Daily Republican., 1881-01-27

inoes, which have no moral character
In themselves except az you bring
moral character TO them by q wrong
purpose.
] If you and |, for example, bet 300
on an undecided thing 1t is test Of
foresight on our part, but at the same
time the element Of greed comes in.
Neither may be able 10 part with the
Sl00, and It Is questionable whether
either should take II, as there ia no
equivalent for II but l don't Bee tina.
that element comes In in regard TO ar.
ticles put up at fair for benevolent
objeots. look upon the gambling
principle as that grasping principle
which would take from you or me, on
a mere chance Of skill, what we should
not jsopardize or have taken from us.
You can scarcely do anything, however,
Into which the element VI gambling
may not enter. A man may come to
my church and bet as TO whether will
read from the Old Testament or the
New, or as 10 what particular words
will OCCUR most frequently in the
passage.
You can gamble on anything II you
choose, but should no. conclude that
I must not read from the Old Testa.
ment, or the New, for fear the reading
would bs used for gambling purposes.
LII you want TO avoid the possibility Of
doipg snything wrong, You take an a.
titude that is untenable. The whole
moral action Of life consists in practis-
ling discrimination. The motive Of a
purchaser In Q church lottery Is 10 help
the particular institution whose inter
ss,s are to be furthered, and not the
particular person who wins the prize.
| / have seen persons win Afghans and
other things, and put them up several
times to bs raffled for again, in order to
help the fair. don't think these lot
teries are necessarily evil, although
you can make evil out Of them. My|
complaint would lodge against fairs as
whole rather than against the prss-
ent method OF conducting them. As a |
rule, the burden ia thrown upon few
warmhsarted souls who work them |
selves to death. have felt that ithas
belonged to us Baptists, as q people, to
take care OF our own poor, as In the case
OF fairs for the Old Ladies' Home, with |
out appealing TO the promiscuous pub.
lie. IL Is we'll enough, however, to ap-
peal to tie public in the case of q great
institution that is neither dsnomina- |
tional nor local."
The Rev. DR.. John NJ. Chapman, |
pastor Of st. Paul's Methodist Episcopal
Church, said he was thoroughly oppos- |
to lotteries in church fairs. "They
never SAVIOR too much," he continued,
"of the spirit and practice Of gambling |
to be admitted into church enterprises.
I think that their effect Is demoralizing
and should suppose that there was
no question Of their illegahty. Their
educational influence Is very bad, en-.
tirely misrepresenting the spirit In
which institutions should be maintain
ed. Through q sort Of Endorsement Of
certain forms Of gambling young per
sons may be led by them In that direc.
tion. think that church sentiment
is turning against that method Of rails
ing funds, and that 1t is coming 10 be
discountenAnced among the more intel
ligent and better class Of Christians.
do not at all believe that the end JUS
titles the means. l have never been |
unfortunate enough to be connected
with a church personally in which |
church lotteries were INDUCED in to
my knowledge.
| think the feeling is growing that
the only stable ground for church in
stitutiors is to educate thy people to
regard their support as matter of
duty which they should meet the same
as any other obligation. l suppose
that II the end were only 70 get money
for a chnroh 3 lottery would be the
easiest way to accomplish it, but the
objections are too serious in regard to
the Influence OF the method and its
educational effect upon children and
upon the church in lessening the SCI 80
of personal respou sibility for It's sup
port. have expre ssed myself in the
pulpit against this method OF raising |
and | don't think the church
should wait for the police to interfere.
The morality OF the church should GER
talnly be up TO the average of the civil
law. think that under the pressure
Of growing opposition church lotteries
are gradually falling into disuse with
Dut any special efforts to suppress
hem. don't suppose those vino ell
gage in these lotteries intend to act
TO civil or ecclesiastical law,
but their intentions do not make their
meth IDS consistent by any means"