Monday 25 May 1896

Did not get up till about 10.45 this morning. After breakfast father, Mr. Lay & myself walked to Nordheimer’s hill & back, I had dinner early & left for the Woodbine race at 2 o’clock. Got there shortly after 2.30 sat most of the afternoon in the Press seats in the Grand Stand, where I wrote up the account for the Associated Press. I walked to the betting rings to watch the crowd. I must confess that a mingled feeling of disgust contempt & sadness came over me as I saw the mass of men with apparently no high thoughts or desires wasting or risking what money they might possess. The class are a hard one to deal with. So too, the Society set, poor feeble minded creatures only pleasure to be looked at & to look at others. I did not enjoy the races much. Sent off the account at 6.30, had supper, have been writing since – felt the influence of Mr. Winchester’s sermon.

–From The Diary Of William Lyon Mackenzie King

Of course, today we’d call ‘the Society Set’ celebrities or just plain socialites. However, in the century since this time, we’ve decided that casinos are a worthy way to supplement tax revenue, which, as then, comes from folk of ‘apparently no high thoughts or desires wasting or risking what money they might possess.’