The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-11-29


gs menu and doctrine, is its measure o
success. Yet its office has been des
ecrated and its teachings perverted
at Thus truth has been wounded in tb,
90 house of its friends.
The above reflection has been sug
gested by the recent efforts of the Post
a. master General to arrest the prostitu
at tion of the United States mail service
to the lottery swindles and more re.
spectacle gambling schemes that dis
D. grace our civilization. And the anom-
~ alous fact is, that while the govern
d. ment is just feeling a revival of con-
o science on this subject, the church, in
" many places, is "falling from grace"
y Gen. Key, at the head of our Post
office Department, and Anthony Com
stock with his Society for the Suppress
sion of Vicious Literature, deserve
the support of all good citizens. 1t
is matter of humiliation that several
e of the grandest of these swindles have
e been legalized by Southern legisla-
e lures, and more, that names once
the synonym of chivalry and manly
honor have been prominently and
officially connected Herewith. With
/ out seeking milder characterization,
2 they are legalized frauds. Their
tickets enfold the poison of asps. They
are blight to good morals and social
integrity, and the mails and news
papers of the country only carry-as
) on the wings of death-angel-this
moral pestilence. But while we ap-
plaud we rebuke. Applause of Gen.
Key is stern rebuke to churches and
christians of easy conscience. A ticket
in the Havana, Louisiana, or Louis
villa Lottery is no greater offense to
moral integrity than a chance in a
church rattle. The end never justifies
the means. Wrong can never be made
right, though baptised with good in
tentiOns and cOnsecrated to divine
ends. That remark of distinguished
gentleman of Virginia, was more
singing than facetious. Returning
one evening from church fair, he
was asked by friend where he had
been. He replied: "I have been
around here eating oysters for the
Lord, at dollar a Dozen" The officers
of church in Philadelphia once in
structed its treasurer to pay certain lot ,
terry tickets specifying the numbers in ,
the resolution. Within church build ,
ing in the city of New York, during the +
process of its erection, itself monu- r
ment of architectural genius and splen- c
dor, fifty thousand dollars was made by 1
the sale of Intoxicating liquors. In f
Punch there is n striking caricature of a
a church fair: A liberal gentleman has =
bought plate of delicious oyster soup a
from fair servant of the Lord; he is tt
represented as straining neck and eyes, II
with the aid of II microscope, peering u
into the dish in search of one stray, II
coveted bivalve, but all in vain. Thus, .e
the Church, the Heaven appointed con- - -
Servalor of morals, is put to open y
shame. Far better worship under the 70
first emples-without =,
shelter from storm or sun, than to lower vt
Jhe standard of divine truth. w
The legalized lotteries of the coun- us
Try are debauching the morals of our te
youth. Tempting possibilities to sud- Ii
len and great wealth are offered, which
oeget a love for games of chance and a vi
listaste for the monotony of honest tie
oil. Unless arrested, we will raise up ar
/ nation of gamblers. Who is so dead Ia
o parental responsibility and chivalrous d.
lonor as not to blush at the thought of me
)eing the father of a gambler. Yet no
his is the result of these fraudulent hu
whose dangerous influences iar
re now compelling the attention of the en
General government. Without strong AN
oundation of good morals no nation n.s
an long survive. ~.
But apart from its morality this is Ill
most hazardous and foolish invest LII
lent. 1t is ridiculous squandering uti M
f means. On this point read the fol- ine Iae
)wing from the New York Times ph
glance at lottery scheme ought to con- =,
ince any person capable of reasoning of iOu
,e ruinous folIy of sucb investments, lake slet
ne of the companies whose agents in this
ty are now being prosecuted as an example.
his company advertises 100, 900 tickets
81 each, and 1851 prizes, amounting to
110, 400 Now the chances are nearly 50 A
against given ticket drawing any prize diSl
all. In matter of life and death in any
1man enterprise, except gambling, such pm
lance would not be worth a moments witt
'nsideratiOn. The chance OF drawing any vet,
the very few prizes over $40 in amount II
e so infinitesimally small that a man
light purchase q ticket or ten tickets at wei
cry monthly drawing for fifty years with whe
little prospect of getting one of them at vel,
making a fortune at ''skin" game of ,;,n
70. To any estimate of mathematical
obabilities should always be added the ten'
known but, doubtless, formidable ele- a.
snt of fraud on the part of the managers.
D most of the patrons of these lotteries
asonink is wasted, however. An observ-
t person will notice that sewing girls, Ill 81
I'd and half-starved, and poor clerks and
boring men predominant among the
rongs that pass in and out of the agents
ices. These misguided people literally o.
ze the bread from their mouths to buy
ttery tikets, and the mean ard grasping
nd of managers fattens on their misery. n,
Ter 5000, 900 a year are paid out in this
y for lottery tickets, mostly by people vrit
} poor to live decently. 1t is shameful ever
pped -
Now if the churches will aid in this :,
orm, the work must begin at home.
mpsOn in the lap of false Delilah, is ~
,m of his strength. Sop
vstr