Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-02-26


tains, and Kisses in our steam engines, and
Showers out the con1agration, and
sprinhles from the baptismal font of our
churches; and with silver note, and golden
sparkle, and crystalline chime, says TO hun
dreds of thousands of our population, in
the authentic words of him who said; 81
will: be thou elean~
THE CURSE OF GAMBLING.
All this premise in opening this course
of sermons on the ten plagues of these
three cities, lest some stupid man might
say | am deprecating the place of my
residence speak to you today concern
ing the plague of gambling. Every man
and woman in this house ought to be in
terested in this theme.
Some years ago, when an association for
the suppression OF gambling was organ
lied, an agent of the association came TO a
prominent citizen and asked him to patron
ize the society. He said, mo, can have
no interest in such an organization. am
in no wise affected by that evil" At that
very time his son, who was his partner in
business, was one of the heaviest players in
Hearne's famous gambling establishment.
Another refused his patronage on the same
ground, not knowing that his first book
keeper, though receiving a salary of only
a thousand dollars, was losing from fifty TO
one hundred dollars per night The presi-
dent of railroad company refused to
patronize the institution, saying, THAT
society is good for the defense of merch-
ants, but we railroad people are not in
iured by this evil" not knowing that, at
that very time, two Of his conductors were
spending three nights of each week at faro
tables in New York. Directly or indirectly,
this evil strikes at the whole world.
Gambling is the risking Of something
more or less valuable in the hope of win
ming more than you hazard. The instru-
ments Of gaming may differ but the prin-
ciple is the same The shuilling and deal
ing cards, however full of temptation, is
not gambling, unless stakes are put up;
while, on the other hand, gambling may
be carried on without cards or dice, or bill
lizards or tenpin alley. The man who
bets on horses, on elections, on battles
the man who deals in fancy" stocks, or
conducts a business which hazards extra
capital, or goes into transactions without
foundation but dependent upon what men
call luck is IA gambler. Whatever you
expect to get from your neighbor without
Offering an equivalent in money or time or
skill is either the product of theft or gam
ing. Lottery tickets and lottery policies
come into the same category. Fairs for
the founding of hospitals, schools and
churches, conducted on the railing system,
come under the same denomination. Do
not therefore, associate gambling neces-
sarily with any instrument. or game, or
time or place. or think the principle de-
ponds upon whether you play for glass of
wine or one hundred shares of railroad
stock. Whether you patronize auction
pools, - "French mutuals," or book max
ing. whether You employ faro or billiards,
rondo and keno. cards or bagatelle, the
very idea Of the thing is dishonest, for it
processes TO bestow upon you a good for
which you give no equivalent.
TEN "HoNEsT" GAMBLING HOUSES.
tits estimated that every day in Chris
tendon eighty million dollars pass from
hand to hand through gambling practices,
and every year in Chrstendom one hun
dred and twenty-three billion one hundred
million dollars change hands in that way.
There are in this cluster Of cities about
eight hundred confessed gambling estab
lishments. There are about three thousand
five hundred professional gamblers, out
OF the eight hundred gambling establish
ments, how many Of them do you suppose
profess TO be honest2 Ten These ten pro-
fess TO be honest because they are merely
the ante-chamber 20 the seven hundred
and ninety hat are acknowledged fraud
ulent There are first class gambling IS
You 90 up the marble
stairs You ring the bell The livcred
servant introduces YOU The walls are
lavender tinted. The mantels are OF Yer
mont marble. The pictures are "Jeph-
thah's Daughter" and Dore's "Dante's and
Nirgil's Frozen Region Of Help'-a most
appropriate selection, this last, for the
place There is the roulette table, the
finest, the costliest, most exquisite piece of
furniture in the United States. There is
The banqueting room, where, free of
charge to the guests, you may find the
plate and viands and wines and cigars
sumptuous beyond parallel
Then you come to the second class gam
bling establishment To l. you are intro
duced by card through some "ropcr-in.
Having entered, you must either gamble
or fight. Sanded cards, dice loaded with
poor drinks, will soon help
NOit 10 yet fla Oh htl NWuf AitlttN ~ a. tune
in short meter with staccatO passages. You
wanted to see. You saw. The low Vi 'lains
Of that place watch you as you come iu
Does not the panther, squat in the grass,
know calf when he secs it, Wrancie not
for your rights II that place, or your body
will be thrown bloody into the street, or
dead into the East river You 20 a ing a
little further aui end rs policy cta .sh
ment In that place YOU bet on numbers
Betting on two numbers is called sad
die" beJting on three numbers Is "a led a
gig betting on four numbers Is called
"horse." aud there are thousands Of our
young men leaping into thst saddle" and
mounting that gig" aud behind that
horse" riding to perdition There is al
ways one kind Of sign on the door" tx
change" most appropriate title Tor the
door. for there, in that room, a man ex-
changes health, peace and heaven for loss
OF health loss Of home, loss OF family loss
of immortal soul Exchange sure enough
and Infinite enough.
Men wishing 10 gamble will find places
just suited 10 their capacity. not only in
the underground oyster cellar. or at the
table back Of the curtain. covered with
greasy cards. or in the steamboat smoking