Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1823-01-16

! winch, with pan purchased, doth inherit pain
Slakspsare
| There are few practices, the indul.
gence In which is more preiudieial Il
the mind, the body, the character and
the state OF man, than that OF Gaming
and there are equally few that are occa,
slonal!y carried to greater extremes,
than this, In small Communities like ours.
Whether this be the fact with Us, az
present, ara not prepared to say. But
do say that these whose duty 1t is TO
look into such matters, cannot be too
Sigilant in the performance of their du !.
ty--tor II Is an important one.
The mind of the Gambler is like a
troubled ocean; 1t is always disturbed !:
the remembrance of midnight hazards,
losses or gains, haunt it all the day long
the antlcipatlons and the approximations
oil the good or bad luck which the ap.
preaching night may have in store, rack
il to its bottOm-the forebodings OF waEt,
of ruined credit and betrayed friend
ship, disturb It's Utmost recess Whilst
the annihlated endearments, affections
and interests Of home, press upon It's
every faculty with energy and pungen-
cy not TO be resisted.
Nor are the bodily sulferings of the
Gambler less formidable. Ey the loss of
sleep. the indulgence 10 the inebrlating
glass, and the warning of the passions
which are brought into exercise and fire
his breast at the gaming table, bis con
stitution Is soon Impaired; disease takes
possession of his system, and he Is not
uafreqaently doomed to drag out lille
bgrthensome to himself and to all a.
round him.
But the character of the Gambler, if
character it may be called! What is it !:
lis the picture Of Fraud, supported by
Dissipation and Ruin, and surround ed
by Affection and Despair For whether
il bs rich or ruined Gambler it is the
same thiug-lf rich, it is the property
Of others, unjustly acquired, that has
made him SO; if ruined, it Is he that hath
foolishly lost that which he ought to have
taken care of--ln either case there are
innocent sufferers enought to place thorns
in his dyiag pillow.
And as 10 the estate of the Gambler,
how fares itP Here anu there we find
solitary instance in which it has been
increased but ninety nine times out Of
an hundred we see it eventually ruined.
1t either disappears at one fell swoop
or is lritted down by degrees, till not "a
vestige is left with which to clothe or
feed perhaps large and helpless fami-
~!
These. are facts that tell, and the COR
rectness of which cannot be contr0yerted.
But they are not the only facts which 60
TO establish the prejadiclal tendency Of
this practice. We oftea fad it exercis-
ing such complete ascendency over
the conduct Of men who, in every Other
respect are considered gentlemen d
high standing, as TO induce them to de
scend to level with the most abandon
ed, If he only meet them around gam.
ing-table, and can join them in hand
of loo or some other fashionable game
shall now, in conclusion, give til,
history of the fortunes and fate OF tw,
or three Of my old acqpaintances. 1t i
short; but may be proiitably used at thi
time by way of illustration: -
Crassus, the first of whom | shall
speak, inherited a handsome estate fron
his father He had received 600,
education, and possessed talents wnicl
! enabled him to be useful and popular q
mong his fellow itizens-an amiabl
family was growing mp around him, an
| prosperity and happiness seemed to I'll
up the measures OF his earthly bis.
But at this critical juncture Crassus fel
into the company OF gamcsters he be
came Gamester, and he lost all tina
! his father had left him, and all that h
had acquired by long course of indus
try; he was thrown into Jail, and afte
an irksome confinement, again set at lt
erty but to realize all the difficulty an
distress which poverty and want ca
j throw in the way Of an afiectionate has
band and tender ather!
No mans prospects could be NOR
f flattering than were those Of my frien
Caius, when bad lack introduced him
an acquaintance with a club of gambIn
gentlemen, not fifty miles from Hager'
town. lie was sooa reduced to poyert,
, and not long afterwards immured in pri
on = where his mental sufferings cut sho
his life leaving worthy and destitut
family 20 lament his hard fate, aud the
less of friend and fortune!
Cassius was born poor: Bat lor
Course of persevering industry so impro'
ed his fortune as to place him in ea:
circumstances. He was the delight an
the solace Of an aged father and motht
,ha nron If THAR dact;n;ra ,,aa,.