News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-10-26
GAMBLERS CHALLENGE.
A GREAT EVIL THAT MENACES
SOCIETY.
DIR. Talmage Describing the Vice
which Defies Authority and the
Men who Prey upon Society.

Men who Prey upon Society.
On Sunday morning, the Rev. DR..
Talmage chose his text from II. Kings,
xix, 27,28-'But I know thy abode,
and thy going out and thy coming in
and thy rage against me. Because thy
rage against me and thy tumult is come
up into mine ears, therefore I will put
my hook in thy nose and my bride in
thy lips, and will turn thee back by the
way by which thou earnest"
Sennacherib, the infamous, said DIR.
Talmage, had taxed and outraged the
people so that it was absolutely neces-
sary to put a stop to it. The Lord
determined that he would put check
upon Sennacherib, and not in any gem
tie way either, hut would handle him
as butcher might handle beast. The
gambling evil in our community has
assumed imperial airs. 1t is a modern
Sennacherib. 1t has taxed and OPP
pressed the people almost to their fnan-
cial and spiritual death. It was never
more arrant than it is to-day. We all
know that an effort has lately been
made by the authorities of these two
great cities to suppress gambling, and
now the gamblers in their turn are MAX
ing bold attempt to overthrow the law
General Wolseley prophesied that on the
18th day of Septempter he would have
| aIo hoh ln
did. The gamblers of New York and
Brooklyn gave notice that on the 25th
day of September they would open their
pool rooms and their gambling saloons,
and they kept their promise. In Long
sland City the pool rooms were set in
full blast once more, and the authorities
say they can do nothing. A coroner of the
city allows his own premises to become
an entrance to one of these pandemon-
iums. He does it probably with an eye
to business. The way to gambling
house is very apt to be the way to death.
The District Attorney is notified by
means of an anonymous letter that he
had better look out. Politicians are
told that they can never be Mayor,
never be District Attorney, never be
anything in political life, if they oppose
the gamblers. On visit to Cincinnati
lately 1 heard the cllnking of the
gamblers dice on public street as [
was going toward the railroad depot. Iu
a country town not far from there I saw
a group of men gambling in front of
one of the prominent hotels, while
other men were visiting an agricultural
fair then taking place in the town and
were thanking God for the prosperity
of the season just ended. The gambling
evil has rolled over our whole land. It
an iron hook put in it's mouth. No
person can rightfully say, "This vice
has no relation to me-" No doubt there
are scores of families in this house this
some without knowing it. No doubt
there are young men here with gambling
tickets IN their pockets. There are
three thousand five hundred professional
gamblers in this group of cities, and
just as much as the lawyer, the mer-
chant or the mechanic must attend daily
to his business so must these gamblers
attend to theirs of preying on society.
Only nine of all the gambling establish
ments profess to be honestly conducted.
There are three classes of them.
To find the first class you go little
off Broadway, pass up marble stairways
and are ushered into the place and in
Eroduced by lTveried servants. Hero is
piece of magnificent furniture; it cost
don't know how much; it is a roulette
table. Over there is the faro table
Rich carpets are on the floor, expensive
pictures are on the walls-"Jepthah's
Daughter" and Dante's frozen picture
of hell, the latter most appropriate
picture. Then there is the banquetting
room, where one may have free lunch
or supper, the best of liquors, the best
cigars-all free. The gambling houses
of the second class are very different
from those just described. If you get
into one of these you must either gam
BILE or fight. Loaded dice, ssnded cards,
bad liquors will help you to get through
with your money in short metre and
with no staccato pauses. Wrangle not
in that place for your rights or your
wounded body may be thrown into the
street, or possibly your dead body may
be fshed out of the river. In gambling
places of the third class there are none
of the allurements of the first. There
are gigs and saddles and horses, and
many man gets upon one of those
gigs or into one of those saddles and
drives straight down the road to ruin.
In most of these places you will find a
sign up, Exchange" Most appropri-
ate sign It means the exchange of
your soul, or your mortal and immortal
self for lost reputation and lost
| future.
Some people are possessed of a
natural aptitude for hazard. They find
great deal of pleasure in going near
the edge of a precipice. Don't blame
them for the aptitude, but blame them
for the way in which they develop it or
put it down. Here is a man with $500,
and he says: II might plunge with
that and make $4,000. To be sure I
may lose, but shall have had some ex-
element any way. Shuttle the cards
Deal Lost. Oh, well; hal ha ha !
I've had some pleasure out of it," Gam
biers always keep cool. They do not
watch the dice 80 much as the dollar
behind it. They appear, like the spider,
to be dead until the fly is in the web. A
young man thinks he ought to have a
larger income. He will make a fortune
at a single stroke. Here goes Self
respect thrown aside; principles thrown
aside. Who cares When a young
man or an old one consents to live be-
yond his means, Satan has bought him
out and out. The bargain is completed,
and it is only a question of the time for
delivering the goods.
One of the worst features of this gam
bling business is that the cases of hard
est experience go unread. Men who
have lost heavily do not as a rule care
to say anything about it. OF course,
there are exceptional cases, as when
some of the best known State street
merchants are found in a gambling