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260 The Leader and Saturday Analyst . ,.. ' [ March 17 , I 860 . " ¦ ¦
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the Reverend Father Lacoedaike , who , as everybody knows , about a month ago was elected a member of the Academy— -the forty immortals , as they are called . The event which is looked forward to with the liveliest interest Is the approaching trial of the Bishop of 6 k leans for libel on the Sieele It ought to have opened on Monday , but , on account of the indisposition— - ( of a very voluntary nature , I am told ; lilce the indispositions , as was supposed , of Mr . GtAiDST 02 fE ) - ^ -of one of the advocates , it is postponed till to-morrow , the . 15-th . Mpns . Duopanlotjp ' s antecedents do not prejudice one in his favour . He was horn in 1802 , at a small Village in Savoy , and in 1815 was sent to school in Pari 3 . Even at this age * and in the position of schoolboy , lie found more than one opportunity of displaying that turbulent spirit which has just now found Vent in defaming his dead predecessor . In 1825 he was ordained priest , and soon attained great eminence as a preacher ; and his success was siveh , that his superior , accusing him of self-seeking in the business , desired him to cease a certain course of lectures . But Dufanlottp was only too pleased to have a quarrel with anybody , and the consequence was an obstinate warfare for some months , which was only ended by the curate finding a better " place" at the church of St . Roche , where he acquired most of that learning which has com e in so opportunely , or , as some might think , so inopportunely , during the present crisis . The Revolution of 1830 was an annoyance to Dupanlotjp , who had been made chaplain to the Duke of Boedeaux , in which capacity he doubtless had , or speedily would . have had , no small influence upon ecclesiastical affairs . However * like all truly great men , the priest-yielded to , the force of circumstances , especially as such a concession was rather favourable than otherwise to his temporal prospects , and he was appointed to open the conferences of Notre Dame , which he did with great eclat , in 1834 . When the archbishopric of Paris was vacant ,. M ; PtJPANiiOTJp vehemently opposed the election of M . Affee , but in vain . The new prelate , however , bore him no animosity on this account , and sent him oil an important mission to Rpme , al the . same time raisinpr him to the rank of titular grand vicar . On his return to the Eternal City , M . Dt ; PA 2 fX 6 TTP passed through Piedmont , and the King of Sardinia promised him a mitre if h « would remain in . his dominions . This was refused , either because he was alarmed at the thought of so lofty a dignity , or because he thought a bishopric in France better than one in Piedmont . In 1841 the Abbe DupanLoup Was made professor of sacred eloquence at the Sorbonne , where his lectures were thinly attended , and he proved a desperate failure . His next rise was to become Superior of the Seminary of St . Nicholas , and , during all the latter part of the reign of Lotjis Piiifcii ' rE , we find his name mixed up with every agitation of the time ; and the violence of his articles which appeared in L'Ami de la Religion drew upon him universal remonstrance ; to which the reverend gentleman replied somewhat paradoxically , " We do not insult , but we do not respect . " He was an object of great dislike to the King , and lie was fully aware that his only : hopes of preferment lay in a revolution . This revolution came to pass in 1848 ; and on the 6 th of August , 1849 , Felix Dvvanj , ovt became Felix Obleans . As bishop he has been incessantly active , seeing rnuch society , frequently writing on the topics of . the day , unwearied in the cause of theological education ' , having even opened a school in the episcopal palsice ; but ; tinder all circumstances , he has been uninterruptedly quarrelling with somebody or other . In 1854 lie was chosen an Academician , for motives somewhat similar to those which suggested . to Father Lacokdaibe "to renew tlie ancient . alliance between the Church and literature , between the Episcopate ond the French Academy , " His only work which is not of a fugitive character is one on . education ; which somebody has called the finest educational monument of the century . His productions pn the Papal question are absolutely frenzied ; but they are too well known to call for any description . The Parisians are very angry against Nature just now for a reason besides the cold weather . Hall of Paris went hist Thursday to Havre , Dieppe , Boulogne , Cherbourg , ' to see la grando mc ( p 6 e the highest tide there has not been for a hundred years ; the special trains wore crowded with an eager public , and landed the * aid eager public duly , but lo and behold ! what was their disgust to find old ocean much as usual ; with perhaps a laugh upon his watery countenance at their credulity . At Boulogne , however , a few hours after the departure of the special train , and its disgusted cargo for Paris , amounting to about four thousand souls inveighing savagely agtiiiiBt the railway companies , imd vowing never ngnin to ti'ust the predictions of lidologiBtB-r-rwhilst ( hoy were doing all this v strong wind rose , and there was a magnifieont sea , whi'dh eanio rushing 1 in with irjrimense force , sweeping ri ^ ht up to the . cliffs . Olhonvise , la f / rando marSe must seem to'have been got up by Babnum . * '
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Home , February 25 , 18 C 0 . PAPAI * LOTTERIES . IF over anybody had onus © -to regret the suppression of lottoriefi , it ia the wlu > lo tribe of writovs and authors . Never will there bo fi )\\ x \ & ft M JDetts exirnctofdnA " so serviceable or so unfailing 1 as the lottery . If your plot wonted a solution , or your intrigue a tfdiiQuemcmt , or your novel ft termination , * you could always out through till your difficulties by the medium ol'n lottery ticket . The virtuous but impoverished hero beenmo at once u very Croesus , while the uteri ) and worldly-minded parent botttowod hie daughter and his blesflinjjf on tho fiuccwsful gambler , who , by the , way , never purchased his own ticket , but always hud it bequeathed him as a legacy . Alas I lottery tuikbts , like Indian uiioles and plucea under
