Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1857-11-20

come burdens to their friends, or pauper
and felons, under the influence of tn
brain bewildering hope of large prize il
some open or masked lottery! In time
like these, therefore, such seductive "nui
sances" should be abated, even more thar
when prosperity abounds.
Probably "Gift Book Enterprises
are now the most common forms of swind
ling-(we say "swindling," because al
engaged in the business, as far as oul
memory serves, accuse each otter of dis
honesty, and We believe their mutual &C
cusations and ordinations are true,
The love Of reading is certainly commend
able, but to create it by paying big
price for book, in order to obtain o
chance for some golden attraction, is no,
the way to foster that love. Such an in.
ducement tends rather to lessen and de.
grade than to elevate and strengthen the
taste for reading. tits not the book itself,
but the prize that is concealed in it, that
is commonly sought; and the book is Of
ten cast aside, whether the prize be small
or great.
The naodus operandi of these Gift Book
Sales may bo thus stated: "Euterprising'
publishers, pushed for money, or having
unsaleable books burdening their shelves,
commission some sharp salesman to work
off part of their dead stock in Lottery
which they re- ehristen with some deceptive
but specious name. "Hard-up" piano
manufacturers, pinchpeck goldsmi,hs, german
silver jewellers and brass-ring makers entrust
some Of their surplus glit,ering wares into the
same hand as pri-es or gifts. Thus several
parties putting up their refuse work at high
rates not only hope to convert them into money
but also to pay The agents expenses and his
wages. The true gifts are few and small
for the costs will not permit more than are
deemed necessary to keep up the excitement
and the delusion. II will be found that the
Managers are either the agents themselves or
their confederates or men of straw; and that
their patrons are mostly at distance SO that
they have the whole machinery in their own
hands and bestow only ,chat gifts they choose.
But it is urged that every one gets some
Ming-,herefore it is no lottery" The Law
however decides otherwise. IL is but chance
Gf honesD whether you draw prize (or gifD
worth having or merely nominal one worth
nothing. There are many Lotteries in which
are"So BLASKs"-all getting something back
and We, the buyers growing poorer and poorer
and the sellers richer and richer. Some say
1--WE always get at least a nice gold ring or
Congress pen-knife"-ra,her, sir or madam,
you'll be sure of metallic ring worth a cent
or levy jack knife! And as to the Books
themselves, our observation convinces us that
they are decidedly higher priced than when on
the shelves of fair book dealers.
No Lottery? Why, if No.3s9, Don Quixotte,
entities the buyer 10 S75 gold watch, and
happen to buy No.3s9, is it not one chance that
that prize was affixed TO that No., and another
chance that bought just that No.! So No. 65
is Bakers Call, which (at an extravagant
prlce) entities the "lucky purchaser" TO fine
three cent jewsharpM! The sitter for Ambro-
type No. l6,990, "was so fortunate" as 10 win
that $500 PianoM, Holder of Ticket No.74-
"a poor man, il is stated'-was SO lucky as to
take the S25,coO Farm (nO douJf.O But were
not these all-if real-mere chances?
We have before us Catalogue of the works
at one of the Cullen & Grabs Grand Gift
Moral & Religious Depository Rooms" 1t
embraces some new and valuable works (put
in for baiD with a mass of miserable trash
which the owners are anxious 10 get rid of at
any price. Here is the Holy Bible by the side
of 10 Smith and the Alcoran of Mahomet-the
foulest pictured "medicar' quack nuisances,
and Hannah More-Barnum's self.confessel
Pirates Own Book, with Harriet Newell, &c.
&c. Thus, under color of cheap books and
handsome premiums for buying the innocent
and unsuspecting are tempted to the acquisi-
ton of the most loathsome and pernicious-
all sent "honorably" and "secretly" by mail
with the precious gif they are sure to DRAWN
We "close this branch of subject" by
noticing one other palliation of the guilt of
these humbug gifts" Iii argued that "good
men attend and buy" and religious papers
advertise ihem." There are no men wholly
good The best of them do wrong, and when
they countenaEce these pestilerous cheats they
commit sin for which they are as accounta-
bic as for any other wrong committed with the
same light and knowledge. But we hardly
think these excusers wonld so to Peter Funk
auction shop to buy good gold watch, SIM
ply because the operators might open their en-
tertainment with prayer, wear white cravat,
and close by singing doxology. We should
follow other men and other newspapers only
so far as they do right; for We are accounta-
bic for ourselves, and not for others.
Er0ttr 9AfiIS1fr111f1fH