Gambling:
Or, Fortuna, her Temple and
Shrine. The True Philosophy
and Ethics of Gambling. By
James Harold Romain.
[Illustration]
CHICAGO:
THE CRAIG PRESS.
1891
COPYRIGHT, 1891.
JAMES HAROLD ROMAIN.
Publisher’s Note to the Public.
America is free and her people boast of her freedom in every realm
of thought and every department of activity. Her pride is a form of
discussion from which no man is excluded because of the opinions he
may advocate. We declare a man should be heard in the very face of
prejudice or passion.
Mr. Romain’s book, in our judgment, is entitled to publication for
other reasons than those above mentioned. It is replete with learning,
and original in conception. The philosophy is broad and the tone
dignified. Patient research is manifest in every page. Every branch of
knowledge has been made to contribute its force to the argument. The
work is a mine of information in political speculation, social science
and moral philosophy. Mr. Romain is obviously in sympathy with the
widest possible circle of culture. For that reason, if for no other,
what he has to say is entitled to a respectful consideration. His
book is unique in design and wrought out with vigor. His appeal is to
philosophy, science and history; not to idle curiosity, purposeless
gossip, or the unimportant “personal equation” to which others have
been so prone.
In the interest of fair play, but, confessedly, with no sympathy
for gambling, the book is offered to the people to decide as to the
correctness of its conclusions.
ADAM CRAIG, Publisher.
This book is dedicated
To the
Hon. John Cameron Simonds,
by the author,
as a token of esteem for his
fair-mindedness and sense of justice.
Although that gentleman is not a gamester,
nor in sympathy with the pursuit,
yet the author desires thus to acknowledge his
indebtedness to him for many valuable suggestions
in the preparation of this work.
[Illustration]
PREFACE.
Two doughty knights, clad cap-a-pie in burnished mail, once journeyed
forth in search of martial adventure. Their noble steeds all
caparisoned for war, both wandered up and down through the world,
defending the fair and protecting the weak. Betimes they chance to
meet where stood in majestic beauty a bronze statue of victory. In her
right hand the goddess clasped a sword, while in graceful pose her left
rested upon an ægis richly wrought in the precious metals. Approaching
from opposite directions, to one warrior the shield appeared as of
gold, while to the other it was of silver. Low were bowed their
crested helms in courtly salutations.
“Comely, Sir Knight,” said one, “comely and noble is this figure.”
“Yea, thou hast spoken truly,” was the reply.
“Precious, very precious,” rejoined the first, “must be yon golden
targe.”
“Nay, Sir Knight, it is of silver, I trow.”
“By my lady, thou liest,” quickly came the hot retort.
Then, prancing chargers well in hand, with lances lowered to deadly
level, they prepared for the “wager of battle.” Both were unhorsed
in the onslaught. Regaining an upright posture, with swords drawn to
renew the duel, each observed that his reverse of the shield was what
the other had contended for. Moral: It is wise to look first upon both
sides of the subject.
Not so, it is evident, has it been with books heretofore devoted to
a discussion of gambling. Their authors professed an exposition of
gaming in the interest of morality. Well may some of the books be read
for their wealth of information and excellent diction. Some have been
earnest, in places eloquent, and often suggestive. Vivid and dramatic
are the descriptions of a passion that has possessed the world in all
ages; yet, that the various assaults were conceived in wisdom, or that
they have resulted in permanent good, I am constrained to deny.
True, I believe with Sir Walter Raleigh, that out of history may be
gathered a policy no less wise than eternal; “by the comparison and
application of other men’s forepassed miseries with our own like errors
and ill-deservings.”
But why did it not occur to these writers that circumstances should
not be recorded merely because they have happened; that events deserve
memorial only because they illustrate some great principle; because
some inference is to be drawn from them, which may increase the
happiness or enlarge the powers of man? That it did not, we must
infer from the pages they have given to the world. Cicero declared
that “History is the light of truth.” In vain, however, do we look for
a consideration of causes in any history of gambling. “Histories,”
said Carlyle, “are as perfect as the historian is wise.” Is that book
wise wherein no adequate remedy is suggested for the evil it depicts?
Although interesting, such a work is but a chronicle devoid of moral
purpose. It is clear, to dwell upon the follies of man will not cure
them; that it will not strengthen humanity merely to portray their
weaknesses. The passion our author would combat is rooted in the soul.
“Whose powers at once combat ye, and control,
Whose magic bondage each lost slave enjoys.”
