The Detroit times., 1914-03-12
PUTS GAMBLING
SECOND ONLY TO
INTEllPERANCE
'sUndsrlying Fabric Of Many Of
Our Base Practices," Declares
Pastor Rice
PRODUCES GENERATION
OF ECONOMIC PERvERTS"
Minister Places Sin In ''Same
vile Family" a. Lying and
Stealing

The Rev. M y. Hlces OF Inc NVSSn
woodward Methodist church. spoke on
sThe rambler" In the noon-day Len
ten service In the Detroit opera house
Thursday. He said that 1t mattered
little what form gambling took. q
best It was q sin peculiar to this gen
GRAFTON. His address In part:
II am TO class tie gambler now a. 9
common sinner, and to declare my %.
lief that gambling 10 one Of the most
dangerous sins shrinking today at the
roots Of our society. In many ways
believe this sin to be the underlying
fabric of many OF our base practices.
need bring no argument to convince
you Of the prevalence Of the evil. ana
am ready to say a. for myself place
gambling second only to intemperance
as basis OF wickedness. A book has
been written by Mr.. R0wntree. OF Eng.
land, on RamblinS. which should b
read by the public very largely. be.
cause OF the clear citations made
which show the delirtum attendant
ever upon the practice. A man told
me some time ago q bit Of his tragic
life story. He mas been gambler Tor
many years. He said that when he
first began, his good old simple-faithed
German mother said to him: Son.
fear that will land you in states
prison He told me that when at last
he did land In states prison. ne fell
upon his knees on the hard cell moor
and thanked God his old mother had
died before she saw the coming Of her
prophesied day. That's only q rapidly
told tale of holocaust that has found
finder for It's fame In the mechanism
Of many Q human soul.
There are doubtless many hero now
who don't see any harm in game or
chance. What il the harm In risking
q small sum on game? you have Of
ten said. remember of having seen
somewhere o. statement made by .
prominent preacher that he could not
see any necessary harm In gambling,
and he was certain It was forbidden
by no commandment In the Bible III.
Clay Trumbull answered that this
way: There is nothing In the Bible
against eating green apples In cholera
time. neither are We warned there
not to feed q hyeI.a peanuts out Of the
open hand But almost any OF ~
common folks goee laundering alons
through life. and knows better than
to do those things.
"Candidly. most any fool Knows bet
ter than to gamble But We face IN
this SIN Q peculiarly indicative sin Of
our generation, because folks are see
tng Il having become . consuming dis
ease threatening the integrity Of ouI
social and business life. / am saying
now. and be sure I am saying Il care.
fully. too. that the danger IN this
thing We are looking ct now lies IN
the passion not for the game, but for
the gain. A game growls old quickly.
Il would lose its attraction 20 soon %
the cards lost their stiffness. It II not
the game. but the gain that holds In.
terest lam NOT concerned with any
particular form Of the sin. am CON.
cerned with the gambler. The issue
II much larger than whether It ID
played with bones or cards. It IL no
question OF amuSements. It II Ques.
ton which hinges upon our interest
In the dangerous liAb'li OF rearing IN
our midst . generation Of economic
perverts. 90 believe Shotler Math-
ews has called them. can think Of
fe whore serious liabilities before u
than the one BY which We should see
grow up generation Of young men
with the thought that they can make
their living and fortune by chance, and
can AFFORD to rely upon the possibility
Of luck.
The very spirit that would make
any man want to play to win. will
make hi mplay to win. Deception.
lying. stealing, gambling -they 90 TO-
gether like one vile family. Look out!
You who may now be caught with
that plea Of harm. ess. are on danger
Gus ground. II The real spirit Of the
thing with which you tamper could Be
made clear 70 your vision. you would
sec the whole road 20 be q track Of
dead mems b0nes."
Friday Pastor Rice will discuss zine