The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-06-29
FOR MONEY OR MARBLES
Anything Into Which the EIe-
ment of Chance Enters
Is Gambling According to
Evangelist Sims.
Says It is Not the Tariff nor the
Money Question That Ais the
Country But Gambling.


a series of meetings at the Christian
| church, Third and Lake streets, lee
tured last night upon ''Euchre, Seven
! UP and High Five" cataloguing all of
these amusements as gambling. Evan
| geIist Sims did not stop there. He de-
| cIared: ANY game of chance is gam
/ bling, whether it be marbles or a wager
/ of $4,000 upon the turn of a, card. Gam
| bling appears in church fairs and lotter-
| les. It is gambling when you vote a
cane to the most popular preacher. 1t
| is gambling when you run a grab-bag
| game at church social. There IS
| gambling everywhere. It is a monster
| system of prodigality which pervades
| this country. Gambling, gambling,
| everywhere. It is a system of lazy
! vagabOndage; a system of falsehOOd;
| it destroys virtue; it is a. deception from
| start to finish; instigates robbery, cheat
! ing and stealing; stealing is followed
! by lying; and gambling is productive
| of villainY; diSrupts families; places
| obloquy upon the children; fastens
| shame upon the home and is a public
| curse and disgrace.
| Gambling is what ails the state. 1t
| is what ails the nation. The men who
| are charged with the responsibility of
| running the national government are
| gamblers. This statement was proved
| when the members of congress- and
| perhaps the cabinet, were discovered
| dealing in options. Gambling in poll
| ties is also prevalent everywhere. IN
| this state the politicians are gambling
| while the people leave in their hands
| the administration Of our government
ION every hand there are complaints
| of hard times and general depression.
| The evils of the times Cypress the DeO-
| pie but all of these hardships are
caused by gambling, drunkenness ana
| intemperance.
But have you ever seen a politician
| who would mention it? Have YOU ever
IN ,f-,T,
| would heed the cries of distress? No
you have not. The politicians, while
| they have been gambling, enriching
| themselves. have been hoodooing the
| American people. No attemps have
| been made to stir the people to a re-
alization of the condition which sur
rounds them. This is a terrible situa-
ton.
THE best intellect of the land was
scattered throughout the United States
last fall continuing this hoodoO which
enthralls the people. One side told US
that we needed silver to carry US over
the treacheroUs shoals. Another told
US that gold would do it. Some boot
ed at the idea of a tariff, while others
whispered to US that the tariff was the
greatest panacea for all these ills that
could be found. 1t is none of these
things we need today.
What we do need in this wicked old
world today is our Lord Jesus Christ.
People do not realize this. For years
they have hOWled-particularIy during
the last yea-fOr lies and have cheered
liars. The politicians have pleaded for
another opportunity and have ignored
God, telling the people that He is not
up-to-date, suggesting in the place of
saving grace some new, untried and
worthless political theory All of these
will fail. They have never done other
wise. Let us be up and doing. Let US
fOrSake the WicxednesS of the world and
trust in God Then our financial ills
VIII end; then we Will, not be bothered
by howlers who plead calamity and Ii
ars who offer the panaceas which al
ways fall
Referring more directly to his subject
Evangelist Sims declared that nine
tenths of the gamblers of the present
day come from Christian homes. In
homes where family PRAYERS were ea id
these children learned to play cards It
was not objected to by the society
church people and the young people
started out in the world equipped with
the knowledge acquired at home. To
them then the criticism does not belong
so much as it does to the parents. They
were responsible for the downfall which
they witnessed with such bitterness I
do not like to charge to the church peo-
pie of this country such responsibility
but I reiterate that nine-tenths of the
gam bling of the present day is directly
chargeable to the churches and church
people"
Mr.Sins says that avarice and a desire
to profit in an easy manner creates the
gambling instinct in the majority of
people. He hOOted at the theory of luck,
and said:
I have no faith in luck It is a sup
erstition. Superstition is nothing short
of fOOliShneSS. 1 doubt not that there
are people before me who will go to a
ragged, greasy, dirty vaga bond of a
gypsy, who can neither read nor write
and believe that she can foretell the fu-
ture. These old hays will take your
hand up and show where a line crosses
They insist that it means certain
things. 1t would mean the same thing
if it crossed at some other point in your
hand. They talk about important let
tiers coming to you and you believe it.
Sure enough when you go home you
perhaps find statement of your gro
Gerry bill, lodge dues, rent or something
else of a business character. Yes, the
prophecy that you would receive an
important business letter is verified and
you at once believe that the old woman
actually read the future. Oh, such fool
ishness as this. 1t is a disgrace to our
people. Something should be done to
put an end to it. Trusting in luck or
holding superstition is atheistic.
Then again we hear dog howl and
declare that some one is going to die
Sure enough some one does die. They
would have died just the same whether
or not the dog howled. People are dy-
ing all the time. Then we follow that
up with the belief that when the old
rooster comes around on the front
porch and crows, we are going to have
company. There is still another I
once knew a woman, Who following the
advice of some ignorant believer in i'm
possibilities, placed around the neck Of
her baby black string, the ends hang
ing just to the pit of the stomach,
wherever that may be, to prevent the
child from having Group.
Il do not believe that these supersti-
lions Should be given any consideration
whatever. What we need and what we
should trust implicitly is the providence
of God. He will take care of u.s.
Continuing his arraignment of super
stitious theories, he said:
ct believe it is just as lucky to move
on Friday as any other day. 1t is not
unlucky in my opinion to sleep in room
No IS. I believe that one may just as
well get married on Friday, the 18th day