government , have gone out of date . The fond glance of memory turns in vain towards the . good old times , " Consule Giorgio , " when lotteries were in Iheir glory . It is , however , some comfort to reflect that jf , as devout Catholics assert , the Papacy is eternal , then , in Ron . e . at least , the lottery is eteriialalso . In truth , the lottery is a great , I might almost say the great Pontifical institution . It is a trade hot only sanctioned , but actively supported by the Government . Partly , therefore ,: as a matter- of literary interest , ; and partly as a curious feature in the economics of the Papal States , I have made various researches into the working of the lottery system , and shall endeavour io srive you the ' practical , not the pecuniary , result of my investig'ations . ' .- During- the year 1858 , the receipts from the lottery were upwards of one million scudi , or nearly a tenth of the whole Pontifical revenue . This source of income , therefore , is a very important one , and is jealously guarded as a Government monopoly . There are no public gambling tables allowed in the Papal States . Even high play in private houses is suppressed , if known- to the police authorities . In fiictj if you want tog-amble , you must gamble at the tables , and on the terms of the Government . The very sale of foreign lottery tickets is , I belieye , illegal . To this rule , however , there is one exception , and that is in favour of Tuscany . Between the Grand Ducal , and the Papal Governments , there long existed an entente cordiale on the subject of lotteries . There is no bond , cynics say , so powerful as that of' common interest ; and this saying * seems to be justified in the present instance . Though the Court of Eorae is . at variance on every pohit of politics and faith with the present revolutionary Government at Florence , yet in matters of money they are not divided ; and so the joint lottery system flourishes as of old . Tjie loiitery is drawn once a fortnight . at-jiouus and once every alternate fortnight at Florence or Leghorn ; . and . as far ; as the speculator is concerned , it makes no difference whether his ticket is drawn for in Rome or Tuscany , though the losses or gains of each branch are kept separate . These lotteries are not of the good plain old stamp—in which there were , suppose , ten thousand tickets , and ten ' -prizes of different value ; and the remaining nine thousand nine hundred . and ninety ticket-holders drew blanks . The system of speculation in vogne here is far more hazardous and complicated .- - -To any one acquainted wi ^ h the German gambling places it is enough to say , that our lottery system is exactly like that of a roulette table , with the single exception that the chances in favour of the Bank , instead of being about thirty-seven to thirty-six , as they are at Baden or Hombourg , are in the proportion of three to one . For the benefit of those to whom these terms convey no meaning , I will try to explain the system as shortly as I can . In ti Papal or Tuscan lottery , thqre are ninety numbers , from one up to ninety ; and of these nmribers five are drawn . You may therefore stake your money pn any one , any two , or any three numbers turning up amongst the five drawn , which is termed playing at the eleblo , aiiibo , and ^ emo respectively ; or you may finally play al eslralto , that is , you may . not only speculate on the particular numbers drawn , but on the order in which they may happen to be drawn ; this , however , is rarely done . Now , a very slight process of calculation will show you that the chances against your naming- one number out of the five , drawn is eighteen t 6 one , against your predicting two about four hundred to one , and against your hitting- on three nearly twelve thousand to one . Supposing , therefore , the game was played with ordinary fairness , and twenty-fivo per cent , were deducted off the winnings for working expenses and profits ; if you staked a soudo , for instance , and got an oletlo , ambo or terno , you ought to win , say in round' numbers , fourteen , throe hundred , and nine thousand ' scudi respectively . In reality , you would win , if ( a very great " if" ) indeed you did wjn , no % more than four , twenty-five , and 3 CO 0 scudi . In I'uct , if there ever was a game in the world at which the paying , " hends you win and tails I lose ' ' holds true , it js playing at the Papal lottery . If the number yoivbnck does not turn up , you lose your stake ; if it does , you aro docked of about seventy-five per cent , of your winnings . For my part , I would sooner play at thimblerig- on Epsom downs , or dominoes with Greek merchants , or at ' ? three cavds " with a casual and communicative fellow traveller of sporting cast . I . should infallibly bo legged in either caso ; but at any rate I should get some amusement for my money . Still , oven those gentlemen who play with loatjed dice , or marked cards , inny have a run of luck against them . Spiritual infallibility itself cunnot decide whether u lialfponny tossed into the air will come down man or . woman ; and tho law of chances cannot be regulated by a vnotu pvopn ' o . It in possible , though not probable , i \\ i \ t on any occasion tho majority ot gamblers may fortuitously stake their money on one serioM of numbers ; and if ' thoso numbers did liuppon to turn np , tliou the loss lo tho lottery , oven with all deductions , would bo a serious one , anil the Papal ' Exchequer is not prepared to bear any heavy drain . In consofjiionco , measures are tnltcu to avert this calamity . Each office reports daily what sums li . ft . vo been staked , on what nurnboi > ; and if any numbero are regarded with undue partiality , odors tuu issued from tho lioad department to receive no moro money on thusu nwmliera or scries of numbers . I have assumed all along that 11 . o n \ mflers aro drawn fairly ; and , without a-very high opinion as to tho integrity of tho Papal rulore , lam disposed to thilik they arc . In tho first placo , any suspicion as to tho fairness of tho drawip , ^ would bo fatal to the future success of tho speculation ; and in Hut second , by tho usual rule of avoragos , it will bo found that on ilm whole people stake pretty ' equally on ono nuinbov or combination ua onnnotht-r ; and tliorcfovo tho fluoation , which numbers turnup , is . of less , practical importance to flip lottery than ono would at fii « t
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 17, 1860, page 260, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2338/page/16/
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