The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-05-04

practically resistless power, It toucEe:
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 Il
the year. With its relentless grasp Il
lays hold OK every race, every kindred
every tongue,
We see tho immense development il
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,
am thoroughly convinced that this is tho
most terrible. 1t is carried on day in
and day out, year in and year out. AnC
what makes it so universal in its power
to touch and destroy life Ia The fact that
there is not q newspaper published today
in our great cities whose columns arc moi
disgraced by the reports of this inferna.
institution. The press panders TO the
doings Of the race managers, their pro
grammes, their races, their results, unit
it is impossible for an honest young mar
toread the happenings of the world daily
and not be brought into immediate con
tact with the possibility of entering 9
gamblers life.
There are race tracks that are called
respectable. There are those that are
denounced by the papers, But they arc
all reported, and the results are thrust
under the nose Of men and women whose
lives are the furthest removed from sucl
an influence. In the name Of God and oi
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, I arraigr
those who are thus debauching the lives
Of the innocent public.
In the name of God, 1 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 speciality of reporting the
races. Every race track is a 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. II
never has been so; it never will be so.
The horse which is the product of the
race track is not an improvement on tho
normal animal. He is monstrosity; he
is useless except as q 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.
POOIRCONIS or TIE 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 respcctability would keep in his
employ a 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. lie 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
the church, who attends the race track
is not guilty Of these things is simply
because he does not meet the temptation
or does not have the opportunity.
Gathered all around the race track,
and inevitably so, are the poolrooms Of
the city. These are veritable hell holes,
to describe which is a superfuity. No
man has ever dared to stand up before
rational men and women and give one
word in excuse for their existence. They
pander to the lowest and the vilest. The
results upon character are always utter.
ly vicious. The power Of these institu.
tions to destroy young men is something
appalling, and the preacher of the gos.
pei who comes in contact with young
men as l do in this hall has revelation
on this score that is simply heartrending.
There are from 1000 to 5000 young
men who attend these services. I am
brought in contact daily with the lives
of thousands Of young gsmen. would not
give copper for the character of any
young man who has attended race
track or a poolroom or gambling den
for six months. There is nothing left in
him after that experience. There is nc
character by which you can take hold
of him, have seen them go down, again
and again, again and again, until, sick al
heart and almost in despair, have felt
like giving up the work Of preaching the
gospel Of love and leading crusade with
sword and torch against those who are
destroying the possibility Of manhood
and Of life.
received letter from Scotland some
time ago asking me to look after young
man in my congregation. did. in.
terested myself in him. / did my best
with him. It was no use. He was O
liar and scoundrel, and he had not at
tanned his twentieth year. He did moi
know how to tell the truth, because tho
very foundations Of truth and honor and
integrity had been destroyed in gam.
Dlng. found young man some time
ago in distressing circumstances, about
to fall into the hands Of the law because
Of his extravaganza. lent him mon
ey, and he promised everything, and he
kept no promises. He took good pains,
however, to keep the money. have
sought with tears and prayers and sacIi-
fees to cave scores Of young men when
nncn nndar the Influences of pnmhlers