Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-11-18

of neat, practical bookkeeping, and, there
fore, commends itself to the State, and is
as certain to be adopted as that our con-
temporary has butted its head against an
old-time and demonstrated business propo-
sition that viii be adopted by the State of
California inside of three months, under
official recommendation.
A WORD TO THE LADIES.
The ladies Of Sacramento are invited by
the Howard Benevolent Association to
meet to-day to devise ways and means to
aid that worthy institution in Its work of
relieving the distresses of the poor 1t is
an old-time organization, and has proud
record. 1t has been the means of great
good, and should not be cut short in its
career of usefulness for want of supplies.
We are not convinced that it is the best
policy to pursue to relieve distress by call
ing upon the people to contribute to Asso-
Citations A very much loftier, more equi-
table and humane system of dispensing
charity viii some day be adopted by the
State. But at present, and probably for
many years to come, the best avenue for
relieving distresses OF the poor in cities
will he such Associations as the Towards
That organization represents the very best
there is in the present system. 1t is all
we have, and because it is desirable that
there shall be early recognition of the
right principle by society, we must not
neglect the means at hand. The commu-
nifty recognizes it as a duty to supply the
machinery it has with the needed motive
power money-and the people of this city
have not failed to respond to the appeals
made in the past, nor will they do so now
But the RECoRD-UNIoN would be dere-
hct Of duty under conviction if it did not
now enter protest against employing evil
means to accomplish good. 1t has been the
custom for years to make lottery gambling
chief attraction at such charity fairs as
that now proposed. 1t is a bad practice,
not so much because of the immediate
harm that results as because it makes a
good end the excuse for the employment
of vicious means. This people cannot
afford to cultivate the spirit of lottery
gaming among the youth of this CITY.
They do so, however, when they stimulate
them to sell and buy tickets in lotteries at
charity or church fairs. There is no di-
viding line in this matter. A lottery con-
demned by the law, made an ofIense bv
statute, can not be excused because it is
drawn for charity. In Rome formerly,
lottery was regularly drawn in aid of the
Peters Pence fund Of the church, but the
present Pope, on assuming power, prohib-
tied such gaming, and in his Pontifcate
there has been no lottery drawn for church
purposes, except under condemnation of the
throne of st. Peter. In this Leo has set
an example all peoples should follow. He,
at least, can not close his ewes to the in
consistency of condemning lottery drawn
at Havana or New Orleans for private
gain, and one drawn under the sanction of
the church on the plea of charity. There
is practically no difference between them.
A lottery is the same vicious thing, no
matter in what garb it may be clothed.
1t is crime under the law to sell lottery
ticket, and none the less so because the
vendor is petted daughter of society who
peddles the tickets and wins buyers in the
game of chance by the radiance
of her smiles. Let the ladies of
Sacramento to-day prove by their
works that they are consistent.
If they do not desire. their sons, husbands
Or brothers to waste their substance by
the daily lotteries on | street,
or the miserable Havana and New Orleans
q schemes and the other vicious gambling
to which these inevitably lead, let them
be true enough to their preaching to vote
that there shall be no gam
bling, in any form, at the Towards char
ity fair, and resolve that, without gam
bling, that of 1884 shall be a greater sue
cess than any that have preceded it. In
short, in order to prove that charitable
impulses may be made to yield larger re-
turn without an appeal to the gambling
spirit, let them resolve that the greatest |
effort Of their lives for charity shall be
then set about TO consummate it. |
To this end and that the protest OF the |
women of Sacramento may be made effect
i've, and the result of a new policy be vim
iicated by the financial outcome, there
should be an exceeding large attendance
at to-day's meeting. The scores of women
who have in recent years withdrawn from
these annual charity efforts, should to-day |
return to the work, if for no other reason
han to protect it against the annual lottery
schemes, and TO prove that one fair may be
conducted without sacrificing at the shrine
IF chance.