The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-11-23
Like Hogarth's Famous Masterpiece

3 at the age of thirty-seven is
the close Of modern
"Rake's Progress" as sad as any
that American life can show.
Born with a splendid physique
and a robust constitution and pos
sessed OF wealth to satisfy every
caprice. this young man killed him
self In the prime OF life simply by
fast living His death came sud-
denly from apoplexy while he was on
a hunting trip In Wyoming, taken TO
restore his failing health.
Apoplexy is a disease brought ON
by fast living and excesses. TX
travagances in eating, drinking and
other pleasures of life cause harden
ing Of the arteries. Then an artery
in the brain breaks and that means
sudden death from apoplexy.
THE Rake's Progress" depicted
by Hogarth, the greatest pictorial
saurist England ever had. Is the
typical illustration Of youths ruin
by fast living. The history Of
Charles Gates is as close Q parallel
to Hogarth's rake as a modern
American case can be to an eigh-
teenth century English case. Like
Hogarth's rake, Gates received In
early youth large fortune without
having been trained in any high or
useful ideals of life.
Like the rake, Gates was immedi-
ately surrounded by flock OF para
sites and toadies. The rake spent
his nights In the nocturnal taverns
and gambling houses of old London
where he was constantly engaged in
brawls. Gates spent much Of his life
in bars and cafes, and WAS not in
frequently engaged In brawls.
The rake ruined himself by gam
bling and Gates gambled almost
every day Of his life, The rake was
arrested and so was Gates, not once,
but many times. The rake's story
has more brutal features than Gates's
life, but that is because some con-
ditlons of living have changed. To
day we rarely send a wild young
man to mad-house, as happened TO
the rake. but the essential facts are
the same in both stories. The rake
may have suffered more misery at
his latter end, but Gates killed him
self moro quickly.
Science - has recently warned
Americans that fast living, whether
in the extreme form pracdsed by
Gates, or in It's lesser forms, Is de-
stroying our nation. Doctors have
saved the lives of many babies and
young people by conquerfng cpl
demic diseases and thus heightened
the average Of life as compared with
previous generations. On the other
hand, the expectation OF life beyonI
middle age Is decreasing on account
of fast living and chronic diseases,
especially arterio-sclerosls and ner-
vous diseases. Thus while we are
saving many immature and defective
lives we are wasting the lives or
mature men who In many cases have
proved their usefulness to society.
Poor Gates was proud Of his fast
living, and boasted of 1t. Like many
wealthy young men. he had the
speed mania.
SpeeQ lS lucr ub Sdlue III
used 70 special trains and like
them.S I'm not happy unless I'm
making ninety miles an
hour. The faster the bet
ter-that's my rule, When
/ start for a place l like
To get there.
81 give away s1,000,000
year in tips, ! can't
!; !: ; ! &; ! !: !; !: !: ;: ; !: ]: j;
- take 1t with me when |
32tS5A die. I believe In spending
3 1t as I go along. / don't
5t&Y know how much II costs
~ me to live. I work hard
- the greater part Of every
day. and when I am
through like to enjoy myself"
Charles Gates began his rake's
progress at a period Of the most
reckless stock gambling This country
has ever known. His father was
John w. Gates, the most notorious
gambler Of that period. When
Charlie was mere boy John w.
Gates was a wealthy business man,
and speculator. but II was in 1900.
when the young man was about
twenty-five years old, that his father
began to acquire vast millions.