How would you extirpate the evil, if such it is? Expose a folly, you
may say, and wisdom will turn from it. You would have us believe,
perhaps, that:
“Wisdom from heaven received her birth;
Her beams transmitted to the subject Earth.”
And yet
“This great empress of the human soul
Does only with imagined power control,
If restless passion, by rebellious sway,
Compels the weak usurper to obey.”
So far as the history of gambling has ignored causes and neglected
remedies, it is incomplete. That it is deficient in both is my reason
for this book. Some one should begin the subject where other authors
have deserted it.
I have long made a study of gaming in all its aspects and relations;
aiming, the while, at breadth, impartiality and thoroughness. At first
my reading was not conducted with a view to authorship. I desired
information for its own sake. As a gamester, I sought the philosophy of
gaming.
What is chance? How far does it influence all mankind and circumscribe
their efforts? What is gambling, in the broadest sense of the term?
Is gaming wrong _per se_: i.e., absolutely vicious? Where in human
nature is the passion grounded? Why does the propensity exist? Is it
an inevitable tendency of human nature? What is morality? Wherein
does the gambler differ from other men? How should his occupation be
distinguished from business generally? How far may the conduct of an
individual be dictated by society? How may the essentially punitive be
distinguished from that which is not so? What are the true limits of
State power in relation to appetites and propensities? Are sumptuary
laws effectual? Does history, as the philosophy of example, justify
such enactments? Can the law eradicate innate tendencies? Can character
be transformed by statute? Is it possible to legislate morality into
mankind? What should be the policy of statesmen and reformers in the
realm of morals? If it is not possible to extirpate the passions by
law, how may they be regulated, directed, educated and purified?
Such were the problems that confronted my understanding. Each and
all were resolved to the best of my knowledge and capacity. I make my
observations public in the interests of fair play and common sense. I
am at least entitled to the literary chances of a reading age.
I have dallied with fickle fortune for years. As gamester, I
anticipated prejudices against the pursuit. My deductions are amply
fortified, therefore, from the mature studies of great and wise men.
I did not expect my book to stand unsupported. It is substantiated,
throughout, by the teachings of profound and impartial philosophers.
CONTENTS.
Page
PUBLISHER’S NOTE, 3
DEDICATION, 5
PREFACE, 7
INTRODUCTION, 19
THE WORSHIP OF FORTUNA, 27
WHAT IS TRUTH; OR, THE PHILOSOPHER’S STONE? 46
THE DESTINIES; OR, THE REIGN OF LAW, 103
LEGISLATIVE EXORCISM; OR, THE BELIEF IN WORD-MAGIC, 139
“THE KING IS DEAD--LONG LIVE THE KING!”, 211
Introduction.
[Illustration]
INTRODUCTION.
A traveler once sought to explore an unknown country. Compass he had
not, and both chart and guide were wanting. In the distance a mountain
loomed above the plain. To its summit our traveler made his way. From
thence he beheld the region stretching away in all directions. The land
he would traverse the eye could now sweep from center to circumference.
It was not possible to know the landscape in detail, but the relative
proportions, distances and boundaries were unfolded at his feet. So,
when properly conceived, with the introduction to a book. A perspective
of the topic is conducive to a better understanding of its scope and
purpose. My object is to sustain the following propositions:
_First._--Men have gambled in all ages of the world. That they will
continue to do so is a reasonable presumption. To gamble would seem
instinctive--inherent in the souls of mankind and fostered by the
very nature of their environment. History reveals that all alike are
possessed by this subtle passion--male and female, young and old, good
and bad, wise and unwise, rich and poor, the exalted and the lowly. In
every century may be seen a motley throng kneeling in devotion at the
feet of Fortuna. Eagerly about her shrine press the mighty concourse
of emperors, kings, chieftains, statesmen, ecclesiastics, savants,
philosophers, poets, soldiers and the wayfaring. Now and ever will
mankind court the mysterious and uncertain.
_Second._--To define a wager is to defy intolerance of opinion.
Truth is not absolute but relative. It is not to be established _ex
cathedra_. Moralists are not in a position to denounce gambling _per
se_. They are not yet agreed upon the unconditioned principles of
right and wrong. Before it can speak with authority, moral philosophy
must find an ultimate, self-evident and irrefragable foundation.
