The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-01-21

Take, for example, the church-mouse
home-keeper out here in Los Angeles,
who has been recently making small
sums of money betting on the ponies
at the new Santa Anita track, wager
ing her money only on rainy days, or
with the track heavy. I have met the
lady, so I am not making this up.
Before hoss-racing, she had never gam
bled at all, except for a 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 de-
lighted populace, and then she began
operations in a small, modest way,
saying nothing to anyone, asking no
odds, seeking no special information,
working out her own fortunes.
She won, too, not large sums, but
sufficient to keep her excited.
New England is historically supposed
to be 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 Puritans almost trampled each
other to death, trying to get in. The
daily attendance looked like the first
German army. The daily take was
something preposterous and dumb
founded the owners. The daily bet
ting looked like what France owes
and won't pay.
Answer? Well, the people Of New
England haven't had opportunity to bet
on anything but crack-spitting for the
last 80 years, and the old libido rushed
to the surface, causing the money to
flow like water. Even grandmother,
whose last bet was a box of candy
on the Confederate Army, is remov-
ing currency from the kitchen jar and
hot-footing out to the bangtails.
There is an ancient race track say
ing, but the housewives Of today never
heard Of tia horse player always
dies broke" That is as sound and
true statement as the other wise
crack about death and taxes, but it
gives no pause in these light-hearted
times for here you have generation
that was almost verboten clear off the
merry-go-round and can now do any
thing it pleases, up to standing on
the head.
Look at Indiana. There is a spec
tacle-good, old, Indiana state, where
Booth Harrington and George AIDE
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 without license
from the governor. During prohibit
tion, If the sheriff caught you with a
black bottle, he hanged you and sent
your family to Siberia.
Liquor all over the place, race
tracks, dog tracks, deer tracks, bear
tracks and believe they issue you
six months license to shoot persons
you don't approve of. confidently ex.
pect that in the near future, Indiana
will be going in brazenly for cock.
fighting, bull-fghting, duelllng, 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 It's as
founding effect upon our homeloving
womenfolk, the ladies have always
adored roulette, craps, blackjack and
chuck-a-luck, all games wherein the
customer has no more chance than but
ter in the oven. The trouble was, they
never had opportunities, for real
lady cannot walk into a mere gambling
Joint, with rough men everywhere. So
the danes were forced to be content
with their inhibitions, submerged de-
sires, frozen appetites and such, until
horse-racing doomed, and suddenly be-
came as respectable and widespread as
influenza.
Thus it is that father cannot get
hold of the morning paper any more,
as mother is engrossed in today's en-
tries, trying to figure out whether Leap
ing Lipstick will have chance to
show in the third race. Downtown In
the business offices, the stenographers
chip into a pool 25 cents a race. In
the suburbs. the bridge-playing danes
have set aside their cards and are out
at the track, and so there Is genu-
inc problem facing the fathers, bread
winners and heads Of families in this
broad nation-how far to let the wom-
en- 60 with this new freedom-and no
doubt the family heads will solve It as
skillfully and thoroughly as they have
solved all the other serious financial
problems Of the last six years.
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