The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-28

fessional Spectator gives his attention,
perhaps during a period of years, to one
class of stocks and uses special wires
and other private sources of informa-
ton he eliminates the element of chance
and is to that extent working.
A definate reason why men gamble is
deduced from all this, as follows:
I'D is a means of keeping up the con-
fiict interest and of securing all the plea
sure pain sensations of conflict activity
with little effort and no drudgery; and,
incidentally or habtually. it may be a
means of securing money-that is, poten-
tial satisfactions of all possible kinds
through the gains accruing to the winner
In gambling the risk is imminent, the
attention strained, the emotions sTong
and even where the element of skill is
removed entirely and the decision
left to chance an emotional re-
action analogous to the feeling of the genu-
inc conflict is felt.
From this standpoint our problem Is
not so much to account for the gambler
as to account for the business man. The
gaming instinct is born in all normal
persons. 1t is one expression of a power
full reflex fixed far back in animal ex-
perience. The instinct is in itself right
and indispensable, but we discriminate
between it's applications. 1t is valued
in war and business; it expresses itself
in a thousand forms in the games Of
children and in college athletics; it is
approved in such expressions as golf,
tennis and billiards as a recreation for
the man of affairs; but society justly
condemns the exercise of the instinct
aside from activities which create values,
The value may be in the increased health
and vigor which the business manderives
from recreation or it may be in the crea-
ton of wealth by this same man in
competitive business, but the gamester
pure and simple is not regarded with
favor by society, because he creates no
values and is therefore paristjcal and is
besides dsorganizer of the habits OF
others.
The Gambler.
In treating of the gambler, Professor
Thomas says he is distinguished by no
particular psychic marks from other
members of society.
There are" he says, "among the book
makers. card and confidence men, profess
sional billiardists and adventureres OF
Chicago. men who, by every psychology
Ecal test. have a high grade OF lntelll-
gence They have excellent associative
memories. capacity to see general rela-
lions and details, to reach Juuge1neIlllss
quickly and surely and to readjust them
selves skilfully to changing situations.
Some of these men, the writer asserts,
would have taken high rank in other ana
honorable walks of life, just as in those
nrefessions are men who, under other
conditions, would have turned out gam
blers.
The instincts of men are congenital;
the art and industries are acquired by
the race and must be learned by the IN
dividua after birth.
eve have SEEM it is said, why the
instructive activities are pfeasuraole ana
The ACQUIRED habits irksome. The gam
bier represents class of men who nave
NOT been weaned from their instincts
THE members of the sporting class are
NOT in the main, abnormal to degree
which renders them socially unmanage-
HE but represent rather social ana
nedagoeical neglect. The young man OF
GOOD family when sowing his wild oats
Is temporarily a sporting man, following
Far the time the instincts of the race
Rut his connections are such that the
dragnet of social habits is finally got
around him and he is drawn into re-
nutable profession. In the case OF the
professional sport this has not happened
Most men profess, anyway. that they
| have found their occupations in life &C
cidentally, and so long as this Is SO 1t is
not surprising that a number of men
should miss the regular occupations alto
gether."