The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-02-24
GAMBLING MOTHERS.
Published by Request.

t'The mother makes the man" and
''The Child is Father to the Man.
These proverbs seem contradictory,
but are not.
Some of the sweetest words that
men have ever spoken or written are
in praise of motherhood and moth
ers. And why should they not be,
If, as Edmund Spencer said; The
child taketh most of his nature to
the mother, besides speech, manners,
and inclination, which are agreeable
TO the conditions of their mother?"
Washington Irving confirms it
from another point of view:
THE tie which links mother and
child is of such pure and immaculate
strength as to be never violated
except by those whose feelings are
withered by vitiated society"
INITIATED society is no new dan
ger, no unparalleled horror. For
many centuries three great nations
were cursed with drunkard mothers,
and still in each there are areas Of
which the same must be said. In
all ages many women have been adj
dicted to gambling, running their
children by neglect and bad example.
For many years the practice existed
in this country, but did not threaten
to become general or materially IN
feet the sterner religious denomina-
tions. But during the recent pros
perity of the nation, which has made
possible the accumulation Of great
fortunes, in large part by those who
began in humble circumstances and
the raising up of sons and daughters
to inherit vast sums, together with
those who initiate the wealthy, an
amount of decentralization through
gambling hsa been created rivaling
the ayerges of the liquor traffic.
Today this country abOunds with
gambling mothers.
Never did a more pernicious craze
spread over the United States than
that for bridge whist. 1t has led
thousands of women to neglect their
children or give them wholly to
nurses or gOyernesses, and to send
them away to school as soon as pos
sible. In some respects the effect
on the children of those who cannot
afford nurses, but find time and mon
ey for gambling, is still more in
furious. Such families have assem-
blies in their own houses where the
children see their own and others
mothers spending hours in such
games.
This leads the children to think
there is no wrong in gambling. Boys
instinctively feel that betting on
hnrco oinc nnp1ipo croi,, l,l ~ ,y
with cards, etc, are right because
their mothers play bridge" for
money.
To this certain devOtees of bridge
say: I'VE do not gamble or bet;
we simply give prizes for skill" This
is mode of self-deception. The
game is largely one of chance as we'll
as skill, and the prizes are values
won. A similar though less degree
of excitement is created
An expert informs us that players
who substitute prizes for money us
ually return to the old way, the 9TH
er being too dull to maintain the de-
sired interest; and that many take to
plain gambling because the mere
playing soon grows tiresome, while
the money won or lost keeps up the
excitement to the small hours
Once any form of gambling is in
tro0uced into family the house is
permeated by its atmosphere; but
bridge has a peculiar fascination, and
there is a constant round of bridge
parties What many women, sup
posed to be of high intelligence and
unimpeachable conduct, have done in
the past few years would not form
erly have been believed possible.
Everything else is given up, and it is
not uncommon for women to have
morning bridge, bridge after lunch