurins
!. iollars from the pockets Of tie IN
vary. This game was once widely
2 distributed among the Indian tribes
6 and II has been said that it Is now ex
inct: hut II can be seen today In it
I aboriginal form In any Of the out-ly
b ng parts Of the Navajo reservation II
J. Arizona.
The paraphernalia Of the game are
very simple and always at hand. con
/, sigting merely Of a knife or other ha
, suhstan,e-a pelhl, will 5o-ani thu
, moccasins Of the p ayers. The game &
(. usrally played at night, although
sometime, q eXten IS over several day
!, and IN It's native setting has a weird
ness and fascination which the mod
ern fakir tannOt lain. Five person.
. usrally participate. four of them &c
= lively. while the fifth acts as a musi
cisn. but usually a much larger mum
DIR watch the progress of the gam
2 aud perhaps pace bet occasionally.
Picture a rude shelter of greel
= houghs. roughly circular in form
placed In some thicket. or under th
overhanging branches OF a large I GO
:. In the centre q blanket Is spread upol
he ground. surrounded by Il teen O
81 twenty Indians squatting about il. o
70 ming over, int nt'y watching ia
E pay. Over all the iitful glow and pa
= oi light from a huge fire on one side
d, Tire effect Is heightened by weir
D. song. which Is a constant accompan
r. mrnt Of the game. an which rises an
d, falls as the excitement grows an
wanes. reaching, sometimes. such fire.
II n n acCc Is Ihlt TIE CASUAL laSSef-l
L. might easily mistake il for a war sons
/. The players take their places at III
four corners OF the blanket. and ar
AZ paired of by couples. Each player" cor
uihutes one Of his moccasins. and th
M winner Of the toss lays them ON
t, blanket upside down, and about ST
!, inches apart. with the toes pointn
~ Coward. Then, with his left hand
lifis each moccasin in tuin and make
No prctence Of putting the knife undo
l' {. making many passes and using c'
" cry precau ion 10 &c ei his op lcneul
aud the spectators. During all the tin
q be mus clan keeps up a continuou
drumming which he accompanies wit
o. song. In the song the others all jOi
in but the opponents of the player
ca eagerly watch for some slip which vi
l. Give them a clue rs TO which moccasi
lie knife or little joker Is conceale
er under.
X When the knife is hidden 70 the sa
isfaction of the player, he suddenl
C. calls out "How in a loud voice. an
"a ,ie singing drops TO low murm'
81 one of bis opponents is provided Wit