That it is essentially criminal or necessarily vicious to invoke a
chance has never been demonstrated. To live is to gamble. We all wager
in one way or another. Luck is appealed to in every department of
human activity. Everywhere uncertainty is the rule and certainty the
exception. In the business world vast realms are specifically founded
upon the doctrine of chances. If absolutely wrong, then gambling should
be discountenanced in all persons under every circumstance. In whatever
guise it should be condemned as a principle. Until this has been done
society is not in a position to punish in one person what it permits
or commends in another. In its treatment of gambling the law is now
inconsistent, unjust and hypocritical.
_Third._--Man is the creature of circumstances. Society is an organism
conditioned by its environments. Every nation must complete a cycle of
infancy, youth, manhood and old age. Briefly, history is a science--an
unbroken chain of causes and effects throughout the ages. Volition,
so-called, is delusive and shadowy--more apparent than real. At best,
we but yield to the greatest pressure of temperament or motive. Human
nature, in a word, is the result of inevitable tendencies. The passions
are inherent and cannot be violently uprooted. Character is innate and
not subject to arbitrary reform by extrinsic force. Here, as elsewhere,
evolution is the law of existence. While our appetites and propensities
may be educated, they can never be obliterated. Social and political
philosophy have repeatedly deduced these truths from the history of
man. In the field of reform officialism has been repudiated by the
greatest thinkers. Legislation, therefore, should conform to the light
of experience and the dictates of science. _Ergo_: in the future, as
in the past and present, the gaming passion will everywhere assert
itself, despite repressive legislation, however severe.
_Fourth._--Sumptuary statutes are futile and impertinent. They are
to-day and ever have been indefensible and impolitic. Such laws are
an infringement upon individual rights and an insult to human nature.
Officious and pharisaical legislation in the province of morals and
taste should be abandoned once and forever. _Per se_, to gamble is
neither a sin nor a crime. For the law to punish the practice is futile
and unwarranted.
_Conclusion._--An enlightened age demands the overthrow of an effete
administrative policy. In the realm of morals, let that be wisely
guided which the law cannot prevent. Gambling, with certain conditions,
should be licensed and placed under the surveillance of a police.
The Worship of Fortuna.
[Illustration]
CHAPTER I.
The Worship of Fortuna.
Reader, in imagination go backward with me more than 20 centuries.
Enter with me the magnificent and imposing Temple of Fortuna, in old
Præneste. We are within the portico of that stately hemicycle. Far
above is the marble dome, and about us cluster the snowy columns. As
it is early morn, flamens and virgins are assembled inside the sacred
precincts. They are grouped about the flaming tripod, and the robes of
purple and white blend in harmony of color. The sanctuary is redolent
with burning incense. A golden image of the goddess, in heroic mould,
flashes back the rays of sunlight that penetrate the inner shadows. A
solemn chant entrances the ear, and our eyes turn to the westward.
Before us expands the Campagna, ninety miles in length and twenty-seven
in breadth. The undulating plain stretches away in all directions
until it sinks into the sea; thickly studded is the superb picture
with prosperous cities and “every rood of ground maintains its man.”
Everywhere is presented an appearance of comfort and rich cultivation.
Yonder, Mount Albanus towers to a height of 3,000 feet above the sea.
Looming majestically above its topmost peak is the Temple of Jupiter
Latiaris. The grandeur of mighty Rome is at our feet, a splendid and
stupendous panorama of temples, amphitheatres, basilicas, palaces,
circuses, baths, arches and aqueducts. Such was the spot dedicated to
Fortuna by the ancient Prænestians. She was more deeply enshrined in
their hearts than Olympian Jove himself.
Præneste flourished before the birth of Christ or the glory of Rome.
The noble city occupied a projecting point or spur of the Apennines
and was distant from Rome, due east, about twenty-three miles. Above
its walls towered the Temple of Fortuna. The Temple proper was circular
in form and crowned the summit of a hill more than 2,400 feet above the
Mediterranean level. Standing out boldly against the sky, its majestic
outlines were visible from a great part of Latium. As extended by
Sulla, the sanctuary occupied a series of six vast terraces, which,
resting on gigantic substructions of masonry, and connected with each
other by grand staircases, rose one above the other on the hill, in the
form of a pyramid. Closely associated with the ritual of the Temple
were the “Prænestine Lots,” or Sortes Prænestinæ, and in existence
at the beginning of the Christian era. Constantine, and subsequently
Theodosius, suppressed the oracle. Its celebrity is attested by Lucan,
Horace and Ovid. Cicero speaks of the great antiquity and magnificence
of this shrine. Numerous were the great men who petitioned the
Prænestine Fortuna for assistance. Of the number may be mentioned
Tiberius, Domitian and Alexander Severus. Even Sulla sought to
propitiate the goddess before engaging in his successful wars with
Mithridates.
