The Penn's Grove record., 1891-03-06

DrvvAiyn bank within the memory OF Ls--y
Of You, and the one hundred and eighty
thousand dollars taken from a Wall street
insurance ompan for the same purposel
These are only illustrations on q large scale
OF the robberies every day committed for
the purpose of carrying out the designs of
gamblers. Hundreds of thousands OF dol
lars every year LEAK out without ohservs-
ton from the merchants till into the
gambling hell. A man in London keeping
one Of these gambling houses boasted that
he had ruined a noblemsn a day; but II all
the saloons Of this land were to speak BUT
they might utter a mora Infamous boast,
for they have destroyed a thousand noble
men a year.,
Notice also the effect Of the crime upon
domestic happiness. It has sent its ruthless
plowshare through hundreds OF families, I'M
Ill the wife sat In rags, and the daughters
were disgraced, and the sons grew up to tbs
same infamous practices or tool a short cut
% destruction across the murderer's scaffold.
Home has lost all charms for the gambler.
How tame are the children's caresses and q
nifes devotion to the gambleri o drearily
the fire burns on the domestic HEARTH There
must be louder laughter, and something to
win and something to lose; an excitement to
drive the heart faster and Flip the blood
and fire the ina gin8tion. No home, however
bright can keep back tbs gamester. Tho
iweet call of love bounds back from his iron
loul, and all the endearments are consumed
a the flames Of his passion. The family
Bible will go after all other treasures are lost,
md II his crown In heaven were put into his
hand he would cryi Here goes one more
game, my boysl On this one throw I
take my crown In heaven" A young
nan In London, on coming of age,
received q fortune Of one hundred and
twenty thousand dollars, and, through gam
bling, in three years was thrown on his
rN%haR far t,n1Nr H.. 1-1- SO, -ar a.
Iouthern city; he was rich, intellectual and
elegant in manners. His parents gave him
IN his departure from home their last bless
ng. The sharpers got hold of him.. They
aattered him. They lured him to the gam
ng table, and let him win almost every time
Tor . good while, and patted hin on the
back and said, First rata player" But full
y in their grasp they fescsd him, and his
thirty thousand dollars were lost. Last Of
Ill he put up his watch and lost that. Then
he began to think Of his home and his old
!ather and mother. and wrote thus:
my Beloved Parsnts-You will doubtless
feel a momentary joy at the reception of this
letter from the child Of your bosom. on
whom you have lavished all the favors Of
your declining years. But should O feeling
4 joy for a moment spring DIP in your hears
when you should have received this from
me, cherish 1t not. I have fallen deep
aever to riser Those gray hairs that I
should have honored and protected ! shall
bring down with sorrow to the grave. / will
aot curse my destroyer. but obi may God
avenge the wrongs and impositions practised
lpop the unwary in q way that shall best
please him. This, my dear parents, Is the
asst letter you will ever receive from me. I
humbly pray your forgiveness. 1t Is my
dying prayer. Long before you have re.
,eived this letter from me the cold grave
will have closed upon me forever. Life to
n IL fpout1partn bla oopunf nav uit
not, suffer the shame Of having ruined you.
Forget and forgive is the dying prayer Of
your unfortunate son."
The old father came to the p~ostof1ce, got
the letter and fell to the floor. They thought
he was dead at first; but they brushed back
the white hair from his brow and famed
him. He had only faintei. I wish he had
been dead, for what is life worth to a father
after his son is destroyedf When things go
wrong at a gaming table they shout: ''Foull
Foulp' Over all the gaming tables Of the
world I cry out: "Fouli foul! Infinitely
foul"
Shall I sketch the history of the gambler
Lursd by bad company he finds his way
into q place where honest men ought never
TO 20. BE sits Town to his first game, but
only for pastime and the desire of being
thought sociable. The players deal ont
the cards. They unconsciously play into
Satan's hands who takes all the tricks and
both the players souls for trumps-he being
q sharper at any game. A slight stake Is
after game Is played. Larger stakes and
still larger. They begin to move ~nervously
on their chairs. Their brows lower and eyes
cash, until now they who win n they who
lose, fired alike with passion, sit with set
jaws, and compressed lips. and clinched fsts,
and eyes like fire balls that seem starting
from their sockets to see the final turn be-
fore 1t comes; IL losing, pale with envy and
tremulous with unuttered oaths cast back
red hot upon the heart-or, winning, with
hysterio laugh-"Ha, hal have It'll I have
A few years have passed and he is only the
wreck Of a man. Seating himself at the game
ere he throws the first card, he stakes the
last relic of his wife, and the marriage ring
which sealed the solemn VOWS between them.
The game il lost, and staggering back in ex-
haustiou he dreams. The bright hours Of
the past mock his agony, and in his dreams
fends with eyes of fire and tongue OF flame
circle about him with Joined hands to dance
and sing their orgies with hellish chorus,
chanting ''Haii! brother p kissing his clammy
forehead until their loathsome LOCKS, flowing
with serpents. crawl into his bosom n sink
| their sharp fsugs and suck up his LIES
| blood, and corning around his heart pinch it
with chills and shudders uuutterable.
Take %warningl You are no stronger than
tens OF thouSands VINO nave py tnis practlco
been overthrow. No young man in our
| cities can escape being tempted. Beware Of
the first beginningsl This road is a down
grade, and every instant increases the mo-
| mentum. Launch not upon this treacherous
| sea. Split hulks strew the beach. Everlast-
| ing storms FOWL up and down, tossing un-
wary crafts into the Hellgate. speak Of
what / havs seen with my W eyes. I have
looked off into the abyss, and 1 have seen
the foaming, and the Kissing, and the whirl-
ing of the horrid deep IN which the mangled
victims writhed, one upon another, and
struggled, ~strangled, ~blasphemed and died
the death stare OF eternal despair upou their
| countenances as the water gurgled over
them.
hope. He will probably die alone. His for.
mer associates come not nigh his dwelling.
When the hour comes his miserable soul will
90 out of q miserable life into q miserable
eternity. As his poor remains pass the house
where hs was ruined, old companions may
look out . moment and say, There goes the
old c~arcass-dead at last" but they will not
get up from the table. Let hun down now
into his grave. Plant nc tree to cast its shade
settles there Is shadow enough. Plant ne
sforget-me-notn or eglantines around TIT
spot, for flowers were not made TO grow OF
such q blasted heath. Visit 1t not in the sun
shine, for that would be mockery, but in thu
dismal night when nc stars are out and tn,
spirits of darkness come down horsad on thu
wind, then visit the grave Of the gambieri
The peoo ole OF the United States con
sumo twenty-eigh out Of every 1OI