The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1859-02-09

eitat shd deceive those who play against
them. tSee tricks Of ganbi rs by Green
Students s'idicted to these practices who
Are away from homo influences, will Illus
trats these tendencies. Says Professor
Dewey, at is carl-p'aying all night and
no study all day" AMI hence no stu
dent in our colleges is allowed to keep
pack Of cards in his room.
But when young man has addicted
himself to these amusements until he has
acquired the skill, and founa the fortune
on which success depends in the game,
he is very likely tempted to try his skill
and fortune where money is staked. To
this he is a!Iurcd not simply BY the hope
Of winning, but the venture and hope in
volved give additional excitement. And
now the young man has quietly and nat
uraly pushed his skitf off out of tho sup
posed safe harbor of parlor card parties,
apon the open sea of the gambler. And
50 the vice gambling comes from card
parties just as naturally az drunkenness
does from moderate tippling.
= The parlor card party in fact, s,stains
tho same relation to what is called the
gambler hell, that the first-cass Hotel
drinking does to the low debauchery of
the saloon or doggery. Now do you ask
why then do not our young men at River
Falls who play cards become gamblers!
We reply, that they ar, as yet under tho
influence of home. They are not prepar-
ed to break the hearts of mothers and
sisters. Wait till they are prepared for
college, and are away from home infuen-
ecS, with their cards concealed in their
rooms in violation OF college laws.
After these young men shall have had
four years experience in college life it
will be time to tell what sort of q crop
they are to reap from their present SOW
ing. Besides, we do not suppose that ev-
cry card player, will necessarily become a
gambler, any more than that every mod
crate drinkcr of spirits will become q
dFuHkard. Tho farmer does not expect
every seed that he sows will grow, but
still he expects q harvest from his sow
lag. Equally sure is community to
up harvest of gamblers as the result
their parlor card parties.
We do not know, or at least the writer
OF this article does not know, that's young
man in this village gamblcs. He hopes
there Is not one who does. But we would
ike to know ifany one here doubts that
gambling Is practised here. 1t might be
difficult to prove that it is practised hele,
for it is one of those things that seek con-
cealment and love the dark. But it is
currently reported and generally believed
that this vice is practised here To illus
trate tho connection between parlcr card
parties and gambling. we expect some
facts from J. II. Green, the reformed
gambler. When received we will furnish
them for publication.
In conclusion, we remark, that We are
agreed that some amusement is necessa-
ry, and that we can probably farther agree
that some amusements are pernicious.-
There is a distinction to be made between
ADJUSTMENTS and labors, especially exhaus-
ting labors; and that amusements should
not become like excessive labor exhaus-
ting to the physical energies, and take the
place of labor.
Second. all amusements are improper
when pursued at unreasonable hours and
IN company with persons of a loose and
wicked character.
81 Third, such aInusements are improper
when they infringe upon the regular du-
ties of life, whether these duties be social,
personal or religious, or if these amuse-
1nents crowd important duties into cor
ner, or if they tend to retard personal inn
provement in knowledge and virtue.
Fourth, anv amusement that is so cap
tivating or ensnaring as frequently to lead
those who engage in it, into acknowledged
sins and crimes, ought to be regarded as
improper. a.-ee.
Fifth, anv amusement which is found
, TO unfit the mind for spiritual duties, such
rs prayer and praise, most manifestly
should be abandoned. We arc confident
that YOU will not ask us to prove that a.
muscments so pursued rs to be liable to
either or all these objections. should be a.
bandoned. 1t would be like asking us to
prove that sin and crime are wrong
We confidently expect that you will as
readily agree with us here as we do with
you in deposition that some amusemcnts
are necessary. liz
Then if we can show You that any one
or all of these objections lie against the
amuscments in question as practised here.
YOU will unite with us to eschew them.
We come then to the work of showing
that card-playing and dancing ''as prac-
Used by the people of this village" are OBJ
noxious to these objections. In this arti-
Gle we have endeavored to show that card
playing is liable to the fourth objection
stated above.
Respectfully yours.
WIN. r. STEW EMS,
[NorE. Mr.. Stevens has authorized