1903 The Flowing Bowl by Edward Spencer

SWORN OFF! 231 and hunting, and horse-racing, do so tor the self same reason. " He who does not smoke," said the sag^ "has known no great sorrow." Similarly, it may be urged that he who never joins in a friendly glass has known no great joy. Do we express our unfeigned joy and thankfulness for having a great and good Queen to reign over us by toasting her in flat soda-water ? Forbid the deed ! W^hen our sons return from the midst of many and great dangers, from the battle-field, the raging deep, or the land of savages, do we express our delight by putting the kettle on to boil ? Avaunt ! I have known a man who had won ,^27,000 on a certain Wednesday at Ascot, dine that same night olF a chump chop, chips, and a bottle of ginger-beer, at a coffee-house no great distance from Fleet Street. And he gave the waitress one penny for herself, and counselled her not to "get gamblin'" with it. But amongst my own personal friends, when the fancied horse catches the eye of the judge, there is revelry ; and who shall say that they sin there by ? I do not believe in the man who takes his winnings sadly—or at all events impassively. " A shout, and a drink, and then sit down and write about it," is the programme pursued by a journal istic friend; and although I donot always " write about it," 'tis much the same programme pursued by myself. Nor do we rejoice for the sole reason that we have got the better of somebody else. For, alas ! the balance at the end of theyear is far too often in favour of that " somebody else." " On the question of the prohibition of the