The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-11-18

"Gift stores" ere aOundH throughout
the country. With book or nlfc, or sew
ing machine, or coat, or caI rage there goes
prize. At these stores people get some-
thing thrown in with their purchase. 1t
may be a gold watch, or a set of silver, q
ring, or farm. Sharp way to get off un-
salable goods. It has filled the land with
fictitious articles, and covered up our popu-
lation with brass finger rings and despoiled
the moral sense of the community, and is
fast making US nation of gamblers.
The church of God has not seemed will
ing to allow the world TO nave all the ad-
vantage of these games of chance. A
church fair opens, and towards the close it
is found that some of the articles are un-
salable. Forthwith the conductors Of the
enterprise conclude that they will raffle
for some of the valuable articles, and,
under pretense of anxiety to make their
minister present or please some popular
member of the church, fascinatin., persons
are dispatched through the room, pencil in
hand, to "solicit shares" or perhaps each
draws for his own advantage, and scores OF
people go home with their trophies, think
ing that it is all right, for Christian ladies
did the embroidery and Christian men did
the rafting and the proceeds went toward
q new communion set, But you
may depend on it that, as far as
morality is concerned, you might
as well have won by the crack of the bill
lard ball or the turn Of the dice box Do
you wonder that churches built, lighted or
upholstered by such processes as that come
to great financial and spiritual decrepti-
tudel The devil says: 81 helped to build
that house of worship, and have as much
right there as you have" and for once the
devil is right. We do not read that they
had lottery for building the church at
Corinth or at Antioch, or for getting up an
embroidered surpGce for st. Paul
All this 1 style ecclesiastical gambling.
More than one man who is destroyed can
say that his first step on the wrong road was
when he won something at a church fair.
Betting, that once was chiefly the accom-
paniment of the race course, is fast becom-
ing National habit, and in some circles
any opinion advanced on finance or politics
is accosted with the interrogation: "How
much will you bet on that, sir2"
This custom may make no appeal to slow,
lethargic temperaments, but there are in
the country tens of thousands of quick,
nervous, sanguine, eXcitable temperaments
ready to be acted upon, and their feet will
soon take hold on death. For some months,
and perhaps for years, they will linger in
the more polite and elegant circle of game
sters, but, after awhile, their pathway will
come to the fatal plunge. Finding them
selves in the rapids they will try to back
out, and, hurled over the brink, they will
clutch the side of the boat, until their fin
ger nails, blood-tipped, will pierce the
wood, and then, with white cheek and
agonized stare, and the horrors of the
lost soul lifting the very hair from the
scalp, they will plunge down where no
graphing hooks can drag them out.
Shall 1 sketch the history of the gamblerl
Lured by bad company, he finds his way
into place where honest men ought never
to go. He sits down to his first game, but
only for pastime and the desire of being
thought sociable. The players deal out the
cards. They unconsciously play into
Satan's hands, who takes all the tricks and
both players souls for trumps-he being
sharper at any game. A slight stake is put
up, just to add interest to the play. Game
after game is played. Larger stakes and
still larger. They begin to move nervously
on their chairs. Their brows lower and
eyes fash, until now they who win and
they who lose, fred alike with passion, sit
with set jaws, and compressed lips, and
clenched fists, and eyes like freballs, that
seem starting from their sockets, to see the
final turn before it comes-if los
ing, pale with envy and tremulous
with unuttered oaths cast back red
hot upon the heart; or winning, with
hysteric laugh, "Ha ha, have it." A few
years have passed and he is only the
wreck Of man. Seating himself at the
game, ere he throws the first card, he
stakes the last relic Of his wife-the mar
riage ring which sealed the solemn vows
between them. The game is lost, and
staggering back in exhaustion he dreams.
The bright hours of the past mock his
agony, and in his dreams fends with
eyes of fire and tongues of fame circle
about him with joined hands, TO dance and
sing their orgies with hellsh chorus,
chanting "hail, brother" Kissing his
clammy forehead until their loathsome
locks, flowing with serpents, crawl into
his bosom and sink their sharp fangs and
suck up his life's blood, and coiling around
his heart pinch 1t with chills and shud-
ders unutterable.
Take 'varningl You are no stronger than
tens Of thousands who haI e by this practice
been overthrown. No young man in our
cities can escape being tempted. Beware
Of the first beginnings. This road is
down grade, and every instant increases
the momentum. Launch not upon this
treaeherous sea. Spint hulks strew the
beach. Everlasting storms howl up and
down, tossing unwary crafts into the hell
gate. l speak Of what have seen with my
own eyes. have looked off into the abyss,
and have seen the foaming and the kissing
and the whirling Of the horrid deep in which
the mangled victims writhed one upon an.
other, and struggled, strangled, blasphemed
and died-the deathstare Of eternal despair
upon their countenances as the waters
gurgled over them.
To gamblers death-bed there comes no
hope. He will probably die alone. His
former associates come not nigh his dwell
ing. When the hour comes his miserable
soul will 90 out of miserable life into
miserable eternity. AS the poor remains
pass the house where he was ruined, old
companions may look out moment and
say: There goes the old carcass-dead at
last;' but they will not get up from The
table. Let him down now into the grave.
Plant no tree to cast its shade there, for
the long, deep, eternal gloom that settles
there is shadow enough. Plant no forget
me-nots or eglantines around the spot, for
flowers were not made to grow on such
blasted heath. Visit it not in the sunshine,
for that would be mockery, but in the dis
NAL night, Uflen no stars are out, and the
spirits cf darkness come down horsed on
TT, winds, then visit the grave Of the
gambler.
TILE %@NR ~ ~ WAN