Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1883-02-09
6TH DAY, FEB II
4471 State Of Mo VS. Thos Hawkins
Gambling a Growing Evil.


Gambling a Growing Evil.
At the regular meeting Of the pastors
OF the city, on Monday Of this week, the
following article was presented and
read by I. j. Wheat and on motion of
DR.. Mitchell and the unanimous vote
of the pastors present it was requested
to be furnished the papers OF our city
with request for publication.
b. +. JOHNSON, President.
One of the most alarming evils OF
this, and of many other cities, in the
great commonwealth OF Missouri, is a
passion Tor gambling. Gambling liz Il
vio alton OF Gods law and a blighting
curse on society. 1t will be admitted
that every device which suddenly
changes money or property from one
person to another, without just equl-
yalent produces individual embarrass-
ment and injury. In these days we
sometimes find churches aiding to poi
son and pollute the public mind by re-
sorting to lottery tllcKs; grab bags and
other wicked and ruinous devices to
raise money for the ostensib!e purpose
of advancing the Redeemer's King
dom" All such cannot be too severely
condemned. Such resorts quickly tone
down the spiritual ardor OF a church
and quench the influence of the Holy
Spirit on the hearts Of professors. In
some states these thugs are prohibited
BY statutory law. Is it not cause OF
confusion and shame that the law max
ing power of the state has to lnterpose
10 prevent the prottssed church of the
Lord Jesus Christ from corrupting and
ruinlng the rising generation?
Money thus tilched from its viotlms,
is the smallest part of the injury lnhlct-
ed. Gambling leads to intemperance!
There Is not a species OF otfense on the
black catalogue of crime but may De
traced to the gambling table as the en-
tering wedge of Its perpetration.
This alarming evil is as widespread
as our country. 1t is practlced from
the lowest groggeries that curse the
community to the most fashionable ho-
tells in our chief cities This sin Is
alike common to The hod carrier in his
hespotted rags up to the honorable
members of Congress in their rutfies
Like a mighty maelstrom its motions
at the outset are scarcely perceptibie
but increase to fearful velocity, sud-
denly the awful cataract is reached
the victim is lost in the vortex. Once
IN the fatal snare, the victim of gam
bling is lost-he combines the deaf.
ness OF the adder with the desperation
of the maniac, and rushes on, both re-
gardless of danger and reckless OF con-
sequences. lived in city once on a
time where there was known to be a
gambling he'll. To blind the masses
the Mayor and City Council gave to the
assistant Marshal positive orders to ar
rest any who might be found there, af-
ter an early hour in the night. In
obedience t, orders he went at ten
o'clock in the night, having procured
key, and locked the outside door and
with one or two whom he had deputiz-
&c waited to see what they would see.
At two O'Clock in the night the inmates
came but to find the door locked; they
decided to pass through window lead
ing on to porch and make their eS-
cape by climbing down corner post.
The new and faithful marshal station.
ed himself and men at this, the only
possible place of escape. With revol-
vers in hand they waited the descent.
The first who came down was the cash
ier of one Of the leading bank. the
second was the Mayor, and thus one
after another until six persons had
reached the ground there came sliding
down that post among the leading bus
mess men-those who regarded them
selves as the elite of the city. This was
not IN city in Arkansaw or the Choc-
taw or Cherokee nations, but IN one Of
the proud and boastful cities of Missou-
RI.
The example of men in high life, men
in puplic station and responsible offices,
has powerful and corruptng influence
Do society. The gam bling hells IN our
cities, tolerated and patronized are a
disgrace to nation bearing christian
lame. All honor is due and should be
sheerfully awarded to one man, at least,
IN high position in the great common
wealth of Missouri, for his earnest and
untiring efforts to bring these offenders
to justly merlted punishment. | Ispeak
of Hon. Charles P. johnson, who in the
name OF humanity, therefore of Christ,
has been waging successful war
against this crying evil Gambling, as
we have intimated, assumes a great
variety of forms: from the Tipping OF
the cent by the boys down to the allur-
ing grab-bag and lottery and on down
to the splendid faro-bank where men
occasionally are swindled to the tune
Of thousands in few moments. The
gospel of the Lord Jesus cannot be full
ly preached without raising a voice
against this terrible evil; for rum is
marked in blazing capitals over the
gamblers door. His home is the vesti-
bule that enters the eternal hell "where
the worm dieth not and the fire Is not
quencheG."
We suppose nothing more ridiculous
ever occurred than took place at an
Oshkosh restaurant the other day A
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