Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-30

by the judges as having finished second.
and in some Instances even third. had real
" crossed the wire first. and that mis-
take had been made in awarding the race
to the horse whose number had been hung
out as having won it.
This occurs in close finishes. and 1t has
given rise to the track phrase of the angle
of Illusion those in the grand stand nav
ing. from where they were sitting viewed the
ponies finishing from an obfque angie,
while the judges, who are close TO the track
and directly opposite the wire, view the ffn-
ish from a true right angle, and of course
are in a position, even in close finishes. to
determine the actual result
The Angle Of Delusion.
This angle of illusion fits the whole
game of life in the sporting world, only II
should be changed to read from the stand
point of the would-be pony buster, the an
gle of deluslon.' 1t is because men, and
bright men. too. in many instances can't
crcumvent this angle Of delusion that
makes the wheels of the sporting world re-
volve on the same old axis year after year,
and it forms interesting study, apart
from the gambling element of the question,
for 1t should teach some men that they mad
better tear up their money and throw 1t
into the street rather than attempt 10
square the angle.
This inability to see this angle Of delu-
sion, or, seeing, not having the power 10
circumvent 1t or resist its destinations is
what ruins men. for the operation OF the
mind is so peculiar that they unconsciousiy
chase the rainbow in the one instance and
foolishly attempt to get around 1t IN the
other. and in both instances the result Is
the same-they don't drill the holes in the
bank rolls of the bokkies they expected. but
they do in their own pockets.
The other great fundamental element In
sporting life is one which the average sport
hasn't got the brains to understand, and
you couldn't hammer it in his head with a
sledge hammer, and that ia the element or
human nature as applied to horse nature
and its environment. This Is the reason why
all Of the many and often very ingenious
| theories. or systems. OF beating the game
aren't worth the mental effort of their evo-
luton or the paper they are printed on.
There are many possible theories or sys-
tens of beating the game. but they lack.
of course. this element Of human nature,
| which can't be reduced to type and rules.
So when men start in to operate them In
actual practice on the track the angles OF
delusion become so apparent to the player
and hit him such sounding thumps In the
face so often and so hard that human ma
ture steps in. asserts itself as it does else
where. and he shifts when he should have
remained steadfast. and remains steadfast
when he should have shifted, and the more
he tries to equalize the balance, as rule,
| the harder he falls in the end.
Who the Prize Idiots Are.
con the other hand, the man who relies
! upon lunches, superstitions and other crazy
! quilt methods of chucking their good cash
after bad. are as big set Of idiots as those
who approach the angle Of delusion from
scientific standpoint only more SO. Any
| one who has given even superficial study
| to the operations Of the law of mathemati-
| cal chance knows that the chances OF 1t
operating in favor of the individual in any
game, business or pursuit in life is yari-
| ously estimated to be from one to ten to
| one to twenty against the individual, and
] that the percentage Is so heavily against
| him that he is beat ten II he relies upon this
| element before he begins business or enters
| the game.
But of all the prize idiots we meet in
| the sporting world. 1t is those whose men
| doing what somebody else tells them to do,
| and it has been estimated that about 50
| per cent Of the pony buckers thus follow the
game. These prize idiots last as long as
! their roll Is small large. as the case
/ may be. Sometimes they hit it big, or go
| deadly certain operation of the law of
| mathematical chance hits them below the
| belt, or the angle of delusion gives them a
| few swift Swats that bring their turf ca
reers to a timely end, il they have inherent
| or acquired common sense to feel the swats
| when they land.
| The booke, like the sport, has his trou-
| bIes. like the rest of u.s. and they are in
turn busted and put out of business like the
| prize idiots on the other side Of the little
| states, only others take their places on the
vacant Stools and they aren't missed. Could
! human nature be measured by the rule and
! the unseen but nevertheless existing and
often controlling laws of chance and the
P, angle of deluson be gagged and operated,
/ either in games of chance or life in general
in more regular pursuits. there would De
another story to tell about the ease of re-
| siding on the sunny side of Luxury lane"