The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1895-12-21

/
in this degrading vice. The recent craze over
the Cripple Creek gold mines is largely a
matter Of successful gambling. All the shares
of stock of that whole region. many of which
do not represent even hole in the grounds,
number less than a half-million. and yet over
four millions of shares have recently been
sold.
Is gambling wrong? No doubt an idle
question in II preachers meeting. were it
not for the fact that the preachers here
assembled arc constantly preaching to people
who do not believe there is any harm in it,
This is strange when we watch the wake of II
gambling den. but still true. The str4ngeness
OF the fact however wears off when we remem-
Der that a multitude of churches make use
OF the devices OF the gambler to raise
money for the cause OF Christ. Cakes
with rings in them, drawings, lottery tickets,
wheels of fortune and the like are still in use
by Christian churches. \ prominent divine,
whose name is very familiar, was called upon
10y n reporter for his defense OF the practice
in his church and he is credited with words
like these: "Well. suppose, as Il matter Of
taste. such games might perhaps have been
dispensed with But it is at best Il question
of taste. You may say of course that those
boys will acquire Il taste for gambling, and
will be tempted hereafter to visit Objectionable
places. But the danger in their case is re-
mote. As for their act it is innocent in itself;
it is done in church. and it is to be pre-
sumed with their own money money given
them for the purpose. As we cannot
force money out Of people. We must coax
it out oi them, and in this process of coaXing
the church winks at some things that con
fesscdly are not among the most approved
means Of sanctiiration." As Luther has well
said "When the Abbot throws the dice the
whole convent will play Yet the impression
is growing on the world that it is wrong.
From s60000 10 100000 used to change
hands daily through the Delaware Lottery.
located in the city of Wilmington, but that is
now past No man can be found who does
not resent the application of ";amblcr' to
himself. This growing sense OF the evil in
gambling is due far more to the observance
of its evil effects than to any just comprchen-
sion OF the principle involved. Take for
example the following from last Saturday
paper:
Governor O'Ferrall to-day received pri-
vatc letter as Il plea against the Alexander
| Island and other race courses where pools
are sold. 1t relates that travelling man OF II
| we'll known firm stopped there few days
ago to see the races, and. lost $500 of the
firms money He is now q fugitive from jus
tice and forcibly IA deserter of his wife and
children on account OF succumNing to the
seductons of the book-makers. - Rici,m"nd,
| Va. Di$pdtch.
''Such cases as the above, constitute the
inside or unwritten history Of every race
! ground where licensed gambling is practiccd.
Few OF them indeed ever reach the public,
and their story of individual unhrppiness and
family disgrace is seldom written Yet strange
70 say, such public evils find Jealous defend
ers, on the fallacious grounds that they bene-
fit the community. - cell HhiJ.
Or take this not quite so modern but none
the less true and appropriate: "a few years
ago German from Lancaster visited Phila-
delphia He invested Il in lottery ticket
which drew prize Of 81 900. He reinvested
So in another ticket which he put in his hat
and proceeded to get drunk on the balance.
Wandering about the river front in this con
dition he stumbled over n dock log and was
drowned When his body was recovered his
hat was still on, and the ticket still i'll the hat
Upon inquiry the ticket was found to have
drawn a grand prize of 100000. The money
J was turned over to his heirs-wilc and two
sons-who celebrated their good fortune by
driving to Lancaster and getting boiling
drunk In this condition the boys quarreled
over the distribution of the money. and finally
one struck the other and killed him. The
mother and surviving son got into the Wagon
and started home, but in their maudlin condi
ton drove off the end of a large bridge and
were both drowned The money descended
to an uncle who had been up to this time al
honest cobbler in Philadelphia. He, like the
others. celebrated his good fortune by getting
drunk In this condition he continued fol
six months and died of delrium tremens
The rest of the money went to the state, ,whi"l
a short time after attempted to repudiate it,
debts
SO familiar are all gamblers with such cX
periences that they have the proverb, "Wha
is won over the devils back is lost under his
belly That such experiences are not mert
condolences one may be persuaded by tn,
language of Scripture: But ye that forsakC
the Lord that forget my holy mountain
that prepare a table for fortune, and that
fill up mingled wine unto destiny: | vii
dcstine you to the sword. and ye shall bow
! down to slaughter; because when l called "
did not answer, and when | spake ye did
not hear, but ye did that which was evil in
my eyes, and chose that in which | delighted
not
The reason why public sentiment is in a
mixed and uncertain condition as to the real
evil of gambling is because the diagnosis OF
the case by public teachers has usually been
at fault. The stress has mostly been put
upon indulgence in anything like chance.
| Our book of discipline on this ground for
bids games OF chance as | think unwsely.
1t may be well to forbid the games, but not
| for the reason of chance. If a game is not
wrong, surely it is not so because of the
chance element in it. There is no such thing
as chance in the last analysis. 1t is only a
word used to express result, the causes OF
| 10,