HAPPENINGS THAT TURN MEN'S HEADS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2363, 8 June 1899, Page 55

HAPPENINGS THAT TURN MEN'S HEADS.

SUDDEN SUCCESS CLAIMS MANY A

VICTIM.

Though adversity is responsible foi many suicides and other rash act*, it is not only misfortune and failure that upset the menta) balance. Success and sudden joy sometimes prove too much for minds erstwhile lational and steady, and popularity abruptly won not infrequently threatens to disturb the equilibrium oi the brain.

A well-knowr case, of the dangerous effects upon some minds of swift-coming happiness is that of a poor coppersmith to whom fell the chief prize of 6000fr (£240) in a lottery. Quite unable to grasp the real extent of his good fortune, the misguided man, demented with madness, rushed straight to a river nd drowned himself. A similar result was produced when, by the death of a rich relative, a young man came into som<. seven or eigh^ thousand pounds. At once lie started spending money, rode and drove, ate, drank, smoked, spent his evening at places of amusement, and generally turned night into day. In a very few weeks, having got into such a state that he really did not know what to do next, he shot himself.

Sometimes the victim of iver-trying good fortune has the sense tc perceive tha' the situation is putting too much strain upon his head. Once such individual actually applied to a magistrate to b " taken care of." "I've come into a fortune, sir," explained he^ " and I think I am going mad." A firm of solicitors whc had known the applicant's father agreed tc look after him until he had grown accustomed to tha possession of riches. Reading of th? case, however, scores of disinterested Samaritans wrote offering their - service* as "guardians."

" I saw the gentleman in street early in the evening," deposed >. constable in another case, " and he was carrying on like a lunatic. Laughing at nothing and singing, he made faces at passers-by, and, now and again, darted acrost the roadway right under the horses' hoofs." "Had you been drinking? " asked the magistrate sternly. Indignantly the man who, foi him own safety, had been taken into custody repudiated ths suggestion j but, with a blush,

added, "It was all through a yo nig lady.* She had, it seemed, just consented t< o» come his wife, and joy at the success of hit suit had temporarily deranged him. Coming out top in a very difficult examination to qualify foi ar important post, a strange fate befell v the winning' candidate. Overcom with pleasure »nd pride at tha tiiumphant result >f his jfforts, hit mind became slightly affected. He was sc long ere he regained his complete senses that the post had to be filled up, and he was ultimately obliged tc accept another position with less responsibility and lower - pay. Knowing nothing about hprse-racing, $ young commercial traveller, quite haphazard, backed a certain horse, and wa' agreeably surprised to find that i* had won, and that he was entitled to ome 30 odd pounds. Though accustomed to handling hundreds of pounds of othei people's money, he yet, when this cash was his, lost all con trol of himself, and started running abouttelling everybody of his good fortune. Excitement prevented his sleeping, noi was ha able to attend to aify business. Getting n* reply to their letters, his firm sent a representative down tc inquire, and, learning of the "little turf transaction, the traveller loai his berth. After living some 30 years ir> cne house, a steady-going shopkeeper found that lus premises were required for some local improvement. Strongly he opposed the taking of then? : but he was. eventually bought out d<* very liberal price. Coming home from the completion of the lale, Be astonished his wife by dancing about the room fluttering bank notes in the air, jingling pocketsful of sovereigns, and " washing hie hands" in gold. It soon became evidert that his luck had turned his brain. A doctor was called in, and firm measures were taken, but it was a full month ere th© patient returned to his normal state.

" Since Joi was made foreman it's a shilling a look, and eighteenpence to speak tc him." So declared a workman of fc mate who had been promoted as mentioned. A change certainly had come over him, for he at once moved into a bigger house, wore a silk hat on Sundays, and wrote '• Mr ' before hi& name >n his "time-sheets." He soon got intc debt, and his rise in life ruined him.

In the world )f athletics instances have been numerouc where men have been completely spoilt by their success. Declares an old hand : "It takes 3 good head, when a man wins every time and is the idol of the public, to resist the temptation te pub on 'side.' It is a well -known fact that aftei being f photographed and .interviewed and written about, many men prominent at the present moment have by their ostentatious behavioui alienated all their friends. As the term is. they 'have fallen over themselves.' "

" Women," declares an observer, " I fancy, take a stroke )f good luck much more calmly than men do. I remember a case some years ago where a lady and s gentleman, trangers to each other, were, each left a moiety of a large foitune. Curiosityled me tc inquire how the lady had celebrated the arrival of the windfall. Wlicu she heard that she was now comparatively rich, she gleefully exclaimed, 'I shall b% able to jake a cab whenever I like ! ' anft cab-rides, extra shopping, and gifts tc various friends were the total of her indulgences. The man I knew personally. ,On hearing of hi good luck, he said, 'Now, I won't be foolish, but for ' fortnight or so 1 11 have a jolly good time.' Well, the prescribed two weeks expanded to something like four months, and the 'jolly <jood tinr nearly killed him " The gratifying fact of having best part oi one of .his sermons quoted by an important paper o rverwhelmed with joy i .certain pastor that he lived on the remembrance of it all the week, to discover on th». next Sunday .morning that h' had entirely omitted to prepare anything in the way of a discourse. Coming to his senses, and delighted at the idea if hearing hi own words ovei again, he calmly announced that a3 his last week., sermon bad been received with much favour in high places, Ir had decided for the benefit of liis congregation to preach it to them all over again!