Middletown transcript., 1891-06-25
rcoMAEUNICATED.1 I

Mr.. EDrToR :--Astne press gener-
ally have given great deal Of attention |
to the recent affair of Sir William
Gordon Cumming, you may be willing
to bestow portion of your space upon
the same topic. The interest does not
belong entirely to the gaming incident
of the parties concerned at Tranby
Croft but great additional Importance
has been given it by the different i'm
pressions it has created in the public
mind. Those who are SO contradictory
in their nature and public expressions
as to indicate that a large portion OF
the people and of the press have taken
such shallow and flippant view Of the
whole affair that it has had demor-
alizing effect upon public morals.
Some have been SO eager to strike
blow at gambling in general that they
have failed to make any distinction in
the different circumstances of games
Of chance, and have involved all such
games in indiscriminate censure.
While there is no doubt the moral
evil Of professional gambling, it does
not follow, that in private circles, any
one of the ten commandments is
violated by persons of wealth hazarding
small stakes occasionally to give zest
to game of chance. But when a
gamester habitually plies his vocation
and robs his own family, and others,
by hazarding losses, they are not able
to bear, it becomes very serious evil,
which cannot be too severely con-
demned. But it ought to be born in
mind that in no case of gameing is
cheating to be allowed. Fair PLAY is
as indispensable here as in other mat
ters of life, and to cheat is to steal.
When Sir William Gordon Cumming
resorted to stealing at the game Of
baccarat. he placed himself at once on
the level Of the pickpocket and the
sneak thief, and deserves to be treated
as such. But, notwithstanding the
palpable violation of honor, common
honesty and the express commandment
against stealing, this man has had his
apologists, or seeming apologists. who |
appear to condone his fragrant offence,
because he stole from persons of wealth |
or rank, who might be able to bear
the losses. This must be on the COM
munist principle that it is justifble to |
take or steal from those who have the |
means. But some who are not commun-
lists, have written, it is to be hoped inad-
vertently upon this topic, AS for instance
a writer in one of the Wilmington
dailies recently. This writer, in allud-
ing to the condemnation of Gordon
Cumming by the clear thinking and
well disposed portion of the press. calls
such censure |" slush," /" and goes on to
say that Sir William and his bride
have nothing to regret and may well
snap their fingers at their former asso-
ciates who affect to consider him dis
graced and ostracised. And he asks
/" what is so terrible in this fate and
to whom is it terrible ? What matters
it that respectable society will turn
cold shoulder upon them, while Sir
William and his wife have a million
dollars or more, and they must be de-
fcient in common sense if they cannot
afford to be independent of society
under such circumstances. Il
This language appears indeed to be
demoralizing slush. But far different
is the tone of one of the leading dailies
Of the country few days ago, who,
in well considered article as follows.
strikes the right key
To the sane mind unacquainted
with that strange Anglo-Saxon foible
the hearty, groveling love of lord
which the first of social philosophers
said existed nowhere outside of the
United Kingdom, except in :" free
America, the formation of the wave
is difficult of comprehension. Such
feeling goes out sometimes to great
criminals but Sir William is not
great criminal. If the verdict of
jury, based on his own admission and
the unwilling testimony of one of his
own subalterns-to say nothing of the
evidence of the Wilson family - is
believed, he belongs to the class of
offenders yariously described in police
parlance as /" skin faro dealers, - shop
lifters, "bank sneaks - and "hall
In other words, he is one
Of that psrasatical species of criminals
who take advantage of the unwariness
Of men in their social and business
relations to deftly, but dishonesty,
enrich themselves To doubt that
verdict and disbelieve that testimony
is simply to set all the laws of evidence
at defiance, to subvert justice as rule
Of conduct, and abolish the means
which man has set for the maintenance
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