Birmingham age-herald., 1895-06-17
Will Open July 8th.

gift or purchase. Now, money or prop erty won at the card table comes by neither What can 1t be but theft? It makes no difference that the parties play with equal willingness to stake their property on the throw. Besides property is a trust. Now, what right have you to stake the least portion of this upon a game of hazard? 1t is sheer prolgacy to throw it away on the chance of the hour. On the other hand, what right have you to take from another without rendering some equivalent?
 At the gaming table a double crime IS committed. Both agree to stake what neither has the right to throw away nor to appropriate without considera- tion.
 The agreement cannot set aside the Fundamental obligation each has to God.
 Men may agree to fight duel. plac- ing their lives at the mercy of each other. But neither has the right to take nor to give his life away Nor have they the right to agree to do at the card table what is wrong for each.
 3. In view of these ultmated princi- pies, whether popularly held in mind or not, gap has always been fixed between the gambling fraternity and the respectable working people of the world Society has dubbed them as black legs" knights of the shade" gentle men of leisure" and so on. No respecta- ble man would give his daughter to a gambler in marriage. So fixed is this sentiment that one rarely needs to go further into the matter. So that the deeper principles just mentioned are often uninvestigated.
 It is sufficient to say. "He is a gambler" and society sets him off to himself. Gambling Is not a gentleman's game Many gentlemen play cards. Nevertheless I hold to my statement: Gambling is not a gentleman's game. That can never be distinctively gen tleman's game which is dfstinctively the badge and tool of the gambler. And surely 1t is not a ladys game. It is essentially unrefning. The req son may elude you. Nevertheless 1t is something we all feel To my mind, it is because the euchre deck stands for certain province and mode of life and a certain danger It is the gamblers flag
 Why, a word may betoken a lady or gentleman A certain action or remark sets them aside as tackles" We rightly guard our social life from unrefinement and inelegance in speech or behavior.
 Now, card deck has no more busi- ness in gentleman's house than jail birds suit. There are people who would as soon be caught with one as with the other
 Society is very powerful and rightly so but it can never make a gamblers distinctive tools respectable They are his; let him have theml Possibly we honest folks, by diligent thought, may find something that we can do to make life tolerable.
 To what dreary vacancy, to what ab- solute inanity Is life reduced when ev- erything is pronounced fiat except this piece of coarse play out of the reper- toire of the gambler. Let us bring our children up to something better. This miserable stuff is not for the blue-bloods and the genteel.
 4. The law condemns it again because of it's disastrous tendencies. It is built upon excitement The passion grows into a frenzy. Multitudes of homes, thousands of lives have been laid upon this altar. Said noted gambler in New Orleans: T would a thousand times rather see my son in his coffin than see him live the life daily live before him."
 Can a Christian need to be dissuaded from this life? Let not the golden mist of society obscure to you the funda- mental distinctions of morals.
 Did you ever think what profane in- vasion of Gods government this is? Do you not know that this "chance" cf which we talk is part of the province of Him who controls the lightest circum- stance of our life? The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole dsposing thereof is of the Lord.
 Behind the dim unknown standeth God within the shadow keeping watch above His own"
 Science knows nothing of chance, nor does Revelation. Couched in the heart of this mystery lies almost the sublim st truth of religion-the providence of God over everything.
 Christians you know that this is an inconsistent life, for it leads you away from Christian work and growth. You deny it to the clergy and, stronger yet, you will not allow us to approve your doing it, however much you may de- fend it. Now what I cannot advise my young people to do I will not approve, and what I must not approve I must earnestly warn against. Be ye not un- equally yoked with unbelievers."