own selfish vices, as to hate every one who
would take us out of their trammels.

When Art found that the world, as he said, was going against him,
instead of rallying, as he might, and ought to have done, he began
to abuse the world, and attribute to it all the misfortunes which he
himself, and not the world, had occasioned him. The world, in fact,
is nothing to any man but the reflex of himself; if you treat yourself
well, and put yourself out of the power of the world, the world will
treat you well, and respect you; but if you neglect yourself, do not at
all be surprised that the world and your friends will neglect you also.
So far the world acts with great justice and propriety, and takes
its cue from your own conduct; you cannot, therefore, blame the world
without first blaming yourself.

Two years had now elapsed, and Art's business was nearly gone; he had
been obliged to discharge the drunken fellows we spoke of, but not until
they had assisted in a great measure to complete his ruin. Two years of
dissipation, neglect of business, and drunkenness, were quite sufficient
to make Art feel that it is a much easier thing to fall into poverty and
contempt, than to work a poor man's way, from early struggle and the tug
of life, to ease and independence.

His establishment was now all but closed; the two apprentices had
scarcely anything to do, and, indeed, generally amused themselves in
the workshop by playing Spoil Five--a fact which was discovered by Art
himself, who came on them unexpectedly one day when tipsy; but, as he
happened to be in an extremely good humor, he sat down and took a hand
along with them. This was a new element of enjoyment to him, and instead
of reproving them for their dishonest conduct, he suffered himself to
be drawn into the habit of gambling, and so strongly did this grow upon
him, that from henceforth he refused to participate in any drinking
bout unless the parties were to play for the liquor. For this he had now
neither temper nor coolness; while drinking upon the ordinary plan
with his companions, he almost uniformly paid the reckoning from sheer
vanity; or, in other words, because they managed him; but now that it
depended upon what he considered to be skill, nothing ever put him
so completely out of temper as to be put in for it. This low gambling
became a passion with him; but it was a passion that proved to be the
fruitful cause of fights and quarrels without end. Being seldom eith