Madison Whig advocate. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1839-1841, 1839-04-06


the foulesf miasma was the most conducive 20
health. One decisive evidence there IS that
al men OF sane minds and heats feel gambling
to be wrong. while the most degraded of other
classes are at times recognized ProPsr o.
jeets of esarity. no man ever fell gambler 70
have any claim upon his amable munifeencc.
t;ambiing is then utterly at with orr social
responsibilities fraudulent and disaoEess IS
means of acquiring property
A second argument for the pernicious social
tendencies of gaming is. that it ruins multi
tndes of men. and seriously Injuries multifndes
more. By this mean, it is The occasion OF
numerous entire, and multitadss of partial
bankruptcies OF property The history OF gam
bling is history o. ruined fortunes. And
this is not a casual but necessary result. The
whole affair is conflict for tae exclusive pos
Isession of gwen proPeFty. No equivalents :
proposed, or intended expected. TO be return-
ed for the property lost. Accordingly the
wreck Of fortunes, the ruin Of tie monsed IN
! teros,s OF one party IS tie nseesSary e5Ese-
/ quence! And what ag--avates the matter Is
this ruin, in almost all cases, falls upon tEase
who are the conntrs : future hape-her outh
or upon the taoughsIess and toe ignorant. in
| whose injury, humanity and every noble feel
ing Is deeply wounded.
/ But property, it is directly means OF IN
dividual happiness; it is, incidentally, OF
social happiness also. Gambling. therefore,
whose necessary concomitants are bankruptcy
and Povert-, with their appropriate fruit. nor
'iiie"'ion' alseo1;ent c..sa nisanlhropy; is deep
- fra1%%sni with mischief soeial we'll
being, and therefore indefensible, dishonest
and cruel He who can SIT down and cody
| plot the suin of his fellow men, is he not an
arrant viliianl and what else is the leading
element Of the gamblers premeditated nights
employment!
Third-Gamb!ing. in its social tendencies
entails upon others, neral corfu ption and ruin
The social influence of the gamester Is a moral
Pcstlence to all within its reach. Oae sinner
says Solomon, destroy much good And per-
| haps, no where, does this declaration find -
fearful a veriication as in the example Of the
gambler. As is the fountain must be its
streams. The gambler IS always wicked
ma:, often destitute of principle utterly, and
sunk below the common level OF corruption
The social influence he exerts, therefore must |
be pernicious. To a level with himself he !
must and will reduce all his companions. The |
laws Of our social nature secure 10 the asso-
ciate of the gaming table level with its
owner. A md here again the evil mostly reach |
es those whose preservation is most important |
to social order, or an object of tendeTest hui
manity. l mean the young and the unwaTrv-
The youth of our country are our country : /
future hope. If they are lost 10 social order. /
social order itself is lost. While the ignorant /
and unwary are those. for whose protection.
humanity and every generous feeling put forth /
their most touching appeals. These are they,
however, who first ieol the gamblers pestilen-
tial influence. His influence. therefore, strikes
directly the foundation of the eOuntr.'s
nope, and at the heart of humanity The toun-
tain that can send forth such streams IS a cor
rurt al poisonous one.
But consider the asz--ccyation here 70 be found
in the kind OF ruin effected. IHS los o' P''-
yertv, the the ruin of monied fortunes, wha' :
it compared with the ruin Of the mind, the
blasting of the hopes and happiness OF the
soul. The gamester seduces from vlrtGe ana
duty young man of faireSt promise and mos'
exansive prospects. An object of s.ncerest
paternal care. he has been finely educated-
He has a large circle OF friends, full OF expee-
tation with respect TO him About his path
way the solicitude and the affections CT Father
Mother, Sister and Brothers gather and cluster
as guard of angels He leaves his home, and
in quest of fortune reaches the inviting field OF
southern enterprise and facility. His prospects
are fattering. The proudcst hopes of friend
ship seem likely to reach and speedily too. :
full blown realization. But suddenly lower J
ing cloud APP ears resting in his horizon The ,
destroyer has marked him for his prey. and
coolly laid snares have entraped his Inexper.- :
ence. and drawn him within the inward tend .
ing circles of the maistFoom Of the gamblers E
influence. Tales of fortunes won, fired his .
unwary heart, and allured him within one of
those Terrestrial heil', gaming room. The tale ;
s then soon told. You look round for that
youth Of promise, aud from the heigh OF ele-
waited hope you see him gravelI ng n tie drunk- a
ards mire. the debaucher's filth blasted. b
withered flower! The hearts Of his parents :
are broken. The country IS robbed Of rs sta i
and social order spoiled of a proteeto--Ia, I
cursed with new enemy Of unwouted m7lir-
nifty. For drunkenness. IewdnesS, morosene - :
and misanthroPy, are the natural attendants on 4
the gaming room. And to the case Just sup {,
posed, destitute of parallel in actual lfel D,
that It were! But around this fatal rock there r
float too many wrecks, IN the social scenes oil ;
'ur country, to allow for moment the pleas e
ng iIluson. p
Gaming, then, is morally, radically wrong. =
md utterly at war with social response bill c,
les. lis appropriate fruits are misery and u
voc. Could the anguish, the woes, the broken
hearts, the blasted hopes and the mutual tor
uTes which gaming has produced, assume tan-l -,
yible shapes, and Join their chorus Of complaint IA
With that of the malignity, the gloom, the n
nIsanihTopy, the blood of murder. the gore oil s.
assassination, and the groans OF suicide which -
[ has engendeFed-could their united energy ii
'e expressed through tangible forms, the soul y
ess gambler himself would turn pale. and :.
veil he might, for with the guilt Of such ruin. d
e deliberately loads himself, and verify the l.
LANCER of social order will give hiu,, IN due =
ire, his appropriate reward, 20: my ssHl- =
ONE not thou into their secret. Unto their 4
ssembly mine honor be not thou united, u
PHILA NTHROPIA. p