Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-02-13
From the Lutheran Observer.
CHANGING 1T OFF.
REV. JOEL swARrz, d. D.

door over which was a handsomely dis
played transparency reading, "Church
Festival" We found an excited press
about the pulpit, in which there stood a
young man who was reading cards
which were handed him by blindfol-
ded boy who was passing them to him
from an urn. AS we heard him read
over in long uninterrupted succession
"blank," '.blank," we asked some one
at our elbow what was the prize. We
were pointed to picture to the right
of the pulpit, and were informed, that
that was being "chanced off," Soon
the great suspense was broken by an
nouncing the successful number and the
name of the fortunate person who drew
the prize. The whole affair was small
thing, and was doubtless intended to be
no less an amusement than source of
profit to the church; but it was large
enough to contain the whole principle
of the lottery, and it was serious enough
to Justify little sober inquiry into its
morality. We do not name this in
stance as rare one, for the thing is
quite common. Solicited by the sweet
little girls and the sweeter big girls
who 90 around among the crowd with
pencil and paper with witching looks
and pleading voice, "Take chance sir,
only quarter?" one can hardly COM
mand grace enough, under such tempt
ing circumstances, to say "No Miss,
please excuse me, I do not gamble" "
For this contains the not very "sott
Impeachment" "you are gambling" and
this church is tonight, gambling
hell" and then it looks a little stingy,
and one doesn't like that especially at a
church festival. So it comes about
that even the most scrupulous lose
their balance when thus attacked in the
name of religion, and for the time one
solaces himself by saying, 30 well, it's
all for the church, and don't care any
thing about the prize anyhow"
And yet when the drawing comes
off one can't help but be little curious
to see how it will end, and if the con-
scientious chance taker does happen to
get the prize, he makes out to say with
i'll concealed satisfaction 81 didn't care
anything about tie prize, only sub
scribed to please the girls" but he holds
on 10 the prize.
Now this is about the way the thing
goes. Suppose now, whilst we are not
in the church, and are not under the
power OF the charming solicitors, and
have our wits about us, we inquire into
the morality of this thing. AS we think
and feel just now, we say emphatically
this is gambling. 1t contains the ob
iectionable features of the lottery, and
by the statutes of m ost of the states in
the Union it is unlawful and punishable
as crime. "a lottery" says the Amer
lean Cyclopedia, Article Lottery, ''is a
gaming contract by which, for a valu-
able consideration, one may, by favor
of the lot, obtain prize OF value su-
perior to the amount or value Of that
which he risks"
In New York and Pennsylvania lot
teries are declared by statute to be pub
lie nuisances." The court in the for
mer state has declared that those gamb
ling enterprises known as "art unions,
in which paintings-such as the prize
in the church testival-statuary aud
other works of art are sold for more
than they would bring at private sale
by means of prizes, have the attributes
and elements of lotteries.
The church gambling fills this "bill.' y
The valuable consideration the quar-
ter-is less than the prize. The prize
is put, ipso facto, beyond what it would
command at private sale. 1t is true
the temptation to win is not, perhaps,
very much; for the prize is not very
large and the matter of gain is not the
whole motive. Besides, the drawing is
done in strictly honorable way. This
cannot usually be said for the regular
lottery.
But suppose that the church proper
ty instead of the picture in the church
were put up and "chanced off" in the
way. Then what! Would that be
gambling? If such proposition were
made, the pastor would thunder against
it from the pulpit; and if nothing less
would do, he would make whip of
small cords and drive such wretchcd
thieves out of Gods temple.
But wherefore! Why, because his
digestion being rather weak as yet, he
strains out the camels and swallows
the gnats; but let him take courage,
there are hundreds of the young folks
who by swallowing the gnats in the
church basement will be able by the
time they are graduated into the supper
sanctuary" to swallow the camels also.
And if they can do this in the green
tree what can they not do in the dry.
If they can do this in the church and
for the church, WIN not do this and
hundred other things in the licenses of
trade, all the way up to "Credit Mo-
bilier p We do not wish to be "right-
eous over much" nor unduly to magnify
trifes, but is it not more dangerous not
to be righteous enough to hate
small wrongs and guard against the
great evils that often come from small
beginnings AT all events, it does not
seem to be quite the thing to do, to
gamble in even small way in the Sun
day-school room and by means of the
very children of the classes.
In regard to this whole matter of
giving to the Lord through prize, or
from the movings of the stomach rather