The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-10
GAMING AND LoTTERIEs1N CHINA
Their Prevalence and Demoralizing In
huences.
Chinese Correspondence OF the NV York 1
independent

The Chinese code Of laws is called at
the present cate. THE laws Of the Ia
Ching dynasty" In this code. chapter
%. No g. there is To- be found a law
against gambling. Whatever the law does
not deter or restrain. for at The leisure
periods OF tho year the tendency IS al
most universal, and at all times there
are men whose numbers might easily run
into the hundreds OF thousands who give
themselves to nothing else To be sure
the gambling is done upon a small scale.
but the transfers of property due TO
gambling debts. and the mischief arising
are very great and constant. Gamblers
are reckoued even in China with the worst
classes of society. Gamblers. whoremon-
gers and opium takers are the three
classes invariably cIassed together. Tho
sorrows that come TO families and COM
munties are all but untold. oddly
enough We are not informed that there
are any laws against lotteries. Even the
codes and the dictionaries make distin-
uon between the words and the penal
ties
1t is said that at Shanghai and probably
ar all large places IN the empire IL not
the smaller villages. there are six games
which are the source of the gamblers
JOY and Of his gain or loss. The six are
as follows:
]. The Yao Pao. a great game Of chance
played with four dice.
2. The Ch'a-Aa-Ch'iao. This is a gamb-
ling with fighting crickets, great de-
light 10 the gamesters.
3. The Tung Chi. a game OF dominoes
with l15 pieces.
9. The Liu Shih Ssu. game Of dominoes.
with siXty-three pieces and called by that
name-Sixty-three
s. The Wa-Hau. This is also a game Of
dominoes. and is played with 80 pieces.
Tn other parts of China one of the famous
games is gambling with lighting quails
These An Chun are 50 skilled that they
often command a great price. The win
nlngs and losses are also very heavy.
II is one of these national gambling
games that would afford such scope TO for
eign sportsmen. For the lottery games
introduced from the west are at present
productive Of steadily increased harm. 1t
was perfectly natural that low ideas of life
consequent upon the absence of moral re-
straints should lead many into fondness
for the eXcitements and gains of lotteries
Most Of these We're imported into China by
the Portuguese and Spanish. As long ago
as 1871 foreign lotteries at Shanghai had
assumed such proportions as 10 demand
the attention of the municipal council.
1t was certainly very remarkable that a
council, composed of men not essentially
moral or religious. should have undertake
en- So searching a method Of attack upon
a crying evil. AT that time the Manila lot
terry had scarcely assumed large proper
lions. There We're i'm the three settlements
English, French and Americans. no less
than fourteen private lotteries. with gifts
and donations carried on by the abcttoSf
The local native authority found il so
great an evil that proclama ton was is
sued fOrbidding people to buy tickets.
Nov. aH Il h
lar and imprisoned for neglecting the proc
lamation. II was at the time denounced
ty the foreign press as a vile traffic in
imical TO the prestige of foreigners"
Tickets had been sold in the shops and
hawked about in the streets and sent to
the inland cities for sale. So grievous had
this become that the consular body took
mp the matter and measures were taken
to suppress the evil The French consul
was willing to cooperate. The Anglo
American council decided that the several
consuls should issue an ordinance to their
nations, prohibiting the opening or keep
ing of lottery establishments after a fixed
date. The result was that all lotteries
We're notified to close their establishments.
This notice came into effect in January.
1872 and secured the final suppression of
ell the lotteries except that of the Manila
lottery, which was under the protector
Of the Spanish consul. Thus IL happened
that the Manila lottery became monop-
oily. 1t has steadily increased until the
present DAY. Its monthly sale of tickets
/ is large and its monthly drawing of prizes
! is correspondent.
The quietness of this form of illegitimate
/ gain and the pleasing hazard which is
1 presented to the gamsters has led many
/ to take a ticket who would scarcely be
/ thought as participants
Gambling of this sort has not been cen
! sidered as especial failing of Americans
4 ..N.. IL
| come that have heard very admirable
! and reputable men, whose life in the east
| had dulled somewhat the sharpness of
/ their moral vison. say that they always
/ kept a supply of lottery tickets on hand
/ The price was not great. only s. per ticket.
i The possible gain was considerable.
The gain of a great prize was not eX-
! pected; but enough was gained to more
/ than make up the Investment, and occa-
| sionally the gain was large. 1t was re-
! ported that wel-known literary man in
! Shanghai now deceased, gained prize of
$4,000, and went thome to enjoy the none
/ tary success-if it be considered good for
4 tune.
! The Manila lottery has increased its
monthly sale of tickets from $4,000 at s.
/ per ticket with a prize of $4,000 to
sale of $1,000 tickets al $40 and a grand
prize of 100000. The sale of these tickets
has been prohibited at Hong Kong. The
! sale al Shanghai is a bout 5000 per month.
/ The native sale of tickets is very large,
/ in imitation of the foreign sale, which can
/ not be small. 1t is not strange that other
/ companies should desire a share in these
/ enormous profits, which easily amount TO
/ % per cent. per month. a recent return
/ of the police in Shanghai shows that three
! lotteries have entered upon the field.
There are a shops dealing in these tick
/ ets-three of them being foreign. 1t will
/ be seen that advantage is taken of the
! conflicting laws in force in the Shanghai
] settlements, in order TO make game of the
! Chinese residents, who are easily allured
4 into the excitement and expense.
! As a curious commentary upon this law
/ lessness several of the governments in the
/ islands south of China maintain monop-
4 oily on these lotteries in the shape Of
/ licenses. the proceeds of which are devoted
/ to works of pietY charity and the like
/ 1t is said that the Portuguese government
/ of Macao use the proceeds of such a
/ license, amounting TO about 5000 per an
| mum, for the maintaining of an orphanage
! The larger number of orphas are Chinese
| children.
! II is interesting to observe that the con
/ sular bodies at Shanghai are making
] tod