Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-05-10

Cards are SO old that history fails to Civ.
their origin. 1t is probable that the dew
il himself invented them. While gam
bling has thus its history that dates bacl
from the day when man emerged from
the brute world
II has remained for the modern city II
deUelop the pestilence of gambling to q
degree Of deadlypolcer nerer before k7sotrn
IN the history of man.
THE RACE TRACK
Nor is this to be wondered at when we
remember the fact that the city is itself
the center Of so many influences fol-
veal or woe. That which touches the
city life intimately touches every class
of human society. Gambling has grown
to be in our cities chronic epidemic OF
practically resistless power. 1t touches
every business and threatens its stabil-
ity. Every counting house, every bank,
every merchant, is threatened every
night in the year by this dread power
Every home, every wife, every mother,
every child, is threatened every day in
the year. With its relentless grasp it
lays hold of every race, every kindred,
every tongue.
We see the immense development in
our cities of this evil.
First-In the widespread influence
and power at present exerted by the
race track. OF all the institutions of
gambling that curse our modern life, l
am thoroughly convinced that this is the
most terrible. 1t is carried on day in
and day out, year in and year out. And
what makes it so universal in its power
to touch and destroy life is the fact that
there is not a newspaper published today
in our great cities whose columns are not
disgraced by the reports of this internal
institution. The press panders to the
doings of the race managers, their pro-
grammes, their races, their results, until
it is impossible for an honest young man
to read the happenings of the world daily
and not be brought into immediate con-
tact with the possibility of entering
gamblers life.
There are race tracks that are called
respectable. There are those that are
denounced by the papers. But they are
all reported, and the results are thrust
under the nose of men and women whose
lives are the furthest removed from such
an influence. In the name of God and Of
truth and Of right, in the name of the
thousands and tens of thousands of young
men ruined every year at the race track.
in the name of broken homes and de-
bauched lives through the contact of dis
reputable characters elbowing each other
at these public assemblies, / arraign
those who are thus debauching the lives
of the innocent public.
In the name of God, ask our editors
who profess Christianity, who profess
humanity, how it is possible for them to
denounce the lottery and the policy shop
and make a specially of reporting the
races. Every race track is field Of
blood, and no man can deny it and talk
seriously of life. When men, referring
to the race track, say that its purpose is
to improve the breed of horses, they lie.
and they know they lie The breed of
horses has not been improved by the
race track. The breed of horses is not
being improved by the race track. 1t
never has been so; it never will be so.
The horse which is the product of the
race track is not an Improvement ON the
normal animal He is monstrosity; he
is useless except as senseless extrava-
gance. Not only is the race horse use
less to the world; he is hideous to look |
upon. He is neither beautiful nor use
full; he is trained and bred to be all bone
and muscle. The laws of beauty are all |
bred out of him; he is simply trans
formed into an aggregation of legs and |
strained neck.
PooIEooMs OF THE CITY.
The thousands of young men and WON
en- who attend the races are ruined in in |
fiuence and character, and | assert, with |
out the fear of contradiction, that no
man who attends the race track and pre-
tends to respectability would keep in his
employ young man whom he should
meet at the same track. He knows that /
he could not trust him with his money. |
He knows that he could not trust him
with his business. He knows that the
man who attends the race track con-
stantly will come, and come early, to lie,
TO cheat, to swindle, TO steal. The only
reason why the man of respectable name /
and pretensions in society, and even in
he church, who attends the race track
S not guilty of these things is simply
he does not meet the temptation
or does not have the opportunity.
Gathered all around the race track.
md inevitably so, are the poolrooms of
he city. These are veritable hell holes.
% describe which is a superfuity. No
nan has ever dared to stand up before
.ational men and women and give one
word in excuse for their existence. They
lander to the lowest and the yilest The
'esults upon character are always utter
y vicious The power of these institu-
ions to destroy young men is something
appalling. and the preacher of the gos-
,el who comes in contact with young
men as l do in this hall has revelation
m this score that is simply heartrending