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

rooms should be allowed They drain the
,ity aud the state of money for which
here is no return, as in legitimate COM
MERGE. 1t feeds a passion fatal to charao-
ter and injurious to society. II Is tempta
ton that specially appeals to the young.
This room has sensibly lowered the moral
tone of the young men of the city and OF
the college.
1.-THE city and the university are not so
pure in their morality as they were be-
fore this room was established. 1trenders
character impossible by violating the prin-
ciples out of which character is made. A |
Young man who seriously seeks to gain |
money by betting is already without char |
acter Money so soon won is as badly won !
az If stolen. The temptation to SO win 1t
is immense, and that is the reason why 1t
should be prevented by law.
"Every good citizen should make it his
business, so far as he has influence, to Sc
cure the passage of this bill. Its passage
and the execution of the law thus made
would rid our city of the most conspicu-
GUS evil that just now happens to affitct
it,"
1t is pot pleasant thing to know that
ssThe city and the university are less pure
in their morality than they were before
this pool room was established" 1t may
be essentially illegal" and it may be pro-
posed to make it formally illegal in order
to exterminate it." But is 1t not we'll to
remember that, though law is good, 1t can
not do ala Rev. John R. Davies, DR..
Howard Crosby's successor in New York,
says: Gin an old town in my native land
stands statue of Christ with uplifted
finger of warning, and inscribed on it are
the words, Listen to Me- truly an omin
GUS and unmistakable warning"
Now tbis noo1 room NAV ha closed IL
NAV be 80 bolted, and barred, and fastened
that no one can go in or come ont; but the
evil spirit of gambling that was In 1t, what
of thata Will it sleepa Will it dies Or
will it ekulk away into mora secret places,
watching opportunity for tempting weak
neas. and 80 leading its victims to ruin9
But stop! l see man ''strong in the
Lord. and in the strength of His might"
standing with outstretched arm and MP.
lifted finger, and saying to the young men,
students in the great university and others.
Listen to me. We have tried law, and,
and far possible, have used it to
check and destroy the most conspicuous
evil that just now happens to afhict u.s.; but
If you that are unruly, you who do this great
wrong to yourselves and others, would, in
measure, atone for the pact and make
brighter the future, this know; you must
be cleansed and purged of ali your sins
and earthly contagious; you must drop the
earthly man and put on the spiritual man;
you must see the error of your ways and
come to Christ, and acknowledge your
faults. Then, permeated and penetrated
with what Thomas Chalmers calls the ex-
will be dead to the pool room and the pool
room will be dead to you" The law can
shut men away from vice, but the truth
of Christ, working its way down to the
very hearts core, can alone free them
from the wleh to draw the bolt or bar
And when that truth has made young men
free, they are free indeed. a,
And just now, in preaching to the young
men of New Haven, especially to those
who have pool room on the brain, never
mind about ''the newly discovered apocry-
phal gospel of Peter" never mind about
''the expansion of Judaism;" never mind
of Job;" never mind about Moses or Isaiah
ss to what they did or did not write But
the sin of gambling: let the worthy presi-
dent Of Yale university, and the choice
spirits that he invites to it's pulpit, make
that their theme. Let them show how
black it is, how foul it ia, how corrupting
1t is, how it poisons with blast touch,
that destroys all character value in the
man. Aud if "the city aud the university
ara not go pure in their morality as
they were before the pool room was
established. then, in Gods name, and by
the fire of Gods word, burn up the shame
full garment, that 1t may been eeen no
| more. Take away the reproach by the in
coming power that will be sure to follow
the fitting word spoken and the fitting set
done. For fitting words the teachers an
guides of these young men have only to
search their own hearts in the light of
Christ and such words shall be given them.
For fitting acts they have only to frown on
all kinds of gam bling, and to smite them
stoutly down. Should man undertake tc
grow briers in my gard. n the keeper would
say, ''The owner will not permit it, and
you would do well to take my warning and
| not incur the penalty" So when one I'M
dertakes to SOW evil in city one hes q
| right to say, "My father in heaven, who
! owns the world aud all that in it is, will
| not permit it."
Aud if spirit If gambling is not an
| evil, what iss And it m 1st be met by plain
| words. The prophet that hath dream,
let him tell dream, but he that hath my
word, let him speak my word faithfully.
| For what is the chaff to the wheat, saith
| the Lord? Is not my word like as fire,
| saith the Lord, and like a hammar thai
bresketh the rock in pieoes9
A correspondent of the Congregational
| lat in New Haven Notes" says: "In con
| nection with college athletics is tha ques
| tion of college gambling, which is stirring
up the indignation of the community more
| and more. No steps have yet been taken,
| university authorities intended to abate
the evil of betting in connection with the
intercollegiate games, although there is a
crying need for such utterauce, and g
vigorous demand for 1t is coming up from
| various quarters"
Again, writer in the MORNING JOURNAL
AND COURIER for February 81 sage: "We
ares told that the members of the Yale
faculty realize the dangerous and vicious
character of the pool room, and they are
anxious to see it abolished. We hope they
| will show the anxiety they feel by earnest
work. 1t will take earnest work to &C
complish the desired end. The pool room
proprietcrs have "a fat thing and they
are not going to give it up without strug-
gle. The judiciary committee snd the
members of the legislature should be given
an opportunity to see that Yale is in
earnest in this matter"
And, think you, would it help or hinder
the moral and religious power of Yale uni
versity were few earnest spirits, whose
life is part of the university's life, to ut.
ter words red hot with righteous indig-
nation against all college gambling? Presi
dent D wight's letter to Senator Fox was
read by many, who would be glad to
strengthen him in his work; but the best
of all letters are those Of Almighty God,
read and enforced again and again and
again by Christian preachers. in Christian
pulpits. Oh, young men! Think of those
who love you; think of those who pray for
you; think of those who talk of you 10 the
old heme morning, noon and night; think
of those who have pictured for you
bright and sunny future; think of those who
In many cases have given of their own life
that your life might be richer, fuller,
more useful! And shall mothers weep in
secrst places and fathers bow themselves
under great sorrow because those who
should have come to honor have come to
dishonor, because those who should have
walked in the clear, sweet light have been
walking in ways dark and destructive?
Run, speak to that young man! Say to
him, "When sinners entice thee, consent
thou not. Resist the devil and he will flee
from thee" Aud what the law cannot do,
in that it is weak through the flesh, that
the spirit of Christ can do for everyone
that takes hold of his strength. And as
snowbanks melt away under the warm
brooding of April sunbsams, so pool rooms
and other destructive things will lose their
power to harm under the daily touch of an
toned and tempered by the
words and deeds of thoroughly Christly
hearts.
Sleighfng Mishap.