Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-22
CUNNING FOR GAMBLERS.
An Allegheny Pastor Severe on Progressive
Euchre and Fish Ponds,

An Allegheny Pastor Severe on Progressive
Euchre and Fish Ponds.
Rev. w. T. Richardson. of the First Christian
Church, Allegheny, preached last night on
"GamblinE." He said; THE very essence of
gambling is dishonesty. 1t is an effort to get
something for nothing at the expense OF
another. 1t is born of selfsbness, IS nourished
by exercise and leads TO the death of every
noble impulse of the soul. Gambling assumes
many forms in practice There is a strange
fascination in any game of chance. which is
vastly increased when there is j stake upon the
result. The player becomes excited, then des-
perate, and, if the stake is of great value to
him, ready for crime. At the celebrated
gambling casino at Monte Carlo, there were l6
suicides and 10 duels i'll two months of 1881.
while in eight years there have been l $40 case:
of suicide alone. Who can tell how much of
misery is couched in these awful figures? In
all our American cities may he found dens
wnere men and boys are nightly engaged in TINS
demorallzing sport Social clubs are responsible
for much of The gambling that prevails among
young business men to-day. When it is pub
lished widely over the land that a leading
editor in New York had heeeed out of the sum
of $4,000 prominent millionaire manufact-
nrer at game of cards in the rooms of the
Union Club, it is no cause for wonder that
many young men will count it no great harm to
try smaller venture. Progressive euchre and
other games for forfeits played in the social
circles. have helped greatly to populariz3
gambling. Judge Ryland, of Sedalia, Mo,
recently instructed the grand jury of his
court to indct for gambling the High
Five Club popular society club formed
TO play progressive euchre. stating most emphat-
ically that there was no difference in principle
between playing for the prizes i'll a fashionable
parlor and playing for the stakes in a low sa-
loon. When the courts begin to take legal no
tice of social gambling we may hope that it will
soon cease. At least, that all prUfessed Chris
tians will avoid even the appearance of crime.
"a second popular form of gambling is the
lottery. Its history is peculiar For many
years it was favorite way of raising revenue
among European nations, and our own was not
above making such use of it. Its dying strug-
gle is now seen in the effort of the Infamous
Louisiana lottery to perpetuate its existence.
struggle that now bids fair to result i'll its COM
plete overthrow. Now that the United States
Government has shut her mails against all lot
terry matter, and the express companies have
voluntarily refused, at considerable loss 20
their business, to render future service to this
lottery. we may hope that it is on the way to
rapid overthrow. Now let the churches every
where repudate all questionable Bile meaDs OF
and all other forms of gambling, and lotteries
will soon be thing of the past.
THE most Infamous of all forms of gam
bling is that practiced on manv boards of
trade, called dealing in options 1t Is more in
famous than Others, because it affects directly
| the price of the necessities of life, and makes
| the poo- to suffer. for the enrichment OF the
| Speculator. a certain member of the Chicago
| Board of Trade. speaking at a recent meeting
on proposed plan of action. said: ANY other
| class of gamblers would see its advantages in n
minute. The trouble with us spectators is, we
| keep flattering ourselves that we are mer-
| chants The sooner we stop calling ourselves
merchants, and admit that We are gamblers,
and nothing else. the quicker we Will come to a
| common-sense basis
THE remedy for all gambling is to be found
in stringent laws. faithfully executed. public
| sentiment formed and stimulated, and Christian
teaching and life set plainly and outspokenly
| against it. God help the Church to do her duty
| toward this great evil"