Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-09-15
SAYS IT Is BLUFF THAT
WINS IN GAME OF LIFE
Not the Hand You Hold But the
WAY You Play II That
Takes the Pot.

Life is but poker game. 1t Is
not the hand you hold bat the bluff
YOU put up that wins the pot.
While the game is going on, 1t is
not at all bad idea to pin blanket
over the transom, lock the door and
plug the keyhole full of cotton bat
ting. Cotton batting is guaranteed
to keep out all microbes This is all
on the theory ii at you are not on
good terms with the Chief of Police
and the Mayor of the town. You
we're unfortunate in supporting the
other ticket st the last election.
Poker is a peculiar game-so is life.
1t is also called the great American
game. A bullet-headed man with a
tablespoon of brains mixed with a
dipperful of bluff can sit down to a
table and with two trays and jack oil
clubs lead the man opposite him TO
believe that lie has got royal Benga
flush. And the man opposite may
have three kings But bluff wins and
rakes in the money.
We may divide mankind into three
classes. Men who never get any de
cent cards dealt them; men who can
not play good cards even If they ge'
them; and men who can play the
game with only tray spot.
Here is man with only small
amount of ability, but what he has,
he keeps right up in the front part OF
the shop, plate glass windows and al
electric sign out in front impressine
the public with the idea to keel
their eyes on him. The newspapers
chronicle all his comings and goings
whether it is catching trout in Sucker
Greek, digging CLANS at Newport oil
stunning in the North End. This
is what is called putting on magnl
ficent front "
The general public is rather super
fetal and this blare of trumpets hits
it where it is weak. 1t looks at the
electric sign, peers through the plate
glass window and says: "Jones is 8
mighty smart man. Guess I'll dc
business with Jones Jones make'
the bluff work and rakes in the pot
And yet if they would get back o.
that plate glass window, they would
find only few gunny sacks, broker
crcckery and empty barrels. Fate die
not deal Jones much of hand bu
he plays his cards for all they art
worth.
Just across the street is Brown
who has a regular department store
stock of ability. What he don know
isn't worth knowing. But he keep
it in the basement or up in the thirC
story with no elevators running.
His windows are 10xl6 and Lighted
by kerosene.
When the public comes in to buy
he has to go down into the basement
and spend half an hour prying off the
cover of some box where his goodi
are stored. 1t is only the discerning
public that can stand this bat they
are we'll repaid for their inconven
ience. Browns Golfers are Away
light. His name never gets in thu
papers until he dies and then it sim
ply reads John Brown died yester
day. Aged 81. The body will bt
shipped to Tacoma, Monday fol
burial, as most of the relatives of the
deceased live there. Seattle papers
please copy "
When Jones shuftles off, he gets
"a column of obituary with his picture
at the top. The business houses CLOSE
for two hours in the aftern: on as d
mark of respect and the Chamber Of
Commerce passes few "whereases'
and "be it resolyeds. "
Fate dealt Brown a four.ace hand
but he threw away his cards There
are very few places in which bluff
does not get in its deadly work.
A Chinese diplomat or a trave Ing
evangelist finds it handy to draw on
the stock.
We wear imitation diamonds, use
triple.plate silver knives and forks,
and have an English butler, all for
bluff.
We put up buildings with staff
fronts and slab backs. We build
| libraries and endow chairs of applied
scieI ce but we always have to
stick cur names to them. So we have
the Anderson Library and the Peter
Peterson Chair of Physics.
We have Greenleaf on Evidence
Jamison, Faucet, Browns Commen-
taries on the four gospels. Why can I
we have Jim Ham Lewis on Bluff
with all the ancient authorities dill.
geutly compared, revised and brought
down to date?