THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



419 



without loss of time, at a luxurious "pri- 

 vate" club under the watchful eye of the 

 police, and the parental care of the govern- 

 ment inspectors. If he lost his fortune 

 and wanted to take his own life, the mat- 

 ter could be arranged without making un- 

 due noise. 



Tens of thousands of dollars changed 

 hands every hour in the season, and Os- 

 tend and Spa and the lesser Belgium towns 

 to which the same privileges were ex- 

 tended flourished and waxed fat. The 

 losses of the gamesters made Ostend in 

 particular one of the most progressive of 

 cities outside of Buddapest. King Leo- 

 pold's hotels were crowded, and famous 

 men and gorgeously appareled women 

 countessess, demi-mondaines and nouveaux 

 riches alike stood in line waiting for 

 seats at the gaming clubs. The luxury 

 and extravagance of Osteud last season 

 outstripped that of any city of its size in 

 the world. 



But in the shadows behind all this 

 feverish gayety and reckless display the 

 records of crime and despair grew larger 

 and blacker until public opinion became 

 aroused despite the wealth that the for- 

 eigners were losing and that Belgium was 

 winning. Ostend, Spa, Dinant, Chimay, 

 Namur and the other towns that had 

 rushed in to get some of the plunder stood 

 aghast when a bill was brought into the 

 legislature a few weeks ago suppressing all 

 gambling. With some modifications it 

 was passed, in spite of the fierce opposi- 

 tion and powerful lobbies of the interested 

 parties. 



As the law now stands, all games of 

 chance in public places for stakes are for- 

 bidden, except when the stakes do not ex- 

 ceed the value of the refreshments taken 

 by the players. Social and private clubs 

 are not considered as public places, and 

 their legitimate members may gamble as 

 much as they like, but the stranger who 

 tries to get a temporary membership for 

 he purpose of gambling will hereafter find 



himself confronted by dues and initiation 

 fees that will keep him out. 



While the bill was up for consideration 

 Ostend wept and wailed that she would be 

 ruined, and that heavy government inter- 

 ests would go down with her in the gen- 

 eral smash. The doleful statement was 

 not seriously denied, either. Yet the 

 amendment to exclude Ostend and Spa 

 from the general provisions of the bill was 

 defeated by a vote of 97 to 16, although it 

 is generally understood that King Leopold 

 supported the amendment with all the 

 power he could muster. Now these cities 

 are trying to get the disaster postponed for 

 five years. Ostend has a magnificent 

 beach, and its Casino or Kursal has many 

 attractions aside from gaming tables. It 

 is the favorite resort of the gay old King, 

 and its hotels are some of the best in 

 Europe. But its natural attractions are 

 not equal to those of Blankenburgh, its 

 rival and neighbor, or to those of Spa, the 

 oldest watering place in Europe, with a 

 record running back into the thirteen hun- 

 dreds. Without the gaming tables to give 

 it life next summer the chances are it will 

 plunge abruptly from the top wave of 

 prosperity to the depths of ruin, unless 

 some way can be found to initiate stran- 

 gers temporarily into the local clubs with- 

 out payment of prohibitory fees. The fact 

 that hotel values have not collapsed indi- 

 cates a sly expectation that some way will 

 be found to dodge the law. 



But public opinion at large in quiet, 

 staid, orderly Belgium has turned against 

 the gaming table, and even if Ostend man- 

 ages to "save its face," as the Chinese say, 

 its day as the successful rival of Monte 

 Carlo and the world's most glittering 

 gambling joint has apparently passed for- 

 ever 



Whereat Neighbor France smiles con- 

 tentedly. France never could see much 

 harm in gambling, and has had few scru- 

 ples about it in any form, from national 

 lotteries down to licenses for green- covered 



