The Cecil Whig., 1886-05-08
A LAY SERMON ON GAMBLING.

It is not littIe singular that. having
regard 70 the enormous prevalence of
gambling in this country. the voice OF
the pulpit is SO seldom heard in lis de
nnnciation. Gambling is, par crceHencc.
the nation@l wee AS compared with
the nations Of Europe, Americans are
sober mon. In their moral relations
I they rise fax above European standards.
Where tales Of immortality appear in the
| newspapers they are evidence Of the fact
that such occurrences constitute news:
that they are not, As in France, Belgium
and Germany triles too familiar to in
tcrest the reader. But with gambling
the case i: very diiltraut.
The essence Of the gamblers ollense is
That Of seeking to make money without
working fog it, to acl7iro wealth by the
most direct means compatible, Or i0com-
Patib'H, with the preservation of bis
reputation for honesty. The spirit of
ialr competition cJmpelS every man to
do certain amount of mental or ply
steal labor in order to earn LOnoraUly a
given sam Of money. lie may earn his
dollar by plowing the soil or by painting
y picture, by attcGdlncc on the sick or
by making bricks: but he must work.
The gambler, the dishonest specuIator
aid the thief stand on the same plane of
honesty il .his respect, that they seek to
| acquire gold without labor, and quickly,
rather than by steady, persevering eff
iolts. BGt just here comes in that re
paF2to"y or a"engIng spirit in the order
Of human atisirs-in that the gambler,
the dishonest laancier and the thief are
not only eventually committed 10 per-
pctual ap2ren ;ceship 10 what is virtually
their trade, but 1hoy actually earn their
money BY mental torture quite as stern
as t'i,,t Of hard, honest, manly labor in
notIer cause.
Gln9Oliug IS not a mcoern vice. Tie
Indians gamblcd 2,5C0 years ago. The
Greeks AMI Romans gamblsd. Gam
b!ers piled their trade III the reigns of
Richard Elizabeth and Charles II.
George ~, when prince regent, lest
800 Geo at play and had to marry tie
unfortunate Caroline Of Brunswick as
the pl.2e of Il national effort to pay lis
debts. Fox, tie statesman. lost $780,
005 III one night at play. The Indians
nave been gamblers from all time: the
U"iaase aIc systematic and desperate
Vot@r!es Of the dice. And when every
thing has been written that can be writ
ten Of gambling as an art or an instltu-
ton, it cannotGe truly said that single
man in the worlds history has ever
risen to eminencc or done the world
service as result Of his gains at the
gaming table. Il is the cid, old saying,
Money that comes over the devils
counter fnd5 is way into the devils
pockets
The most painful result of attendance
at the gambling table is the speedy and
total extinction of all manly and gen
erous attributes OF character. Gambling
is such purely selfish, mean and con-
tcmpti3lo vice that it takes It's votary
completely outside the pale of humanity
and soif-rcspGct. \ spendthrift may
m.nd his ways, as did the prodigal son
Of Old; rake may be reformed; drunk
ard may be reclaimed; but the cold,
oallous sllfshnesa of the lardaned gam
bier cannot be moved by the preachers
eloGuCnco or the wife's tears. As in the
journey Of OrphlGs in search of lost
Eurydice, the gambler finds that Easy,
very easy, is the slope Of HE'LL but that
IAe returning steps are bard, uncertain
and bitter indeed.
TA@Io is 10 sentiment more repuguant
to yoang man III whom all conscier-
tious feeling is not deadened than that
of feeling Lyp-crite and a fraud in the
presence OF 4 good and virtuous woman.
Aud there can be no other feeling in the
breast Of youth WHO makes his way
from the gaming he'll to the side of his
Intended bride than that he is perpetra-
ting hideoua and cruel deception upon
her as well as upon himself. If salaries
are small and hours long, there may be
temptation to indulge in a quiet game of
cards icr small stake. But it is the
experience OF thousands, and hundreds
Of thousands, that gaming takes Il stIon-
ger hold Oh the mind than any other
'icc: Shat lis approaches arc more III
sidiuus aud its excitement more valued
because less transient than the feeting
dcligium Of Profsacy and the rum bottle.
And the gambler further illustrates the
force of M9ntaiGnc's adage-LH0mme Sc
piqne-by tie faculty with which he
oiing5 to the notion that his pet vice is
TO bring hir in the money for the graft
!ication Of other pleasures.
If tie whole Lideous story of the
gambling s nells Of America were written
up i'll It's true details, the hells Of Mo-
naco, Monte Carlo, Baden Baden and
Iomburg would not shock American
women hall as much, and many wife
and maiden would learn with pain that
their own love OF money, jewelry and
dress, however obtained, had often been
the first cause Of the fall of their hus-
bands and afiiaEced lovers -BaltiHt0re
Hsrald