Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-11-28
THE LOTTERY MANIA.

terry, in which great and enticing
scheme pretty much everybody took a
For years gambling has been
by law, and those who
would indulge In poker, faro or other
similar styles Of gambling had to do
70 clandestinely, for It was considered
disreputablo. even whore the game
was legally licensed, to be caught
Since tho great Mercantile
Library Lottery has made gambling
everybody has suddenly
acquired an inordinate desire to WOO
the tickle goddess Fortune, In the de-
lusive hope Of winning a stray smile
from her. Sec how public lotteries
are springing up everywhere. Lot
teries to pay offschool debts lotteries
to introduce water pipes into town ;
lotteries to build railroads; big lot
teries, little lotteries; all sorts Of lot
tories. None pretend to dispute the
perfect fairness Of the Mercantile Ii
brary Lottery ; all agree that it was
the ne Plus ultra Of all lotteries ; but
the demorallzing effect is what is being
pointed at and written about now.
We will allow that tho result has
not been altogether agreeable, that
several disappointed individuals have
committed suicide, others have been
sent to the Lunstic Asylum, and innu-
merable others have acquired an mex
tinguishable fondness for lotteries,
which can only find free vent now:by
INDUCING in every lottery that comes
along, letting 60 their hard earnings
with a perfect looseness. We will
allow that money may be thus squan-
dered, which should 60 to the support
Of wives and families or even to clothe
snd feed the needy. We will allow
that even In case Of a winning, money
thus suddenly and peculiarly obtained,
is not apt to do the recipient much
good ; that 1t Is %proverbially easy to
slip away again tile same way 1t came.
We will allow that a bad habit Is very
easily acquired and often extremely
hard to get rid Of. We will allow that
the lottery principle Is a decidedly
bad one, both in practice and effect ;
yes, and that what good ends may be
attained by means Of them are far
more than counterbalanced by their
demoralizing effects, yet after all the
whole world is a big lottery, and
everybody, from the commencement
Of the world down to the present time
has been, and ever will be, eternally
taking chances.
Just so long as lotteries and rafles
are freely tolerated and openly en-
couraged In church fairs, Sunday
school festivals !; actually taught and
fostered as necessary to the property
and support Of Gods holy religions,
just 80 long will all legislative enact
ments against the so-called demoral-
izing vice be a dead letter. San Fran
cisco ministers, and those In other Sec
tions Of the country, preach against
what Is termed the "social evil" That
Of harlotry and prostitution; bnt do
they ever preach against the great, all
absorbing lottery ~wickedness? Do
they ever give n good square practical
discourse upon the wlckedness Of those
who play with cards or dice or other
games Of chance to win money? Not
while that very same w~ickedncss Is
practiced In church fairs, can they do
20 with consistency and effect. Not
while Gods holy book is put up at
rattle for a dollar q chance, to pay tho
preachers salary or build a church.
Not while the pretended fortune teller
with anciful disguise and cards in
hands, tho dice shakers, the wheel Of
fortune and other contraband methods
Of winning the almighty dollar" for
tho glory Of God are practlced un-
der their own free sanction. Who
shall say the end does not justify the
means, yet who 4 serve both God
and Mammon? How many preachers
are there who theoretically denounce
as a wicked sin the popular amusement
OF dancing, yet fail to see or denounce
as anyways wicked, when
practiced at church fairs. 1t will he
some time yet before ono Of those
preachers walks into one Of those fairs
and upsets the little gaming arrange
ments with the Same remarks made by
our Savior when he upset the tables OF
the money changers. But enough on
this subject Of lotteries and gambling,
lest we should be considered cynical,
or fastidious, which We do not claim
to be. We simply suggest these re-
marks for the consideration Of Others,
nothing In the way Of con-
sistency, as we, like the rest Of the
Mercantile lottery ticket buyers, who
did not commit suicide, still continue
chances.
WAS NAPOLEON CowARDLr?-A
very general effort Is being made by
the enemies Of the Empire In France
to make the people believe that Louis
not only sacrificed the honor
Of his country, but his own honor, BY
a disgraccful and cowardly surrender.