Milford chronicle., 1935-12-13

They are all innate spectators,
though millions Of them conceal the
vice beneath a cloak of austerity,
and the less they know about any
given racket, the heartier they
whirl in and take a crack at 1t.
Take. for example, the church.
mouse hOme-keeper out here in Los
Angeles, who has been recently maxi
ing small sums Of money betting on
the ponies at the new Santa Anita
track, wagering her money only on
rainy days. or with the track heavy.
! have met the lady. so am not
making this up. Before hOss-racing,
she had never gambled at all, except
for rare fling at the roulette wheel
at Aqua Caliente, maybe once every
two years.
She had never seen a horse race
until Santa Anita dawned upon a
delighted pOpulace, and then she be-
gan operations In a small, modest
way, saying nothing to anyone, ask
ing no odds, seeking no special in
formation, working out her own for
tunes.
She won, too. not large sums, but
sufficient to keep her excited.
New England is historically sup
posed to he the stern and rock
bound part Of the nation. with all
the sturdy virtues, tight as the
Scotch, independent, wary about
money matters, steady going and
thrifty. the residents going in
strong for savings banks and the
quiet life. Well, they opened up a
new track near Boston last summer,
and the hard-headed PuFltans al
most trampled each other to death,
trying to get in.
Answer? Well, the people Of New
England haven't had opportunity to
bet on anything but crack-spitting
for the last 30 years, and the old
llbidO rushed to the surface, caus-
ing the money to flow like water.
Even grandmother, whose last bet
was box Of candy on the COnfed-
crate army. is removing currency
from the kitchen Jar and hOt-foOt.
ing out to the bangtails.
Look at Indiana. There is a spec
tacle- good. old Indiana state, where
Booth Harrington and George Ade
used to live in an elder day. just a
short time back. Indiana had all the
blue-nOse laws and you would
scarcely dare kiss your wife with
out a license from the governor.
During prohibition. If the sheriff
caught you with a black bottle, he
hanged you and sent your family to
Siberia.
Liquor all over the place, race
trucks, dog tracks. deer tracks, bear
tracks andI believe they issue you
a six months license to shoot per.
sons you don't approve OF. con.
tidently expect that in the near fu.
turel Indiana will be going in bra.
zenly for cOck-ighting. bulI-hghting,
pelOtte, gambado. kantikOy,
greasy pole, kiss In the ring, what's
my thought, crambo, skittles, halma,
nine mems morris and snip-snap-
snOrem.
To return to hOss-racing and Its
astounding effect upon our home
owing wOmenfOlk, the ladies' have
llways adOred roulette, craps, black.
lack and chuek-a-iuck, all games
the customer has no more
,hance than butter in the oven. The
rOuble was, they never had OppOr.
unities, for real lady cannot walk
ntO a mere gambling joint, with
'Ough men everywhere. So the
lanes were forced to be content
With their InhibltlOns, submerged
Iesires, frozen appeHtes and such,
Until hOrse-racing lOomed, and sud
Ienly became as respectable and
as influenza.
Thus It is that father cannot get
old Of the morning paper any
lore. as mother is engrossed In to.
ay's entrless trying to figure out
,hether Leaping Iipstlck win have
chance to show In the third race.
downtown In the business Offices,
he stehOgraphers chip into a pool
cents a race. In the suburbs, the
ridge e-playing danes have set aside
leIr cards and are out at the track,
nd so there is a genuine problem
icing the fathers. bread-winners
nd heads Of families In this broad
Rtion-how far to let the women
D with this new freedOm-and no
oubt the family heads will solve It
} skillfully and thoroughly as they
ave solved all the other serious
lancial problems OF the last six
,ars.