Plutarch tells us of Timotheus, the Athenian, son of Conon, who, “when
his adversaries ascribed his successes to his good luck, and had a
painting made representing him asleep, and Fortune by his side, casting
her nets over the cities, was rough and violent in his indignation at
those who did it, as if, by attributing all to Fortune, they had robbed
him of his just honors; and said to the people, on one occasion, at
his return from war: ‘In this, ye men of Athens, Fortune had no part!’
A piece of petulance which the deity played back upon Timotheus; who,
from that time, was never able to achieve anything that was great.”
“Sylla,” he continues, “on the contrary, not only accepted the credit
of such divine favors with pleasure, but gave the honor of all to
Fortune. He once remarked: ‘that of all his well-advised actions, none
proved so lucky in the execution, as what he had boldly enterprised,
not by calculation, but upon the moment.’ He gave Fortune a higher
place than merit, and made himself ‘entirely the creature of a superior
power.’”
The Goddess of Chance, or Good Luck, actually existed in the
imagination of the ancients. Chapman writes:
“The old Scythians
Painted blind Fortune’s powerful hands with wings,
To show, her gifts come swiftly and suddenly,
Which, if her favorites be not swift to take,
He loses them forever.”
Temples to Fortuna (the Greek Tyche) dotted the sunlit landscape from
Thebes to Rome. She was adored by the Etrurians as Nortia. Originating
near Mount Parnassus, her worship gradually extended into all parts of
Greece and Italy. Antium, an opulent and powerful city of Latium, was
once celebrated for its splendid temple of Fortune.
History discloses not a period, however remote, when Fortuna was not
a favorite with the Latins. Numa Pompilius daily prostrated himself
before her altar, and the ceremonial received a new impetus from his
pious grandson, Ancus Martius. Servius Tullius ascribed his power
and success to the gods. Especially did he assume the protection of
Fortuna. Two temples were erected to her by this great king, one in the
Forum Boarium and the other on the Tiber. By some it is said that the
edifices were respectively dedicated to Bona Fortuna and Fors Fortuna.
Yet another gorgeous structure afterward graced the Quirinal.
Precisely when the mythological system lost its influence is not
known. It is not true, however, as was once generally believed, that
immediately after the birth of Jesus the oracles were forever hushed.
While, long prior to that event, many fanes had been deserted, yet
others continued to flourish for at least two centuries thereafter.
Before the Christian era, Mythology had been repudiated by Philosophy
and Science. To the learned it was at best but expressive of the
principles back of natural phenomena. Only because it was largely
identified with the state, did it receive the support of politicians.
Yielding to the spirit of Christianity, the Olympian deities departed
with the decline of Rome as a pagan power.
Of all the shining throng that beautified the Pantheon, Fortuna alone
refused to abdicate a sovereignty she would exercise to the end of
time. True, the exquisite forms in which she had charmed the eye
were destroyed and her temples razed with the earth; yet has Fortuna
continued her uninterrupted sway over the hearts of men. Sanctuaries
and statutes were not necessary to her supremacy in the world. She was
enshrined in the soul--her worship instinctive in the very nature of
humanity. Where is the epoch of Christendom in which an innumerable
multitude have not worshiped this imperial goddess? Among her devotees
may be included men famous in every department of life: politics,
statesmanship, war, eloquence, philosophy, science, art, literature
and the liberal professions. A review of the brilliant procession is
profoundly suggestive.
Great Cyrus, who founded the Persian monarchy; Darius, who originated
centralized imperialism and reduced it to a system; Artaxerxes
Third, the greatest administrator of remote antiquity; Miltiades,
a name associated with the glories of Marathon, once designated
“freedom’s best and bravest friend;” Themistocles, to whom may
be fairly ascribed the victory at Salamis; Simonides, gentle and
patient, the poet of nationality and patriotism; Aristophanes, the
great father, and Menander, the acknowledged master of Greek comedy;
Pericles, the “Olympian Zeus of oratory,” a great statesman and one
of the most remarkable characters of Greece; Plato, whose name is
synonymous with all that is most exalted in idealism; Xenophon, a
friend and pupil of Socrates, and to whom the world is indebted for
“Memorabilia,” “Anabasis,” and “Cyropædia;” Demosthenes, known to
oratory as the “greatest Hellenic star;” Isocrates, his contemporary,
the distinguished rhetorician; Philip of Macedon, the famous father of
a more famous son; great Alexander, “Child of Zeus,” “Son of Peleus,”
familiar to every schoolboy as the greatest of military conquerors.
