Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-12-20
THEGAM BLING MANIA
THE LOTTERY NOT THE ONLY OR
THE WORST FORM or THE EVIL.
A Prevalent Madness which seems 10
Have Run Away with the Senses of
Its Victims
New YORK Journal Of Commerce.

think there should have been, over the
demoralizing effect OF these establish
ments upon the character Of the rising
generation. The pictures OF the evil
we're chiefly drawn with adult figures,
and very few writer's who denounced
this form of gambling dwelt upon any
thing more than the general waste and
thriftlessness they promoted among the
laboring poor. This is bad enough,
certainly, and furnishes sufficient reason
for suppressing the lottery business. but
il is by no means the only or the worst
form of the evil.
We have been at some little pains re-
I Gently 10 investigate the conduct Of the
lottery enterprise, and we find that n
/ large number OF people in what may be
! called the better classes are constant
/ customers of the dealers, and pay large
sums for a chance Mt the prizes. The
} passion for unearned gains thus eX-
| cited we find TO be more intense than tho
/ thirst for intoxicating drink, and far more
/ difficult Of cure. The drunkard may be
weaned from his cups, but the gam
| bier was never known TO reform. He
nav be compelled TO break of his play
/ for want of funds, although he will first
| take the bread from the mouth OF his
wife and will pawn the clothes stripped
from the backs of his children, to sup
ply ever so small Al additional capital
with which he hopes to recuperate his
/ fortune. Or he may be induced by the
pleading voice of friend to suspend his
indulgence for q brief period, but the
fever is in his blood and is well nigh in
durable.
We have used the lottery rs an Illus
tration. but the gambling mania does
not exhibit itself altogether or chiefly in
that form, and the chartered dealers are
not the chief agents in the work Of de-
moralization. We do not know why it
| is, but the press OF this country has not
given the attention TO this
theme which it has attracted
in Great Britain. The leading Eng
lish papers represent the gambling spirit
rs more widely prevalent and worse IN
| its disastrous effects than any virulent
disease with which that country was ever
| inflicted. In all stations, among both
sexes and persons of all ages, the mania
RACES like an incurable madness beyond
all restraint The noble and the day
! laborer, the men, women, and children
are all addicted to it.
The police courts are filed daily with
cases growing out of the evil practice.
The son Of an English clergyman, in an
| instance now before us, was brought into
court for stealing gloves from bis en-
ployer. and the three receivers TO whom
he sold the goods were convicted of the
| offence. The boy had been tenderly
reared was choir singer in the church,
and had borne an unblemished character.
He had taken the goods TO raise money
TO crafty his passion for betting. The
evidence daily presented III the courts
brings out the most startling facts con-
corning the widespread practice OF some
form of gambling among the people OF
| all ages and all classes
A prominent writer declares that it is
not simply an evil habit, but ga preva-
lent madness which seems to have run
away with the senses Of its victims. "
! Among the common people, and espe-
cially the class Of clerks small trades
men, and youths at work in shops and
elsewhere on low wages, II assumes the
form Of betting Everything that can
possibly be the subject Of the wager 10
used for this purpose The horse
racing is one of the most prominent,
but all other "events are put IN train
for this purpose. We notice a letter
from very intelligent gentleman, IN
which no declares that it is no longer
safe to ride on the tops of the omnibuses
in London, for the jehus who handle the
lines are hailing each other for the latest
| news from the scene Of the sport, or for
"tip" TO guide q future wager, and
are therefore inattentiye to their proper
duty.
A traveller who had been away from
England for year or two was startled
at the conversation on every side OF him
not only in London, but wherever be
went. Betting or some like form OF
gambling seemed to form the staple of
remark everywhere, and he became ac-
ouainted with large number OF cases
where the personal dishonesty of clerks,
servants. and housemaids had this one
origin-the insane desire TO crafty
the one ruling passion. The Gov
eminent by act Of Parliament
has sought to suppress the betting
places TO which the victims resort, but
| the clubs are full of it, and no place is
so public or so secluded that the game
in some shape may not be found in it.
Some most ludicrous instances are given
of the extent of this evil habit An OBJ
server WAS watching the various wagers
constantly made in public thorough
fare till the list reached its climax in
bet of q shilling between two boys as TO
which side OF a small stone in the street
! the right wheel Of An advancing dray
would pass.
We have been led to give more space
than usual to this description by re-
mark which fell from o London magis-
trate in his comment on the prevalent
mania which he declared had infected
the whole community, and which he
said was Of one spirit from the dealings
| in stocks and options in produce all the
way down to the tiniest curbstone wagers
of the street Arabs. Is the madness
among us to become as prevalent and
| absorbing ms il seems 20 be on the other
side of the water? It is even now a
common thing for clerks and porters
and common laborers to stake their
wages on all the races. the ball games.
and matches of every description about
which anything is publicly known.
Many defalcations, large as well as
small, have been traced TO this source.
Are the fathers. and the wealthy firms
and the heads OF houses who deal in the
! produce market, on the Cotton Ex-
change or at tho Stock Board, in trans
actions that are nothing but bets on fu-
tnre prices OF coming values, aware that
thew are setting an example that Is
secretly followed by their children,
clerks. and other subordinates, and
which will very likely lead to their
ruin ? The Financial difficulty and
! the "money pressure and the hard
times generally all come from this mad
attempt to obtain living without earn
! ;n, 70 10 oct something for nothing, to