Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1895-03-28

another, gradually gaining strength and
momentum, until, when about halfway
down the pane, they plunged to the bot
tom of the glass and disappeared from
sight. The last half of the course was
swift and sure. No stops! No breaks!
A lawyer of prominence came and sat in
the seat beside me. | said pointing to
the drops upon the window: Such is
temptation and sim When temptation
first comes we hesitate to yield. Once we
yield, another comes quickly. Unit
ing, they gain additional force. They
carry us down lower and lower, until
certain point is reached, and we are
plunged into ruin and death"
This is not simply imagination; it is
not. a mere play upon words. 1t is an aw-
ful. truth. The poet understood it when
he wrote:-
"Sice is monster of such hideous mien,
| That to be hated, needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with its face,
We first endure then pity, then embrace
| Facts show that the sin of gambling
is multiplying itself to-day with fearful
rapidity. Gambling is the art of getting
something for nothing. 1t is a sin which
is corrupting thousands of men from
nearly every walk in life. And yet COM
paratively little literature can be found
on the subject. The public conscience is
not yet awakened to the enormity of the
evil. Hence, many men are blindly led
into the practice, and find themselves
under the fascinating power of the habit
before realizing its exceeding sinfulness.
| 81 have no patience with men who
gamble, says Rev. DIR. Macarthur, of New
York, in a recent address. '.There is a
perfect;mania in our country just now for
gambling. | have been through many
parts of New England during the past
! few months, and am told by clergymen
and others in many manufacturing towns,
! that there is such mania for gambling
as has not been known in twenty years.
| Pools are formed, small contri buttons
are received, and large number of young
men-the boys who are working in the
| mills and factories-are engaged in this
dangerous undertaking. \ boy who will
| gamble will steal. Gambling is species
of theft. A boy who wants something
for nothing is dishonest boy. \ man
who says, "the world owes mea living and
propose to have it," is worthless and
| dishonest man. The world does not owe
him a living; the world owes a man what
he will earn nothing more, not hing less
and every man that engages in gambling
is striving with all his might to get some
thing for nothing"
| viii quote few paragraphs from Mr..
Anthony Gomstock's report for 1890, to
/ the New York society for the Prevention
of Vice:
I'm September last a young son of Il
millionaire, who had squandered his in
heritance in riotous living, and also spent
funds belonging to others at the gaming
| table, was about to be married to beau
tiful young lady. The wedding day came.
| The guests and minister had assem- bled
to celebrate the marriage, when all at
once the groom was missing. Shortly
afterwards, his dead body was found,
with most heart -rending and pitiful
letter, written the day before, left to his
beloved, from which we quote as follows
To morrow is the time set for our wedding.
You are happy at its near approach,
while | am unhappy. detected, and the
brink of the grave. Broken down in spirits and
in health, and ruined financially, as my APP
pearance indicates. hasten to end my misery.
| will no longer torture your feelings by keep.
ing you in suspense. So strong was my pro
pensity for gambling that was utterly power
| less to stop it while dollar remained. | went
on till all could touch of my own property,
| nd bp ant ted To NV, "A
friend, We're buried in the accursed vortex
which had already swallowed up SO much from
me-"
Crimes arising from gambling during
1890:
Zone hundred and twenty-eight per
sons were either shot or stabbed over
gambling games. Four We're stabbed and
five shot at poker twelve stabbed and
twenty-four shot over the game of craps,
"a game of dice much played by boot
blacks and newsboys upon the sidewalk,
and by fast young men and negroes
twenty-eight We're stabbed, and fifty five
We're shot over the gaming-ta BILE, or as
the direct result thereof. Besid these,
six attempted suicide, twenty-four COM
mitted suicide, and sixty persons were
murdered in cold blood, while two were
driven insane. Sixty-eight youths and
persons have been ruined by pool-gam-
bling and betting.
"Among the crimes committed to get
money to gamble with are two burglaries,
eighteen forgeries, and eighty-five en-
bezzlements, while thirty-two persons
holding positions Of trust in banks and
other places of mercantile life, alb
seconded. The enormous sum of =, 1898,
372 is shown by this same record as the
proceeds Of these embellishments and de-
falcations. To these crimes must be
added the long list OF thefts, robberies
entertainments, larcenies and defalca-
tions, which are never known except to
immediate friends or persons especially