The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-10-25

culiarity of which is, that both parties
consent to il. and are equally guilty
before God.
THE INCIDENTAL EVILS OF GAMBLING.
This constderation-that gambling is
always from its very nature wrong,
should be sufficient TO deter us from it.
But there are associated with it other
incidental evils, which render it doubly
| dangerous. Like almost every vice 1t
does not come alone, but with whole
host of attendants.
GANBLISG INTRODUCES TO BAD COM
PASY.
/ ], II Introduces men to bad company
I shall make no rash assertions. do
not undertake to say that every one
who has ever fallen into this sin is
! drunkard ard n debAuchee and tit
associate for the low aud the vile. But
/ do appeal to any person, who has ever
attended a place where gambling is Il
recognized amusement or business, to
| bear testimony as to the moral charac-
ter of many whom he has there met.
| Go TO one of onr billiard saloons and
| look over the motley crowd there gath
cred at night. While here and there
/ you can recognize man who is not
given 10 many vices, you Will probably
| see not IA few others who have fully
started on the broad road TO ruin, or
are already far advanced upon 1t, Now
the hOrrid oath salutes your ear, and II
/
| ed, you almost wonder that thunder
bolt from the hand of an insulted God
does not smite the blasphemer to the
| floor. Now your very soul is Stckeneu
by some foul jest perhaps about some
person who is too pure to be mentioned
by such coarse lips. What class OF
people go to the prize fightsH Who
! visit the race courses and give charnc-
ter TO them? Whoever else may be
present the whole fraternity of black
legs is there. No, my friends, the bad
company which gathers at such places
is TOO well known, and has been too
long recognized by public sentiment TO
be denied. Though gamblers talk
loudly of the honor of gentlemen,
though there are constituencies in some
of our large cities so debased as TO ele
vate individuals of this profession to
the very councils of the nation, this
does not change the usual degradation
of the frequenters of the gaming places.
And no right minded parent ever will
be willing TO see son or daughter asso-
4 ciating with them.
| II LEADS To OTHER VICES-IDLENESS.
2. Gambling leads men INTO other VtceS.
! One of these is idleness. He who dis
| covers that he can obtain money in II
few moments by throw of dice, the
shuffiinR of the cards, or the tleetness
! of IA horse, and has once fallen so low
in the estimation of an intelligent con-
science as to adopt this method of en-
riching himself, soon forms distRste
for the lawful pursuits of life. You can
find him lettering about the streets, or
sleeping away the best hours of the
day, and waiting until night affords
him an opportunity to renew his
| depredatiOns.
CovEToUsHEss.
Another vice to which it leads is
| covetOusness. ] do not mean covetous-
! IN, ha nj ri
miser does, to the possessions already
| secured. Frequently the gambler is
proIuse in his liberality. "Easy come,
easy co." He prides himself in
the costly entertainments which he
gives or the presents which he makes
| 10 his friends. And this liberality rem
ders the vice all the more seductive to
| the crowd who gaze and admire. But
| tnke covetOusness in its proper mean
ing of an unlawful desire for the pro-
perty of others. The gambler lays his
! plans; he weaveS his plots; he watches
his opportunity TO entrnp the unskilled
aud unwury and to fleece them of their
money.
| DRUNKESNEsS.
! Gambling also frequently leads TO
drunkenness. Did you ever see "a pub
| lie billiard saloon which was not hard
by bar-room? Why, the two places
seem to be as naturally associated with
/ each other as n Sunday School and n
Church. 1t is true that all gamblers
are not drunkards. 1t requires too
much skill and too much GOODNESS of
head and hand for a man, who follows
this sin as profession, to be IA sot. But
he will be sure, if possible, TO intiame
his victim with Intoxicating drinks, in
order that he may more readily take his
prey. And the occasional visitor TO
such haunts soon Graves for some slim
ulant in order 10 nerve himself for the
d I,ra NuNu in
him under his losses. How often does
the glass of brandy or whisky stand
upon the card table as necessary ad-
juncI
DISHONESTY IN OTHER THINGS.
Frequently gambling results in dis
| honesty in other affairs. AyOung man
stakes a sum OF money and loses it.
Another and another bet succeeds,
with the same result. At last all his
money is gone. But under the intiu-
enCe of the common intatuation, that
what he calls his luck must soon
change, he thinks that If he only had a
| little more money, he would win all
back again, and more besides. He re-
members his employers desk or safe.
He pliers little, and loses it. More is
taken, but It disappears in the same
way. AT length he is either detected
and punished AS a thief, or he hees
| from the hand of justice, which is, as
| he imagines, about to be laid upon him.
| BY like process, men who were once
! of the highest standing, are led on un-
| til they forge II note. How many of the
/ vast embezzlements of clerks, and de-
| falcations OF officers in banks and of
| the Government, during the past few
| years., are attributable to this causei
1t was gambling that, in many cases.
prepared the way for these crowning
acts of infdmy.
NEGLECT OF FAMILIES.
The gambler stakes upon game OF
chance, the very money with which he
should have bought food and clothing
for his wife and children, and loses ii.
| Thus he brings poverty and suffering
| upon them. He throws away the
means by which he should have sup
ported them. and loads them with
shame and anguish. Nay, more, he
sacrifices his property TO his unholy
! passion, and, IL may be, thereby fails tn
! meet his Ii utilities TO his creditors, and
! sOcinl fabric OF the whole neighbOr-
| hood.
THE SHEDDING OF BLooD-AN EXAMPLE.
Il Gambling sometimes ends in murder
or suicide The victim of heavy losses
rushes on his plunderer and stAbs him
4 to the heart. More commonly he in
his despair kills himself. II would
be easy to produce numerous examples
of this kind. One Will be sufficient.
In the year 1893, a planter from the
| neighborhood of V.cksburg went To
! New Orleans to trade and sell the pro.
| duce OF his plantation. He was fond OF
play, and being invited he went TO "a
\ faro bank. He had at his command
several thousand dollars. He was in-
duced to bet on the game. Thousand
alter thousand of his money was won