The Game is Not Worth the Candle

I read the phrase, "the game is not worth the candle," in an excerpt from a book entitled Ringside Seat to a Revolution, An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juarez: 1893-1923 by David Dorado Romo; it was published in 2005 by Cinco Puntos Press. (This is from a chapter of the book as presented on a Weekend Edition piece called The Bath Riots: Indignity Along the Mexican Border...I've not heard the story, just read about it online. I mention the book because I want to remember it and perhaps get a copy to read, since it deals with a topic I find compelling. But back to the phrase...

The phrase was uttered by Dr. B. J. Lloyd, the public health service official stationed in El Paso in 1917 (or thereabouts). Here is the context of his comment: "Typhus fever is not now and probably never will be, a serious menace to our civilian population in the United States. We probably have typhus fever in many of our large cities now. I am opposed to the idea (of quarantine camps for Mexicans entering the U.S.) for the reason that the game is not worth the candle."

I felt fairly certain I understood what the phrase meant, but I investigated a bit and, sure enough, I was right. Basically, it means that the undertaking is not worth the effort. According to Answers.com, "This expression, which began as a translation of a term used by the French essayist Michel de Montaigne in 1580, alludes to gambling by candlelight, which involved the expense of illumination. If the winnings were not sufficient, they did not warrant the expense. Used figuratively, it was a proverb within a century." I do not understand the final sentence, "Used figuratively, it was a proverb within a century." What does that mean? I did find an assertion that the original French phrase was "Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle." I speak not a whit of French, so I'm only relating what I read.

My newly-acquired knowledge of a phrase that has been around for hundreds of years strikes a cord in my mind. I wonder whether my game is worth the candle...that is, is our business worth the time and trouble and money my wife and I pour into it? I don't know...but I'm certainly questioning it. Of course, I have questionned this before, but now I have a phrase that so eloquently asks the question! Is the game worth the candle? I like that. It is so concise and gets to the heart of things. Eventually, I'll come to a definitive answer.