The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-03
GAMING IN SOCIETY
REV. JOHN ID. JORDAN SAYS GAM
BLING is INCREASING.
"OTHER FAULTS OF OUR DAY."
UNREASONABLE ATTITUDE OF
MANY PEOPLE TOWARD
CHURCHES.

In His Sermon at 'the First Baptist
Church Last Night, DR.. Jordan
spoke of the Strong Hold Gam
bling Has on SOciety-Even the
Trusted and PiOus Are Ensnared
by 1.-THE Vice Branded as Rob
bery-CharEe That the Churches
Are Narrow Answered-In Discuss
ing Mckinley Monument Plan the
Minister Announced That lie Is
Not in the Tombstone Business.
The hold of gambling upon society
people and the unreasonable attitude
of many people towards churches
were spoken of by Rev. J. D. Jordan
in his sermon "Other Faults of Our
Day." delivered to a large congrega-
ton at the First Baptist Church last
night.
In discussing the plan for the rails
ing of a sufficient sum to erect mon
ument to the late President Mckinley,
DIR. Jordan took occasion to remark
that he is not in the tombstone bust
mess.
DR.. Jordan took as his text: He
that entereth hot by the door into the
sheepfold, but climbeth up some other
way, the same is a thief and rob-
ber." John 1O:1
Having spoken to you last Sunday
night on the evils of ignorance, lazi-
ness and procrastination," said DR..
Jordan, Il desire that we shall con-
slider tonight two other evils of our
cay. call your attention to the spirit
of gambling. 1t appears to be on the
increase as it is manifesting itself
in so many ways and places;
1t is found in all ranks and grades of
society; it seems to have strong hold
among those who style themselves the
society people. The negroes have taken
widely to it, and now and then the
trusted and pious are ensnared by it.
Gambling is robbery. 1t seeks that
which is not ones own, without seek
ing to give value received for it. AS
sure as there is a winner there must
be a loser. One of the leading univer-
sity professors of this generation said
recently: Gambling is that form of
stealing in which the person stolen
from sustains the relation of ascent or
completely, or particeps criminis.' If a
man gets robbed under the guise of
gaming, and makes it known, he is re-
garded as playing the baby or child
act. Bishop Dudley of Kentucky spoke
at dinner for business men in Louis
Vile recently. and he deplored the
gambling spirit that obtained in that
TOT 1s4.
Henry Watterson as saying that
the race course in Louisville had
wrought more evil, with their pool
rooms, than all the gambling hells and
saloons pust together, because they
reach young men, and girls, too, of
higher walks and larger posi- Utilities .
Cheating, defrauding, stealing, gam
bling and murder stand closely related
in the Bible. A false balance is abom-
ination to the Lord Varying weights
and measures are designed to steal and
rob. and differ from gambling in that
both do not appear to have a chance.
Bread of deceit is sweet to a man, but
afterwards his mouth shall be filed
with gravel To take advantage of a
brothers necessity and exact from him
unjustly is stealing. Jacob stole his
brothers birthright and his fathers
blessing. 1t appeared that we had the
gambling evil pretty well throttled till
we had a political campaign. and a
Fair. While we We're talking reform in
politics and patronizing the Fair, the
gamblers seem TO have gotten a hold
in our city So long as so many who
move among our good people gamble,
it will be hard to suppress the crap
shooter and the policy shop. AS long
as prominent men say gambling is all
right for the rich, it will be hard to
persuade the poor that it is not good
for them also, and / agree with them.
What is pie for the gander is not poison
for the goose.
"The second evil is the unreasonable
attitude of many toward churches.
Some say the churches are too narrow,
while others say they are too broad. In
the churches you find the best people
of every community. The counterfeit
cannot discount the genuine. Some
people make demands on the churches
and pastor for power and influence
without first exerting themselves to
put power and influence in the
churches Others start movements or
organizations to do a work which they
say the churches ought to do. then
turn and make demands upon the
churches for support to run them. This,
too, is done without even consulting
pastor or church in the beginning.
"A great wall went over the land
last Monday because the churches of
Georgia did not respond to a call for
money to erect a monument to our late
President. / admired and loved him as
citizen, but as a pastor / am not in
the tombstone business. Half the pas
tors and churches did not know about
the call and none of them, l presume.
were consulted.
"A fault with many church members
Is in their regard, or, rather, lack of
regard, for their church duties and OBJ
legations A military man must be in
line on drill nights or be outclassed
and lose his standing. shooting club
member must be on hand for practice,
or bring up the rear on the Ginal score.
All must pay their dues to maintain
good standing. Were this so i'm our
churches there would be more attend
ance and less deficits.
THE tendency Of the age is to put
the stress upon clay, instead of char
acter. II our clay does not leave US.
we must leave II. be we ever so rich.
Our character Is all that we can take
with us-and with us it must go. A
noble character wrought out through
eternal life In Christ Jesus our Lord Is
the noblest thing that we can present
TO our God"