The Leon reporter., 1901-06-13

| 49,
then you have lost thousand. Now
that is trafackiny in fiction; that is
betting on chances; that involves the
spirit of gambling as much as anything
that ever goes on in the lowest gambl-
ing hell
Historical Gambling Scheme.
But France muit have It's gambling
expedition, and tn at was in 1716. John
Laws Mississippi scheme, 1t was call
ed. The French had heard that this
solid gold, and the project was
to take it across the ocean and
drop it In France. Excitement be-
yond anything that had yet been
seen in the world. Three hundred
thousand applicants for shares. Ex-
element so great that sometimes the
mounted military had to disperse the
crowds that had come to buy the stock.
Five hundred temporary tents built to
accommodate the people until they
could have opportunity of interviewing
John Law. A lady Of great fashion
had her coachman upset her near the
place where John Law was passing in
order that she might have an interview
with that benevolent and sympathetic
gentleman. Stocks went up to 2,050
per cent. until one day suspicion got
into the market and down it all went
John Laws Missie sippi scheme
burying Its protector and some of the
greatest fnanciers in all France, and
was almost as bad as French revolu-
ton.
Sedate England took its chance in
112O. That was the South Sea bubble.
They proposed to transfer all the gold
of Peru and Mexico and the islands Of
the sea to England Five millions
worth of shares We're put on the mar
ket at $500 share. The books open,
in few days it was all taken and
twice the amount subs, ribed.
Excitement followed excitement un-
til all kinds of gambling projects came
forth under the wing on this South Sea
enterprise. There VIZ a large COM
pany formed with great capital for pro-
viding funerals for al parts of the
land. Another compa ly with large
capital-95O 100000 of capital-to de-
velop wheel in perpetual motion. An
other company with capital of G4,-
100000 to insure people against loss by
servants. Another conn any with e.
100000 capital to rarsplant walnut
trees from Virginia to E lgland. Then,
to cap the climax. a company was
formed for "a great ur Undertaking, no
body to know what it IS" And, 10,
100000 in shares were offered at
9100 share. Books we're opened at
9 o'clock in the morning and closed at
o'clock in the afternoon, and the first
| day it was all subscribed. ga great
Undertaking, nobody to know what
it is"
The Largest windIes.
But it was left for our own country
to surpass all, about thirty-seven years
ago. We have the highest mountains
and the greatest cataracts and the
longest rivers, and, of course, we had
to have the largest swindle. One
would have thought that the nation
had seen enough in that direction dur
ing the morus multicaulis excitement,
when almost every man had bunch of
crawling silkworms in his house, out
of which he expected to make a for
tune. But all this excitement was as
nothing compared with what took
place in 1864 when man near Titus
vile, Pa, digging for well, struck oil.
Twelve hundred oil companies call for
a billion Of stock. Prominent mem
bers Of churches, as soon as a certain
amount of stock was assigned them,
saw it was their privilege to become
presidents or secretaries or members
of the board of directi n. Some of
these companies never ad a foot of
ground, never expected have. Their
entire equipment was map of a re-
gion where oil might be and two vials
of grease, crude and clar fed. People
rushed down from all arts of the
country by the first train and put their
hard earnings in the gu'f. A young
man came down from the' oil regions Of
Pennsylvania utterly demcnted, having
sold his farm at fabulous price be-
cause 1t was supposed there might be
oil there-coming to hotel in Phila-
delphia at the time was living there,
throwing down a $4,000 check to pay
for his MONDAY meal and saying he
did not care anything about the
change! Then he stepped back to the
gas burner to light his cigar with
$1,000 note. Utterly insane
Prayer for Success.
o men of Wall street and of all
streets, stand back from the nefarious
enterprises. join that great company
of Christian men who are maintaining
their integrity, Notwithstanding all the
pressure of temptation. In the morn
| ings when you open business in the
brokers' Office or in the banking house,
ask Gods blessing, and when you close
it pronounce a benediction upon it. A
kind of business that men cannot en-
gage in without prayer is no business
for you. wish that the words of
George Peabody, uttered in the hearing
of the people of his native town-Dan-
yers, Mass.-I wish that those words
could be uttered in the hearing of all
young men throughout the land. He
said: Though Providence has grant
ed me UNMARRIED and universal success
in the pursuit of fortune in other lands
am still in heart the humble boy who