New-York tribune., 1901-03-31
GAMBLING.
THE VARYING VIEWS OF PUBLIC MEN ON
THE SUBJECT-KING EDWARDS

What is gambling! That is a question OF con-
siderable interest at present, when in some parts
Of the world it is being held up to reprobation as
the most demoralizing of vices. Here in the
United States pulpit and press unite in making
it theme for scathing denunciaton, and COM
mitteeS Of private citizens are devoting an i'm
mense amount of energy to its suppression
among the masses. In Russia the Car recently
issued a peremptOry order fOrbddng roulette
and baccarat to be played in the private houses
snd clubs Of st. Petersburg. In Belgium the
zwo houses Of the legislature have just enacted,
IT, the face of much opposition from King Leo
pOd. law prohibiting gambling in the clubs Of
rpa Ostend. Namur, etc. In Berlin popular at
tention is still engrossed by what may be called
the aftermath of the scandal in connection with
the high play at the Innocents' Cub-a scandal
which resulted in the suicide of an heir apparent
to a European throne. In France the admins
tratiOn has been discussing the popular Oriental
Came known as The Thirty Beasts. and M
Doumer, Governor General of Cochin China. ar
rived a few DAYS ago in Paris to explain his
tion in suppressing the game thereby bringing
the colony 10 the brink of nsurrection. AT West
minister Parliament has found time to discuss
he measures adopted by the British authorities
in India for putting stop to gambling among
he natives about the rainfall, while preachers
and newspapers in London are carrying on just
vigorous crusade against gambling among
fashionable people in England are those in
he United States
MANY OPINIONS
Now, what is gambling? 1t is difficult to find
two people who entertain the same view Of the
subject There are some, for instance, who hold
mat merely playing cards is gambling. and who
look upon Il pack Of cards as an invention Of the
devil Yet night after night one may -" b.sh-
ops of the Church Of England playing their rub
her in the cardroom at the Athenaum club in
London and the late Bishop WiIherforce of Win
chester was known to he enc Of the best whist
players in England. Nor the late Queen
Victoria, who entertained holy horror Of gam
hing, aVerse to a rubber. and she enjoyed play
ing the game Of cards known as Patience"
Emperor William. who almost brought about
disruption of the Union club at iicrlin some
fears 10y endeavoring to restrict card play
hg there, is himself exceedingly fond Of game
Af cards known as 'Skat" his stakes being
modest. a par indeed. with those of the right
reverend fathers who frequent the cardroom Of
Me Athenaum Club in London. The Car. who
Is stated above recently issued DEGREES to check
rambling at the clubs and in tn fashionahl,
salons of his capital, delights in bczique. which
he plays almost every evening. as his father did
before him, Francis Joseph is like most uf his
subjects both in Austria and hungary. addicted
to the popular game OF "tarok." That ultra
respectable and exceedingly religious statesman.
IlsZa, was indignant On discovering while Pre-
mier Of Hungary that Wekerlc whom he had
just promoted 10 Il seat in his Cabinet did not
play tarok Tisza, sitting down at the card
table. invited Wekerle to axe a hand Thc new
hedged minister declined saying that he could
not play the game.
What" shouted Tisza. you mean to say
that you cannot play tarokr''
Indeed cannot"
liac known that" growled the veteran
Premier, Il would never have allowed Won to
become "a member Of my Cabinet" Yet Tisza
one OF the pillars Of the Protestant Church in
Hungary, would have been horriiie! if anv one
had insinuated that he was addicted to gam
bling
GAMES OF SKILL OR CHANCE?
From the above cases it may he seen that
some OF the most scrupulous ana high prin-
eIpled people in the world see NOTHING, wrong in
game OF cards, even when played for money
ana decline to accept the view ihat all card
paying is necessarily wrong. There are others
who endeavor to make distinctions among the
various games of cards, dividing them into two
classes. namely, games of skill. which are no,
SahpHr ana games of chance, which are
gambling But this distinction is specious For
Artui'liy all games of cards are games Of skill
= NAT TINS IS SO is shown by the fact that il is