The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-04-11
is 1T WRONG TO PLAY cARosr

page S8Z OF he OGtt00h AOF OCtVoSE
u: Z am accustomed 10 play solitaire.
sometimes with 3 companion. etc. Do
you approve of Christians playing
cards? or was it merely an iIlustra-
ton TO point your assertion?
It might be a sufficient reply 10 this
question to quote the following par
agraph from a lecture which deliver
ed on the Ethics Of Jesus" in 1909 at
the University OF Pennsylvania
The minister is continually asked
today, Where shall 1 draw the line
The answer OF Jesus. I think, would
be: There are no lines He would not
teach that knocking balls around on a
green lawn IS right because that is
croquet. and knocking balls around
on a green table is wrong because
that IS billiards He would not teach
that cards are right if you have histOr
ical names on them. and wrong If you
have hearts and spades on them. He
would not teach that it is is right to
have q tableau or a charade in
church sociable. and wrong 10 see
play given by professionals in a the
ater. He would not teach that it is
wrong TO wear previous jewels and
right to wear precious flowers. He
would teach this: No enjoyment is
right that does not help to develop
manhood and womanhood.'
But I think this question calls for
a little fuller response.
In 1s60-64 l was pastor Of a church
in Terre Haate. Indiana, Terre Haute
is on the railway line between In
dianapolis and St. Louis both of which
cities are great gambling centers. The
gambling was largely carried on by
the use Of cards. / was told by a man
whom / believe to have been a profes-
sional gambler, that playing-cards
were manufactured so that the gam
bier could tell the face of the card
from marks on the back OF the card,
which would not be noticed by an or
binary player; that it was customary
for one of the group Of gamblers to go
the country selling this kind
OF playing-card at a low price to the
hotels and stores; and then a few
weeks later one OF his companions
would travel through the same coun
try. inviting to card games, and avoid
ing the suspicion OF being a profes-
siOnal gambler by buying the cards
which were on sale in the village.
Many a young man was at least tenn
porarily Injured, and some were per
manently demoralized by the gamb- |
ling habit. Under those Circumstance |
es. l refused TO have a pack of cards !
in my house. or to give any counter !
ance to them, or to play them myself, |
Or allow my children to play them.
On the other hand. heard recently !
Of mother who found that her boy |
was surreptitiously playing cards |
with the coachman in the stable. |
Thereupon, she bought pack of
cards. and, after supper one evening, |
she proposed to have a game with |
him, and they played regularly every
evening until he got weary of that
form of recreation and began TO look |
for something else. She was a wise
mother.
There is nothing Inherently wrong !
in playing games with cards. Whether
such games are right or wrong de- |
ponds wholly upon circumstances. I
am told that there are women in GER
tain circles OF society who waste a /
great deal OF time with bridge whist,
though they are circles with which /
have no personal acquaintance; and
other women who gamble with cards,
and invite young girls to gamble.
sometimes TO a very considerable ex-
tent. If my life were such that I was
brought much into this circle, | should
prefer not to know how to play whist,
because it would be easier TO refuse
to play at all than to make selections
and refuse to play with some and play
with others. On the other hand, it isl
a decided misfortune for men or wo-
men TO grow up to mature age with
out some genuine recreation in which
they can take part, and which has suf
ficient intellectual interest in it to en-
able them for a time to forget the
cares and responsibilities which
press upon most of US in our siren
uous American life. For such a pur-
pose cards may be as innocent a rec
reation as dominoes. checkers, o.
backgammon.
There are some men who waste
their time at billiards; others who
play golf so vehemently one day that
they are untitled for their business
on the following day. But there are