Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-02-27
AGAINST POOL ROOMS.


and spirited sermon by Rev. DR.. Willard at
the Westville Congregational church yes
terdsy morning. Following is the text and
sermon:
Malachi, iv., 1: For behold, the day cometh
that shall burn as an oven, and all that do wick
shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that
it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
Should it be asked how the prophet came
to utter such words as those in the text,
my reply would BE-, because he had it in
his heart to rebuke human wickedness and
to warn evil doors. But to speak of Malls
chi and his generation, that Is not my pur-
pose. To talk of certain pool room,
versity and others, waste their time and
money in taking chances OF lots In horse
racing and in other kinds of gambling,
that is my purpose.
It would seem, would it not, as if that
eye that runs to and fro through the earth
must pause darby upon one who is ready
to do such wickedness? Were it mine to
utter words of warning. this would say:
''Stand still, and consider what wrong
you put upon yourself; upon those who
are nearest to you in Hfe-father, mother,
brother, sister and if student, upon tho
university; and, more sad than all, upon
sAop ooSA Ill "Ach Jcu ave- ohA uoNS,
and have your being. Wisdom crieth
without, she uttereth her voice in the
streets. She crieth in the chief place
of conoourse, in the openings of the gates,
and says: Turn ye at my reproof;
stop right where you are; keep back your
hands from feeding the worm that never
dies, from kindiing the flame that is never
quenched. Walk not in the counsel Of the
ungodly; stand not in the way of Sinners"
And should hand join in hand to perpetu-
ate this evil, may there b. those to find it
easy to reconcile in practice that seeming
paradox of words: "What ought to be we
not to be We do know; and here, in Gods
name, it shall not stay"
We are told that more law, or a differ
emit law, is needed. Very we'll, let us have
that law. What are our senators and
representatives put in their places for, if
not to make good lsw=? And tits for US
to zee that these are properly executed
We cannot all live in Hartford, tut We
can send q message there, ard ask the men
whom we helped elect to office to do their
best to hedge in or up7oot this monstrous
that there Is enough of the old Puritan
pluck and grit in the hearts OF men and
women in New Haven to crush this de-
vouring demon and choke it to death.
The battle is on, and n few earnest
men should fight it through to the end
should say to all alike, IF We are right in
this thing, please help us. Break up this
soul killing nuisance; speak against it; act
against it; cry out against 1t; br1ise it with
blowsof moral might, and by constant
pounding grind it to powder"
In one of our daily journals, ex Cover
nor Buckley is made to say: 81 am in
hearty sympathy with the gentlemen from
New Haven, and believe that these pool
rooms should bs abolished 1, however,
would favor law which would make it
legal to sell pools at the legitimate race
tracks during race days, at certain times of
the year"
81 J. Nickerson of West Corn wall, who
introduced the Wood bill to abolish the
pool rooms, argued in favor of sboliehips
betting on horse races and gambling at
all times and under all circumstances
Attorney O'Neill Of Waterbury said: II
gambling is wrong it is just as wrong on a
| race track as in pool room, and 1 would
abolish it in all places at the earliest pos
sible time"
Now, in my Judgment Messfs Nicker
son and ONeill are right That is, il
gambling is wrong, it ia just as wrong Oh
q race track as in a pool room Aud that
it is wong there can, think, b 10 man
ner of doubt. To justify or approve it by
any healthy code of morals known to God
| or man would be utterly impossible.
And right here let me read you ga CIut
| Mans Testimony" with an editorial com
ment. 1t may be found in the Advance
for February 16, 1898:
ga good many gratifying as well az EUR
prising things hava come out Of the cam
paign of the Inter Ocean against the gam
bling race track maintained by the Wash
ington Park club of Chicago. While hu Isl
ness men of good standing have beer
found who were willing to Justify the in
stitution on account of the potent factor Of
dividends the investigation has brought
| out emphatic condemnation of the practic:
| of pool selling at the races, from many Of
the best members. The great msjority Of
members of all opinions have declared thai
they would not employ young men who
we're IN the habit of freq uenting and bat
ting at these races which they support
But the most frank and refreshing state
| ment which has thus far been made comes
from Mr.. S. W. Allerton, wealthy pack
or and board of trade man. He speak;
Chicago clubs, with familiarity and 8
pointedness which commands attention
As coming, not from a moralist or 'Puri
tan" but from a leading member and sup
| porter of these clubs, the statement de
serves to be carefully read and pondered
He says to the reporter:
" The fact is, don't see where any
club does much to improve the condition
of humanity. was thinking to day when
l was coming home thst the four clubs
that l belong to were doing mighty little
good in the world. I am member of the
Chicago, Calumet, Union League and
| Washington Park clubs. Now take the
! Chicago club, for instance. The first thing
man strikes when he goes in there is q
bar. I've drunk whisky there, so you zee
1 am not making any claim that I am q
| saint, but know a lot of men who are not
| nearly 30 good to their families nor 30
reliable In business now as thew we're
before they joined the Chicago club.
Same way with the Calumet club-burnea
down while I was away, and 1 suppose
they will be rebuilding 1t soon, go that a
lot of bachelors, who ought to be married
and have a home, can have a pleasant
place to live and epend their evenings
drinking whisky.
1.-THE Union League club is little bat
ter than the other two about drinkinp-
you don't always see it sitting around in
front of you down there; yet I guess a
man who was long on thirst could hedge
out there easily enough.
"'As to Washington Park club, 1 don't
know how much of bad example it sets,
for don't go there much, but think that
would be the chief objection to Just
like told -"Old Hutch" once when he OF
gauized the Centennial club. went over
there, and the most conspicuous thing
around the place was the bar Hutch"
called me off one eide and he says, "Look
here, Sam, what's the meanest thing Won
know about met I ask you as a friend,
cause the other fellows seem scared to
tell me-" told him that the meanest
thing knew of him was the bad example
he was setting in his encouraging young
men to drink. That is the way 1 feel
about Washington Park; the meanest
thing that know of them Is that they are
setting bad examples"
''Aside from it's overwhelming oonfirma-
ton of the severest criticisms that have
been made upon the clubs by the church,
this statement of a hard headed business
man ia remarkable for the high moral
ground upon which it is based. It frank
ly avows that these institutions are an
evil because they are not leading mankind
toward higher things. 1t condemns their
comforts and selfish social attractions he
cause they are foes to the home, to the
family and to purity and high principle
in young men. But at the same time II il
painful to see that the speaker freely con.
fesses he is supporter of what he 40
fOrciblo condemns and so far On -