The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1854-05-25
Westerly, May 25, 1884.
Gift Enterprises.

w nave receiver iOiS uu'citse-
ment OF one Of these affairs which we are
requested to publish, but as we decline.
doing so for a number Of reasons, per-
haps we may as well give some of them
and as the subject embraces a number
of points, probably it would be as well
to arrange our few remarks under their
appropriate heads and sermonizo little.
We never did undertake to deliver a
sermon, and if we should be successful
in writing one to please the people, per-
haps it might be the means Of our get
ting five or ten thousand dollar "call )"
but be that as it may, we have several
objections to publishing this advertise
ment.
Firstly, then, we are opposed, from
principle, to gambling, in all its varied
forms, whether it be card playing, bet
ting, or lotteries--for selfish ends or for
" benevolent" purposes. 1t is founded
in the avaricc Of the human hcart-the
desire to obtain, without rendering a
value received for the desired object
1t was formerly quite fashionable to build
churches meeting g-houses,we mean -
with funds raised by lotteries and was
by many considered legitimate method
of raising the desired means; but We
believe this custom is now obsolete. And
in many of the States the evils of the
system had become SO apparent that
laws have been enacted for the suppress
sion of lotteries. But in order to evadC
this law, a new scheme of gambling has
been, for very short time, very exten,
sively carried on, and many people who
would think it an awful sin to purchase
ticket in lottery, or to play game
of cards for money, will not hesitate to
purchase ticket in the gift enter
prise" But it is only new name
for the old iniquity ,andShakespeare says
ga rose by any other name would smell
as sweet" and lotteries by any other
name are quite as odous. The modu'
operandi is almost precisely the same
the purchaser pays dollar for his ticke
with the hope of being the fortunate
possessor Of fifteen or twenty thousand
dollar house, farm, or whatever tn,
prizes may consist of. We believe tn
whole thing to be wrong from beginnin!
to end, and its tendency only to evil
therefore we do not wish to burden ou
conscience with it. We do not, 0
course, doubt but that the proprietor
will find means to place their advertise
ment and circulars before nearly ever
one without our all, and very man
people will lend their influence to tn
thing by purchasing tickets; but W
object to being party 10 the shave ao
therefore we shall be clear on that scor
Secondly: The remuneration propose
is altogether inadequate to the service
required, both in quantity aud qualit
The advertisement would make about
column, and we are requested to inse
this four times for tickets in the lotte
which the proprietor values at eight dc
lars. Thank fortune and our patror
We have not come to that yet. We a
poor enough, as our creditors very W
know, perhaps to their sorrow, some
them, but we arc not yet SO poor as
be obliged to work for nothing and boa
ourself. The idea CT our inserting
advertisement, the price Of which shol
certainly be-(were we inclined to pl
lish it allD-as much as twelve or TO
teen dollars, for eight, is altogether p
posterous. And it is proposed to |
US even that pi,tance in tickets, viii
in order to make them of any value
us we should be under the necessity
peddling out and thus cheating some
our neighbors with them, or else keep
them ourself and taking our chance