Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-12-29

merchant, lost ten thousand dollars at
John Morrissey's gaming house in New
York. The merchant, on returning to
Cincinnati, refused to pay the so.called
debt of honor" and was sued for the
amount by John Morrissey's con6den-
tial agent. This gambling transaction
between swindlers and dupes has given
rise to fierce controversy between the
Cincinnati and New York press on the
question of honor" The New York
Times discourses leaanedly as follows:
What is debt of ionorY There are
men who never pay their tradesmen, and
yet would pawn their wife's jewelry
to pay lost bet And there are other
men of honor who will pay one class Of
bets and not another This one, for ex-
ample, will settle his turf wagers with
the most punctilious exactness, but re-
pudiate his losses at faro. Another will
hold his card bets sacred, but deem
himself absolved from responsible
tiy in every other venture. This
whole question of honor is getting
to be involved in the a deepest
mystery. Among the class of gentle
men who make it their sole guide in life
it is certainly most elastic quality.
Sir Francis Clavering, in one of Thack-
eray's novels, pledges his sacred honor
not to do a certain thing, and at once
goes off and does it. Mr.. Kilgour, of
Cincinnati, seems to have similar re-
spect for his honor. We do not approve
of gambling, least of all in its meanest
and most insidious form, gambling on
credit Yet, when man does gamble
on credit and loses, and pledges his
honor to pay, it is difficnlt to see how he
can still lay claim to that priceless jewel
without redeeming it. Perhaps Mr. Kill
gour thinks he was cheated. The pre-.
sumption is plausible. But then he
played with Hon John Morrissey, who
has been member of Congress, and is,
of course, incapable Of unfair dealing.
Or possibly Mr.. Kilgour may have de-
cided, on reflection, that his honor
is not worth ten thousand dollars,
the sum for which he pawned it"
The Cincinnati Commercial replies like
a moralist in the following sarcastic
strain THE gamblers honor is of
strange and flexible quality. II is not
exactly heightened and sensitive, but
singular, and in its adaptation to cir
eumstanees has wonderful variable
ness. Rich young men are the gam
blers chosen game. All the arts and
stratagems requisite to make the young |
man drunk, that he may lose his money
at play, are, Of course, strictly honors-
BILE. The sporting friend who begins the
spree with bottle of wine or two at
dinner, and brings it to a climax at the
sideboard Of a gambling house, and
drops hint as to the chances that the
run of luck will be good in such an
auspicious atmosphere, end who the
next day quietly draws his percentage
of the spoil, is necessarily a man of
spotless honor he has made his &C
quaintance with rich young man prof
liable to the banking house with
which he is connected and to
himself-he has performed his part
artistically and his friend viii never
be the wiser Nobodys honor is hurt"
Probably the best definition of honor
has been given by Falstaff: Can honor
set to leg? No. Or an arm2 No.
Honor hath no skill in surgery,
them No. What is honor2 A word. |
What is that word, honor? Air.
Who bath it7 He that died O. Wednes-
day Doth he feel it2 No. Doth he
hear it2 No, Is it insensible, then2
Yea, to the dead. But will It not live
with the living2 No. Why? Detrac-
ton will not suffer it-honor is a mere
seutcheon; and so ends my catechism."