The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-02-23


conclusions he draws is that the prob
lem is not so much to account for the
gambler in the midst of us as for the
staid and lnatter-of-fact man of bust
ness.
All classes of society and the one
sex. quite as much as the other. argues
Prof. Thomas, have Il deep interest in
Ill forms Of contest involving Skill and
chance and that interest mounts high
er and higher as the risk and damage
become greater and greater. And this
is but natural. for the conflict arouses
in us the instincts awakened during
the childhood of the race in the strus-
gle for food and the rivalry for mates.
An organism such as mans. dependent
OIL offensive and defensive movements
for food and life. could not have been
developed without having developed at
the same time an interest in dangerous
Or precariouS situations.
The fact that our interests and ell
thusiasms are aroused by situations of
the conflict type can be shown by a
glance at the situations that arouse
them most readily. War for instance,
is simply an organized form of fight,
and as such is most attractive-or. to
say the least. it arouses the interests
powerfully. With the accumulation OF
property and the growth of intelligence
it became apparent that war was Il
Wasteful and an unsafe process. and
political and personal ..considera tons
led us to avoid it as much as possible.
But deprecate war as much as we may
I'VE still are quick to acknowledge that
it is the most exciting Of games.
Recently the Rough Riders in this
country and more recently still the
young men of the aristocracy Of Eng
land went to war from motives OF pa
taxable evidences they also regarded it
rs the greatest sport they We're likely
TO have a chance 1t in a lifetime. And
there is unmistak able evidence that the
emotional attitude of women toward
war is no less intense.
So gladitorial shows. bear batting,
bull fighting. dog fighting. cock fight
ing. prize fighting and football may be
mentioned az examples of conflict that
awaken in us the emotional feelings of
the contest and give us by suggestion
the emotions similar to those endured
by the contestants, with ut subjecting
lis to the danger OF injuries that they
are obliged to undergo.
Now, as long as man was in a state
of nature, following his instincts, row
ing. fighting. hunting, wooing: coptriv~
Ing. he was happy; and such tasks as
he imposed upon himself he found
pleasurable and not irksome. This
sort OF life continued for an immense
stretch of time, and it was but as yes
{erday in the history of the white race
That population became der Sc or game
Twas exhausted, and man found himself
bbliged to adjust himself to changed
conditions Or perish.
instead Of slaughterino the O. he fed
it. housed it in winte,, bred from it,
reared the calf, yoked it to a plov.
ploWed the fields, sowed seeds. dug out
the weeds and gathered, thrashed and
ground the grain. This was a labor.
mechanical and irksome, lacking the
constant change and the excitement
and the nervous tension that man ex-
perienced in the state OF nature.
Bat. While this labor itself was dis
agreeable. its prod-ct.. served to sat
lsfy mans physical wants. The habits
OF the race adjusted themselves to
What the memters OF it were far from
enjoying emotionally. Not all social
groups reconciled themselves 20 a life
of labor and many individuals of our
own race failed to conform to it. Many
men whose natural opportunities or in
telligence might have made them Ia
borers in various Observation-Disclosures OF
wood or drawers OF Water-have drift
ed instead into various occupations
where there are possibilities of excite
ment, OIL where at least the mechanical
Dr routine elements are absent. Police
men, fremen, detectives. livery stable
men, coachmen, barkeepers and bar
bers are more or less valuabl to So
ciety and many of them are very hard
workers, but their occupations differ
from hard labor in affording consider
able opportunity for sitting about and
IN occasional chance to see or join a
fight OF game, to talk or play the races
Finally, we have the extreme cases of
the tramp and the criminal. refusing to
accept the social arrangement at ALL
On the other hand, business of most
kinds and industrial pursuits represent
artificial habits; they are, more or less
regular, monotonous and recurrent. the
same situation coming up again. and
again. They present no problems that
throw an exciting strain on the atten-
ton and they produce no emotions like
those Of the conflicting interests.
We are now in a position to under
stand how gambling comes to exist and
why it is so fascinating. It is a means
Of keeping up our interests in conflict
and it secures for us the sensations and
the excitements of conflict with little
effort and no drudgery: In gambling.
too, the risk is imminent, the attention
is strained, the emotions are strong and
even where the element Of skill is re-