In the resplendent story of Rome are Scipio Africanus, a military
genius, and the conqueror of Hannibal; Cornelius Sulla, the great
general, sagacious politician, accomplished scholar, “one of the most
remarkable figures of all time;” Julius Cæsar, equally preëminent in
statecraft, war and letters; Marc Antony, brave and generous; Lepidus,
not the least of the second great triumvirate; Augustus, than whom a
more consummate ruler and prudent statesman never lived; Tiberius, a
writer of Greek odes and an orator at nine years of age; in battle he
repeatedly worsted the Parthians, Cantabrians, Dalmatians, Pannonians
and Illyrians; Domitian, conspicuous for his piety, who enforced the
laws against adultery and other gross forms of immorality; Titus,
bewailed at his death as “the love and light of the human race;”
Hadrian, just, liberal, valorous and energetic; Nerva, humane and
progressive; Trajan, indomitable and heroic; Alexander Severus, a
virtuous prince, a student of Christianity, and the friend of Paulus
and Ulpian; Sallust, distinguished in Latin literature for power and
animation; Livy, the man of beautiful genius; the graceful Catullus;
exquisite Horace and facile Ovid.
Among the Germanic peoples, Eugene of Savoy, a memory cherished by
Austria, who lived but for glory, and raised the Hapsburg arms to a
prestige unequaled before or since; Wallenstein, bold, imperious and of
versatile ability in civil and military affairs.
In Italy, the Abbes Ruccellai and Frangipanni, pious and charitable;
Reni Guido, who painted the marvellous “Crucifixion of St. Peter’s,”
and the “Aurora.” In art, he expressed a most refined and fervent
spiritualism.
The Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Charles of France, distinguished,
respectively, as “The Wise,” “The Beloved,” and “The Victorious;”
Charles VIII., who, with but 9,000 soldiers, defeated an Italian
army of 40,000 men; Louis XI., ever admirable for his administrative
talent, a friend of the middle classes, he restrained a turbulent and
oppressive nobility; Louis XII., of France, a “father of the people;”
Louis XIII., distinguished for valor and martial ability; Louis XIV.,
better known to the world as “The Great,” and to his country as
Dieu-donne--“God-given;” the amiable and picturesque Henry of Navarre,
the champion of Protestantism and protector of the Huguenots; Philibert
de Chalon, fertile and resolute; Bertrand du Guesclin, “king of the
tournament,” the “hero of heroes;” Condé and Turenne, both profound and
alert; Marshall Saxe, energetic and courageous; Napoleon Bonaparte, a
titanic genius of transcendent powers, king of kings, “the astonishment
and terror of the world;” Ney, bravest of the brave, the victor of
Elchingen, Mannheim and Moskva; Murat, “the Gold Eagle,” a truly wise
king, and the greatest cavalry leader of his time; Richelieu, greatest
statesman of the 17th century; Mazarin, brilliant in ministerial
policy, and the wise architect of peace at Westphalia; Mirabeau, a man
of gigantic thoughts and deeds--the mental Colossus of his age--“an
intellectual Hercules;” Talleyrand, unexcelled in diplomacy and eminent
as a financier; Thiers, equally able in politics and literature; M.
Sallo, counselor to the Parliament of Paris, and Mathieu Mole, at one
time the Premier-President of that body; Molière, the inimitable;
Corneille, creator of French tragedy; Rotrou, his master; and
Racine; Montaigne, the essayist, extraordinary for his learning and
sound reason; Paschasius Justus, an erudite and excellent physician;
Rousseau, apostle of universal happiness, and unrivaled in the
literature of France for the subtle eloquence of his style; Voltaire,
world-famous Sage of Ferney, the “sovereign writer of his century;”
René Descarte, deservedly exalted in philosophy and mathematics; the
delightful poets, Voiture and Coquillart, with the renowned Cardinals
D’Este and De Medicis.
