Smyrna times., 1888-02-29
Leave Gambling Alone.
HOW THE SPIRIT OF BETTING GROWS
ITS EVIL TENDENCY-THE GAME
OF POKER.


Gambling is a universal thing, char
acteristic of all men, the world over"
said the Rev. Albert H. Studebaker,
Sunday evening, at the First English
Lutheran Church, in beginning his
sermon on that popular vice. cit
fourishes amid the regions of the fro
zen pole, and has a firm place in the
affections of men in the tropice, while
not an island of the sea but has it's
games of chance, on which are staked
fortune, family, liberty, and even life
itself. 1t would seem as if two human
beings could not be any where with
out ere long offering to - bet upon
something.
No nation need exceed ours in the
pursuit of this vice. The very trainers
of laws against it are infrequently the
first to fall under the temptation of
their breach. The gentleman of lei
sure is its slave, the merchant and me-
chanic are its dupes, and town and
country alike become a prey to it's fas-
cination and destruction. 1t finds its
birth in cupidity and Incidence, and
where these are not acknowledged,
the reason assigned is relaxation or
amusement. But it is fun which often
ends in earnest. i'll want amusement
why should play with dynamite? If
l want recreation, why should 1 toy
with lightning? 1t is either sinful dar.
ing or foolish folly. Why should I
seek to get money, like thief, at the
expense Ofmy neighbor-to be made
glad by that which will make him sad ?
1t is passion that has infinite va
riety in its manifestations. The tempt
ing candy or the attractive popcorn,
with the possibility of a prize, needs
but penny or two for the boy to in
vest, and the notion is started that
perhaps ne can get something for moth
ing, the idea behind all gambling. By
and by he plays marbles for keeps
and later buys pool ticket on some
horse-race or ball game; then he plays
crap or pool for the cigarettes or CT
gars; then he bucks the tiger and is
initiated into the mysteries of our pc
culiarly American game of poker ,
and thus on and on until the inevita-
BILE end is reached, and satan claims
his own as soon as the law and the
prison have had their day. Why, the
accursed thing is not even kept out of
some churches, to their shame and con-
fusion be it said The congregation
which cannot live without 'grab-bags'
and ish-ponds' and ring cake and
wheels of fortune had thousand
times better die. 1t could do so more
hOnorably. Ladies in what is called
polite society gamble for gloves and
dinners and dresses, as we'll as money
and we have fallen upon such degen-
crate times that this is smiled at. The
claims of the aged, the sick, the widow
and the orphan are brought forward to
invest the lottery or the rattle with the
robes of charity. Stocks, wheat, cot
ton, corn, oil, pork-anything is used
as base for the exercise of this fever.
"There is just this to be said about it
in every form, it is not clean money.
1t renders no equivalent for what it
takes, and there is but one name for
that-robbery. If your opponent wins
he is thief. If you win you are a
thief. That you have agreed that it
shall be so makes no difference. No
agreement can make stealing and cheat
ing lawful and honest. You may agree
all you please, but it will not make
profanity and adultery and false wit
ness and murder right. Gambling is
always associated with other vices, and
it is the friend of all evil. 1t is good
thing to leave alone. 1t leads to i'm
poverishment, is the parent of crime,
and is in defiance of Gods law. The
devil says there is do danger in it.
This is his stereOtyped plea. Don't
believe him. Leave gambling alone !"