Weekly Trinity journal., 1875-09-04
DRAsT POQUIER.

Abou Ben Adhem, in an unpleasant
frame Of mind one morning, was APP
proached by a loag-nosel, sad-looking
man, who propounded to him the query,
" What is rem)rse p
To which Abou replied, The humili
ating sense OF an abjsct failure"
"What ~ exclaimed the seeker after
truth, " is there no such thing as sorrow
and regret for wrong dong?"
Frequently, my aged infant, fre
quently. There are minds so susceptible
TO proper impressions, SO spiritualized, if
l may use the expression, as to feel a
pang or two after they have done the
wrong thing, but they are not common"
Listen TO my own experience. A
great many years ago, in Persia, | made
the acquaintance Of IA party Of men who
met frequently to indulge in game
played with cards, which, presume you
know nothing Of here, called, in Persia,
drah- poquicr. 1t is a curious game. The
cards are dealt one at a time, till each one
has FIVE then those who are playing, put
O the center Of the table coin, such a
has been determined upon-say a llopeck,
then they are allowed to throw away as
many cards as they choose, taking from
the pack an equal number, then the man
who sits next to the dealer remarks sar-
casticaly, " am the aged one impov-
ersh me" and the betting begins. II is
a curious game and Auctuating, the
players being kept in pleasant state of
uncertainty, as to what the others have,
till they come to what they call show
down.
Well, learned this game, and play
ed it with unyaryiug success for some
days, winning on an average four or five
dirh' mi at a sitting. As l gathered in
my spoils, / saw nothing wrong in the
game. 1t seemed to me a most dcsira-
lie and in all respects gentlema .ly
game.
% am sorry" said to myself, for
Hafz, the bellows maker, and for Nadir,
t! e seller OF shawls, but Allah knows ]
ri my m ney on the cards rs do they,
and had they my luck they would have
my no ey. BE chosm, it is a highly
moral game, and had an hundred chill
dren, would teach it them. What is
there wrong IN it? 1t is my money that
risk it is their money which they risk.
There is no trickefy or cheating in this
game for the cards are fairly dealt, and
we make wagers on our judgment or on
our luck 50 does the merchant who
buys the wheat Of Khurdistan, believing
that the crop will be short and that it will
go up. So does the merchant who sells
the corn Of Kohmu, believing that the
crop will be heavy and the price will 90
down. What is this but gambling? l.
they play with wheat and corn, why
should not lIadz and ! play with cards
And then it strengthens the mind, devel-
ops the judgment, quickens the reasoning
powers, and broadens, strengthens aud
wdens the mental man. 1t is noble
gsmo and great pursuit.
THUS reasoned joyously.
/" / had no remorse, nor did it occur to
me that [ was gambling.
But one night it SO soharpencd that had
certainty on Hnfz. had three cards
, like in my hand-that is three aces-ani
when the cards were helped, as the phrase
is, took another. HaGz drew one card
to the four ho had in his hand, and tho
betting begun. Now four aces ia strong
hand, there being but one that can beat
it, namely strate-phlush. | wagered a
kopeck to help Hafz on to his ruin
How l sl1ated over those four aces l
saw nothing wrong in those four aces,
nor in making out Of Hafz, the bellows
mender, all that he should make hy his
{ a le in year. He saw my modest k)
neck and said that he would wager dir
hem in addition. Exulting in the strength
of my four aces | gladly put up the dir
hem, and remarked that such was my
faith in my hand that | would impover-
ish him to the extent Of ten dirhems
more. Hafz-on whose head light ours
ses-saw the ten dirhems, and booste
ma boosted is Persian phi a e) one hun
dred dirhems. ! made sure that the four
aces WAS not an optical delusion, and
went him one thousand dirhems, which
he saw and came back on me five thous-
and drhems, which, feeling that it would
be cruel to utterly ruin him, | called
without further gymnastics.
Smiingly laid down my four acc,
and reached for the property Smilingly
he put away my outstretched and eager
hand and laid down beside my fonr aces
his accursed hand, which was strate-
phu-h.
The property is mine," said he.
" II Is" said |.
Then / experienced pang of remorse.
Then felt that drah-poquier was gam
bling, and that gambling in any form
was q sin of the most heinous nature, and
that l had been guilty Of a crime.
"Oh, why" I exclaimed "did | ever
permit myself 70 become infatuated with
the desire for gaming. If win it is my
neighbor's dilhems if lose it is my
own. La any case there is nothing o.
value that passes. While we use capital
in gambling we produce nothing. One
side is richer, the other poorer, and there
has been a waste Of precious time. Be
sides it is terribly demoralizing. 1t in
fatuate, man and enfeebles his mind
His mind dwells on the game to the ex-
clusion Of everything that is good it
crushes out everything that is high and
noble, and develops everything that is
mean and small in ones nature. 1t ru-
iis the loser financially, and ruins the
winner morally. Wretch that / am,
why did ever permit myself to play Mt