Fair Albion comes into the story with “Lion-Hearted” Richard, the
incomparable knight-errant; Edward I., unequaled in his century as
warrior and ruler; Edward III., who befriended literature and art,
and espoused the cause of progress; his son, the Black Prince, “most
glorious star of chivalry;” Henry VIII., a foe to papacy, and for a
time the most popular monarch in English history; “Ye Merrie King
Charles;” Duke of Marlborough, the brilliant and successful general;
Arthur Wellesley, “The Iron Duke,” venerated and beloved; Horatio
Nelson, of magnificent exploits and stupendous victories, who said:
“Where anything great is to be done, there Providence is sure to
direct my steps;” unrivaled was he in daring resource and skill; Sir
Charles Napier, conqueror of Sinde and the “acknowledged hero of a
family of heroes;” Dan Chaucer, “that first sweet warbler” of English
verse, philosopher, politician and poet; Marlowe, the mightiest of
Shakespeare’s pioneers; Shakespeare, himself, “sweet swan of Avon,”
myriad-minded and wondrous; “rare” Ben Jonson; Raleigh, a universal
genius--“the glass of fashion and mould of form;” Surrey, polished and
chivalric; John Dryden, of whom Dr. Johnson said: “As Augustus was
to Rome, so was Dryden to English literature. He found it brick and
left it marble;” Dr. Tobias Smollett, who wrote “Humphrey Clinker;”
Fielding, the frank and manly author of “Tom Jones;” sweet Oliver
Goldsmith, in letters perspicuous, vivacious, and graceful; Halifax,
“Jotham of piercing wit and pregnant truth,
Endued by nature and by learning taught
To move assemblies;”
the first Marquis of Anglesey, high-spirited and impetuous, a dashing
general of cavalry; that best of Irish Viceroys, Frederic Howard, Earl
of Carlisle; Lord Bolingbroke, accomplished and eloquent; Shaftesbury,
the incorruptible statesman, upright judge and friend of religious
freedom; Horace Walpole, of whom Macaulay said, that his writings “were
among the delicacies of intellectual epicures;” Dr. Dodd, divine,
author, editor and chaplain of the king; George Selwin, the celebrated
conversational wit; Sir Philip Francis, immortal as “Junius,” and a
“friend of the people;” the artistic Farquhar; courtly Waller; elegant
Dorset; charming Sedley; and scholarly Congreve; jolly Dick Steele, a
master of classical prose; Charles James Fox, of whom James Mackintosh
said: “He is the most Demosthenian speaker since Demosthenes;”
Sheridan, “capable of the grandest triumphs in oratory,” and noted for
his sparkling wit and exquisite songs; Wilberforce, who dedicated his
life to a struggle for the abolition of the slave-trade; Edward Gibbon,
the historian, splendid, imposing and luminous; Ponsonby, once speaker
of the Irish House of Commons; Dr. Colton, author of “Lacon;” William
Pitt, of dauntless spirit and unimpeachable integrity; and Lord Byron,
a poet famed for his passionate eloquence and pathetic gloom.
Fortuna may proudly enumerate her great votaries in America: Aaron
Burr, Edgar Allan Poe, William Wirt, Luther Martin, Gouverneur
Morris, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, General Hayne, Sam Houston,
Andrew Jackson, Generals Burnett, Sickles, Kearney, Steedman, Hooker,
Hurlbut, Sheridan, Kilpatrick, Ulysses S. Grant, George D. Prentiss,
Sargeant S. Prentiss, Albert Pike, A. P. Hill, Beauregard, Early;
Ben Hill, Robert Toombs, George H. Pendleton, Thaddeus Stevens,
Green of Missouri, Herbert and Fitch of California, “Jerry” McKibben,
James A. Bayard--father of the recent Secretary of State--Benjamin F.
Wade, the lamented Broderick, John C. Fremont, Judge Magowan, Charles
Spencer, Fernando Wood and his brother Benjamin, Colonel McClure,
Senator Wolcott, Senator Pettigrew, Senator Farwell, Matthew Carpenter,
Thomas Scott, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Hutchinson of Chicago, and Pierre
Lorrillard. Names might be extended indefinitely. Enough have been
mentioned to illustrate how the gambling habit permeates all ranks of
society in the United States.
With the conclusion of our retrospect, we may well exclaim: What is the
nature of a passion so inveterate and general: of a propensity that
dominates all mankind alike, whether noble or mean, wise or foolish,
strong or weak? “Is there a remedy?” propounds the philosopher. The
legislator asks, “What is my duty?”
What is Truth?
or,
The Philosopher’s Stone.
[Illustration]