The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-01-17
A Lesson to Young Men.

| In these days of defalcations and breach.
es of trnst, there are two causes which more
than any other lead to such offenses, and
| these two causes, it is almost needless to say,
are the drinking of spirituous liquors to ex-
cess and gambling. The first naturally leads
to the latter, and the latter counts its VIC
Tins by the score among young men.
There is scarcely daily paper we pick up
which does not bear us out in this assertion,
but one case of recent occurrence demands
more than passing notice, and we propose
to call the especial attention of young men
occupying res ponsible positions to it. T..
A young man of highly respectable ap.
pearance, whose name it is not necessary to
give here, stood at the bar of the Court
charged with the crime of robbing his en-
ployer. He did not deny his guilt, but told
the story of his crimes and begged the elem:
ency of the Court. His story in substance
was that he did not intend to steal the.
money, but had ouly used it to recover
money that he had lost in gambling, intend
ing to return it when fortune favored him.
He was graduate from the Western Uni-
versity, of highly respectable parentage and
held position which insured him a liberal
salary, troops of friends, and the e''t'ee to
the best society; but in an evil hour he was
led into gambling He lost his money, of
course, and in the vain hope of getting it
back he was tempted to rob his employer.
The next night he visited the house again.,
and lost all his money. Then it seemed to
him that he could not lose on the third
night and so he took $40 from the money
d1 aver and went third time to the house
thinking that he certainly would be able to
replace the money in the morning. This
money was lost and at the end of the week
he had taken 5000 from the money-drawers
''I was nearly wild, he said, because
only took the money to win back what took
hetirst time, and all this time my employer
was treating me so kindly that l felt as il. i
should 90 crazy. One night called at my
employers house to make clean breast OF
it, but he was not at home, and on my way
back stopped at a gambling house and won
$l25. felt then could win enough to pay
him back, and l thought 1t would be foolish
to make confession and ruin, myself when
T could pay it back without letting any one
know / had taken it. The next night won
again, and had within $40 or. $50 of what I
had taken. The day after I went to the
gambling house as soon I could get away
from the store, and then 1 lost all the money
l had gained" ..,-1 y = -.
This, probably, is the history of ninety
nine young men out of every hundred who
are similarly tempted, and as it is highly
probable that this will meet the eye Of some
youth who has taken the first downward
step in the same direction, we appeal to him.
by his own self-respect, by the love of his
relatives and friends, by all his hopes of the
future, to stop at once before it is too late,
If he has already taken the first step, let
him go to his employer without delay, make
full confession, and throw himself on that.
employers mercy. Should he do this, all
may yet be well with him. Should he sti-.
fe the voice of conscience and listen to the
siren voice of the tempter, nothing is more
certain than he will eventually become an
inmate in felon's cell-despised by bis
friends and condemned forever after to herd
with felons. -.
Money won at gambling brings with it no
blessing under any circumstances. No pro.
fessional gambler ever died rich, while the,
same exertion to accumulate money by such
means used in any honest direction would
insure at least a comfortable living, and the
love and respect of all good men. Let
young men lay this lesson seriously at heart,
and be ever ready to exclaim, when tempta- ;
tion assails them sect behind me, Satan"