Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1889-05-24
RITNER SMITH, Adjutant.
Rev. j. w. Hough's Views on Ger
tain Things.

tain Things.
ED. HERALD;-With your permission I would
write few lines for publication concerning some
of the evils that are being practiced almost daily
in our midst by those who claim to be gentlemen
and law abiding citizens.
1st, I shall refer to the practice of open handed
gambling which Ihave seen pFacticed more or less
daily in some of the business no uses of your city
by those who claim to move in the upper-ten So
ciety, q refer to the practice of throwing dice for
cigars. etc.,) which is a game of chance, and all
games of chance are regarded as gambling by our
common law. Now I see no difference in throw
ing dice for cigars, than sitting down to card
table and playing game of cards for a certain
amount of money.
ID, Another violation of law I see, and hear
practced almost daily on the streets of your city,
is that of profane and blasphemOus language made
use of right in the presence of ladies' until it has
come to such pass that we can't walk the streets
of your city with our wives and daughters without
hearing such Indecent language, and
Sd. Another evil I would speak of is the foul.
filthy practice of tobacco using, until it has come
to such pass that men cannot come with their
wives into our court house, pOst0fice, or our
business houses, hotels etc, without being stuIl-
fed by the filthy stencil Of tobacco smoke and
spttle until they can scarcely breathe for the OBJ
nOxious poisonous stencil of tobacco. I repeat
it, that this perniciOus tobacco mania has become
so intOlerable that our court houses can't be visit
ed by our wives and daughters but there they
have to confront such scenes as lawyers with
their heels prOpped on top the tables nearly as
high as their heads with either the smoke Of a
filthy cigar, or the poisonous stencil of an old
pipe has to be inhaled into their lungs until they
are made sick with the stuIhfying atmosphere of
tobacco stencil. What can we expect of the youth
of land when such filthy, abOminable practices
are being set fsrth by men who are heads of fam
lilies. Ont Of six hundred cOnvicts in the Auburn
State prison i've hundred acknowledged to beng
first led estTay by tobacco. It's natural effect
is to create thirst for something stronger, and
thence to liquor. Take cigar and take d drink
are synOnomeus terms; they both appeal to the
same class of sensuOus, depraved, morbid ap-
petites And this insuferabe tobacco nuisance is
almost everywhere. until we can scarcely step
into any of public business houses, hotels,
pOstofices, court houses and r. r. depOts without
being almost stuIlifed with the ntoIerable stencil
I Of tobacco; and
4th. would speak of another evil that is be-
coming mania with the people. and that is the
practice Of horse racing which is another species
of gambling and this evil Is growing to such an
/ alarming extent that not only the men are being
/ carried away by the excitement, but the women
also can attend such places with impunity, and
( there be not only a witness To such law breaking
scenes, but actually engage also in the gambling
part of the business.
Now is there not a cause for all this Ioosencss
of law abiding, and is there not a remedy of these
evils: What are our city officials for, if ii is not
their duty to look after all such evils as per
tain to the city government: and what are all
our Ministers doing that we do not hear of them
lifting up their voices and protesting, more or less
in their ministerial duties against such obnoxious
evils is cursing the morals of the youths Of our
land, are they the kind spoken OF in Isaiah 56th
chapter, 10th and nth yersess or it may possibly
+ be that one reason why they don't speak Of these
f evils, they are guilty perhaps of some of these
habits, and therefore they leave the unpleasant
/ ness for some one else 70 perform. Vow In con
elusi0n. What is the press duty in regard TO
| these things? Are they too like some of our
Ministers, policy men, who dare not take q stand