The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-05-29
EVILS OF GAMBLING.
DR.. Lewis on This
Most Alluring
Passion.
PREVALENCE AMONG STUDENTS.
Progressive Euchre Parties
Are a Device Of
the Devil.
PREVALENCE AMONG STUDENTS.

Rev. DR.. Alexander Lewis preached
at Pilgrim church last evening on
Gambling and the betting habit" This
is one of DR.. Lewis series of lectures
on present problems, and one of the
most significant things touched upon
by the preacher was the prevalence
among the college students TO bet on
the college games. The text, taken
from John 1924, was, Let us not rend
it, but cast lots for whose it shall
be- He said in part:
Human nature Graves excitement.
Experience shows that within certain
bounds, excitement is healthful and
necessary, but beyond this limit, ex-
hausting and destructive. Men are al
lowed to choose between long and mod
crate excitement, and intense but
short-lived excitement. Too generally
they prefer the latter. To stay this in
tense thrill, thousand methods are
tried.
1t is upon this very worst perversion
of this powerful element of our nature
that gambling is founded The facul-
ties which produce calculation, pride
of skill, of superiority, love of gam
hope, fear, jealousy, hatred, are abb
sorbed in the gaining.
Gambling can be traced to remote
periods and among the most barbarous
people. 1t loses none of its fascination,
however, among civilized people. On
the contrary, the tension of modern life
seems to invite this master excite
ment.
An inexperienced eye would detect in
our peaceful New England villages no
signs of this vulture flock. One has,
however, only to have some one from
the outside point out the facts or listen
to the stories as they are related in
our police courts to know that the evil
is very general. There is the gambl-
ing of commerce, the gambling of bets
and wagers, and the gambling OF
games of hazard.
There is gambling in the refined cir
cles and the lowest. Thieves gamble
with each other. Government officials
entertain each other in this way till
the gray hours of morning, Students
gamble in their rooms, stalking small
fortunes on athletic contests. Boys
gamble on the street corners. The
stalking of money or property upon
mere chance is gambling.
There is growth here as in every
other evil, yet no gambler ever stepped
forth instantly a full-hedged profess
sional There must be years of ap-
premiership, days and hours of pre-
liminary training. 1t is sad fact but
undoubtedly true that many have Ia
ken their first step in this direction at
church fairs. In many communities 1t
is very common thing to find the lot
fo,~ in church
and charity fairs.
Some time since when making a spec
ial study of this subject I wrote to Mr.
Anthony Comstock of the New York
Society for the Suppression of Vice and
asked him what he considered the first
step that led young men to become
gamblers. His answer was and still
have the letter in my possession: Il
have no hesitancy in saying that my
conviction is that many are influenced
to gamble by raff1es and commended
lotteries at church and charity fairs
believe these are often the nurseries of
crime"
The second step in the evolution of
the gambler is the playing of cards for
prizes. This is one the most prevalent
evils of modern times. Throughout the
winter there is not week but that
groups of ~people assemble for their
evening at progressive euchre or whist.
At the fashionable winter and summer
resorts, from three to four evenings a
week are spent in this way.
Betting for the mere excitement of
the thing is another stepping stone in
the evolution of the gambler Nowhere
does this habit find more encourage
ment than in the modern college ath-
letics. Personally I believe in college
athletics. The annual foot ball, base ball
games and the boat races are, how
ever, doing great harm in the stimulus
which they give to the gambling habit
among young men. A graduate of Col
lumbia told me that the year their stu
dents were successful upon the Hudson
that not less than $4,000 was put into
their pockets.
The professional gambler in this
country is found nowhere more fire.
quently than at the horse race. have
in my possession some facts which were
set forth when the anti-pooling law was
under consideration in the state OF New
York. The race courses about New York
city are the Monte Carlo of America
and men and women who frequent them
are the result of the natural growth
downward. Supt. Byrnes of the New
York police says: I'VE are sanding men
to prison right along on account of the
race track gambling craze When
person has once gone through the eVo-
luton of a gambler and reached the last
form, namely, that where gaming pc
comes the ruling passion OF life, there
is nothing to which he VIII not stoop.
INDULGENCE in this habit first OF ali
units for business A gambling me-
chanic finds his labor less pleasing as
his passion for play increases. A gam
hing lawyer neglects the drudgery OF
his profession. The merchants of Chi
caeo in response to a query from CT
vic federation of that city, SAID:
"Gambline among our employees is
what we fear more than anything else.
we can bear extravaganza in living
and even drinking to a certain extent
but so soon as we find out that one of
our. employees frequents the gambling
table or race track. we begin to suspect
him. We have found out that sooner
or later, Of the man continues his
betting fancy he will cheat us out Of
more or less money some time or 9TH
err
The New York World has the follow
ing to say in speaking Of race track
gambling: Even if races We're hon
estly run. the only men who can bet
on them with Judgment are those who
are Thoroughly familiar with the pre-
sent conditions Of the horses when they
are entered with their records and
their daily morning performances in
advance Of the event. But the sad
truth is that horses no more run on
their merits than stocks sell on the va
Ines and profits Of the business they
represent. II is often determined in
advance what horses shall win. Any
of the experts of the inner circles