The Indianapolis journal., 1904-04-24
Ole Gods of Rule and Riot:
Close Study Of Opposites

of a woodland pond at night-'Carte,
"Baccarat'-then comes the swish or tne
croupier's spade as he scoops up the ivory
counters. the rumbling of muttered words
that drum through the air like message
mumbled in a cave, and then silence once
again. The only light is from the chande-
lier of electric jets which stretch DOWN
their arms TO the table-the rest of the
room is in shadow, and the ends OF IT are
gloomy and asleep.
Church itself is not so wide in moral
beside the cOurtesan, exchanging smiles and
even words with her; the blackleg who has
been turned out of half the clubs OF Eu-
rope elbows the heir of an English earl VINO
is famous for philanthropy; the young bride
stands behind the mistress of a financier
who is in prison. AS love levels rank, SO
chance annihiates convention and destroys
custom. In his temple the only honor Is
the code of the cards.
A pack of cards shufied, dealt. then
turned up one by one-and that Is all. The
wisdom of Solomon would be useless here,
and the subtlety OF the serpent would be
of no avail. No science counts in the en-
counter, no skill no judgment, no calcuia-
ton, no foresight, and not even a furtive
gleam of cunning. The game played here
is like the blind swirl of a bat in the DUSK
sightless, soundless and stupid. Yet at TINS
meaningless mummery the gamblers slt 1or
long hours silent. breathlesS, feveriSh ana
often moist with pain.
The young man with the bleary eyes who
took the bank for a hundred louis Is losing
heavily. He has lost heavily every night for
a week. and. chewing the end of dead
cigarette he is waiting for his luck TO turn
1t did not turn last night, therefore IL must
turn tonight IL is not turning tonight,
consequently ii is certain to turn tomorrow
night. Such is the logic of this slave OF
chance. struggling 10 find the law OF that
mysterious force which must ever remain
la awlesS, or else cease TO be chance, ana
therefore the subject for a game. Mean
time the substance his father left him Is
disappearing like a snowflake falling on the
sea Houses, lands, ships, railways. the
fruits of ages of industry by many hands in
many countries. are melting away one py
one.
The young woman in the silver-gray
blouse and the ostrich feather, with the
pink and white cheeks. has been winning
all night through She began nervously
with the little red counters which represent
5 francs. and now she is playing boldly
with the large white octagonal pieces
which stand for 500. Her eyes are ga am
| ing, a laugh not yet heard in the air is
| playing about her parted lips, at Intervals
| she looks into the faces around and smiles
| at strangers. Presently she rises, gathers
| into a little basket the pile of shining ivory
| which lies on her section of the table, and
! carries il to the treasury to be changed
| into coin She has won, but she has also
| lost-lost something of that most precious
| essence of the soul-the essence or unself'
| ishness. which tells US it is not good to
| gain if somebody else must lose.
| The midde-aged man with pale race
and eyes that stare a little when ne Il
| spoken to has been losing all along. his
| section shows no counters. He is dipping
L
then for gold. finally for silver When all Is
| gone he is a ruined man. He has gamblec
| away the home of his wife and the breaC
| of his children, and he is an offender more
| guilty than many we put in our tails.
| The elderly man with the ruddy cheeks
| smoking "A long cigar from a meerschaun
| holder, thinks he at least is no offender
| His income is $4,000 sterling, and II ht
| cares to waste some of ii in the Casino
| who shall say that he may not do so? IL
| he gave supperS they would cost hin
| something: If he kept horses or yachts ol
| women nobody would question his right u
| do what he liked with his Own-why no
| waste his wealth in this way If he will
| So he loses with a laugh. and wins will
an equal countenance. and rises from tn
| table with the easy conscience of one wh'
! has amused himself and done harm to M
| one. But that man has, nevertheless, com
mitted the gravest crime against socia
| morality-he has robbed money of it
| meaning. and has set up nothing in il
| stead. He has staked the symbols of al
| we eat and drink and clothe ourselve
with, the symbols of the poor mans toi
| and sweat from generation TO generation
the turning of card, the fiuttering of
feather, against nothing he can control
| nothing he can calculate, nothing he cal
| understand, nothing that exists. Therefor
| he is a criminal against the oldest am
| firmest of the laws of life-the law whicl
says: I'm the sweat of thy face shall
| thou eat bread"
| here in silk and broadcloth, in the Casin
that was built by the municipality and /
| licensed by the state For the god the
| serve is the god of Idleness and his nam
is Riot.
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