The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-20
MINISTER SCORES
PLAYERS OF BRIDGE
Rev. H. B. Taylor Denounces St.
Paul Society for Permitting
Gambling In the Home

society men and women were scored
Tor playing bridge whist in their honres
and in the homes of friends by Rev
h b. Taylor of st. PauPs Universalist
church in his sermon upon the sub
ject, 1.-THE City of ST. Paul's Fayorite
Sin" preached last evening.
The minister roundly denounced the
class composed of eminently respect
able men and women for allowing
gambling to openly invade their homes.
He declared that when he decided to
preach sermon upon the gambling
evil of st. Paul he realized that the
evil did not lay so much with the pub
lie gambling houses, which he under
stood to be few and well concealed. but
with the people in the homes of the
city; the men who were spending their
leisure time playing cards for money
in their club rooms. The influence.
the pastor insisted. of this spread of
open gambling was to drive the chill
dren to the same sin and TO generally
demoralize society.
Stirred by Professors
Mr.. Taylor said that he first intend
ed to preach sermon on gambling
when he. not long ago, read in the
daily papers that two university pro-
fessors had expressed the opinion that
playing cards and other games of
chance among friends is not harmful
In the least, provided the stakes are
not such as to really harm the loser.
He also said that he himself had had
a very striking example of the nefari-
Gus influence of the gambling habit, in
that three out of eight of his school,
mates went wrong on account of gam
bling, which is an awful percentage.
In his sermon he first quoted the
lines from the Letters From a Chi
nese Official" where it is said:
you profess Christianity, but your
civilization (meaning the American)
has never been Christian. With you
economic relations come first, and
upon these you endeavor afterward to
graft as much morality as they will
admit. Among you no one is content
ed, no one has leisure to live, so in
tent are all on increasing the means
OF living. We would not, If we could,
rival you in your wealth, your sciences.
your arts, If we must do so at the cost
OF initiating your institutions"
Children Play Slot Machines
Il am asked" continued the minis
ter, for evidence that gambling Is
really going on in this city 1t is not
so much the open gambling house that
l REFER to, but the gambling in private
families under the guise of harmless
amusement. Poker games go on in
many OF the homes of the highly re-
spectacle, as we'll as in most of the
hotels. There are fashionable clubs
where men of eminent responsibility
pass away their idle hours In games
of chance. Even the children are learn
ing the devils game by playing slot
machines, which can be found on well
nigh every corner all over the city.
Some of the results of gambling,
to which curse the slot machines are
but stepping stone, can be found in
the large number of embezzlers. But
we have been told that the sin of
gambling lies in the excess; now then
would we say that there is no sin if not
carried TO excess? Or in theft If not
carried to excess, or is there no sin
in getting drunk only once in q while?
Perhaps it can be shown in these cases
that no harm has been done to any
large number of people.
Where then does the sin rest?
The offense against moral law does
not necessitate many fallings. Human
nature is the poorer for the first of
tense. Precisely the same principles
apply to the gambler. whether he play
for a small or large amount.
In legitimate business transactions
there is an opportunity for the expan-
sion of the whole man. There is an
opportunity for the exercise of reason.
justice. benevolence and fraternity. In
gambling the exact opposite is the
case. No. man can be expected to bet
against what he knows to be a GER
tainty. Before a man agrees to repress
personality, it Stays, of course, for the
ume Deing benevolence or any other
friendly feeling.
There Is no sense OF Justice In
gambling, because in the nature of the
case 1t is impossible. The winner gets
money without love from the loser.
while he has no feeling of gratitude
Tor the latter. Even the will is in a
paradoxical condition while a man Is
gambling; 1t wills not to give, it wills
only to risk and that the opponent
may lose. When a man does such
violence to his nature certain evil re-
suits to himself and to the community
are sure to be produced.
Get Rich Quick Scheme Spirit
''The spirit of gambling is the spirit
or the get rich schemes 1t is to get
from the community what you can
without making adequate return. Gam
bling is the natural parent of embez-
Element; 1t exaggerates and inflames
egotlsm, 1t makes us forget that all we
nave is stewardship under God and
subject to the law OF justice and right
eousness. Gambling tends to sui
eide, as 1t makes us lose our self
respect There is a world of difference
between the man who has lost his all
In legitimate transactions and he who
has lost his all by an insane risk.
Now the question is how are we
10 stop this ruinous habit?
One of the most effectual things to
do would be to protest to your repre-
sentative In the legislature to formu-
late laws which will forbid even that
class or gambling which has hereto
fore been considered absolutely harm
less. Teach your children to keep away
from the slot machines. for gambling is
gambling, whether 1t be for a piece of
chewing gum, a cigar or a fortune.
There is bridge after the English
manner, which has done so much to
degrade the character of some of the
noblest English women-it Is on its
way to us, and in some places it has
already arrived; keep ii out of your
homes. 1t Is only a more refined form
OF the game the brutal soldiers played
when they cast lots for the Savior's
garment"