The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-05-21
THE PEOPLES FORUM.
Gambling.


they are conscientious. | ask, is their
conscience educated and governed by
the word of God? This is the final court
of appeal. Conscientious Then why
so anxious to conceal it? If it is laud-
able thing. why try to keep it out of
the daily papers, or why ashamed to
have it known that you won the first
prize or the BOBBY? Why slip into
parlor and carefully shut out the gaze
of the world, just like they do in den?
Or why not ask the ministers and their
wives to come in and join you? Should
he chance to drop in for a call, why
hustle the spots into the dark and look
as innocent as goat. or as scared as
an owl? Why publish the eucher or
bridge party under another name, de-
signed evidently, to mislead, conceal
and deceive? I'll tell you why. It's a
lying institution and you know it. One
that loves darkness, yet processing
Christians are partakers of the unfruit-
full works of darkness. When around
the tables and the cards are before you,
have you ever asked yourself, as you
reached for the spots, whose goods they
are? Let the owner step up and claim
his goods. If the evil one can claim
them by right of heather invention and
priority of use let it be understood, but
when the strong man is cast out, if we
would keep him out, we must spoil his
goods. Do it, give them away or lend
them to your neighbors, but spoil them.
Don't sell those goods, but spoil them.
Don't shuttle them with baptized fingers
to kill time. You may kill something
else besides the hours.
1t is because fashionable society is
saturated with card playing that the
strong armed man defies the authori-
ties of the land.
Society favors and defends what
gratifies the palate, the sense of beauty
and the love of admiration. The world,
the flesh, run riot in society, while the
devil has things pretty much his own
way in what calls itself high toned So
ciety. Extravaganza, immodesty in
dress, hypocrisy in conversation, af-
fectation in department, revelries.
petty jealousies and dishonesties charac-
terize what poses as fashionable So
ciety. The poor are snubbed, the rich
are courted, while simplicity is ridi-
culed, yet such society dictates to
Christian people what they shall do or
allow. Shall its sneer at mode sly. good
taste, trim culture and christian con-
scientiousness have weight with the
followers of the Hero of Nazareth.
1t is true man is social being, but
he is also rational being. Unless the
qualification of his element tends to in
telligence, grace and character, solitude
were better. Yes, better no society at
all than SUCH
The spirituality of the church is spoil
ed by the baneful influences of card
parties. Men and women who could
and should grace the church by good
works and holy influences. and who
should be lights in the Lord, become
stumbling blocks with characters as
dark as lamp without oil. Though
they stand in high places, they are an
offence to the hating and lame.
Here is safe and sane test for So
ciety. Does the card table with its
prizes promote higher elements of
character? A writer some time ago
said, Monkeys may play tricks on
each other and grin over their success
at comrades expense; pigs may eat
and eat and grunt and sleep; pet dogs
may perform their antics, peacocks
may strut, but do these constitute So
ciety for rational beings and shall their
human representatives be greater or
less degree, with or without refnements
of the times. dictate the condition of
social recognition to scholars, to women
of purity; to dignified matrons, to be-
levers in the majesty of the soul and
the love of God, the splendid aims of
science, literature and art, and to the
saints who seek Gods image and desire
the fellowship of royal souls in the
kingdom everlasting. Ponder this
well. Let society go its low ways of
selfish pleasure. 1t has nothing worth
the Christians search. Resent It's die
tation in the spirit of noble manhood or
womanhood.
What! Shall we give up all society?
No, only all such society. There is
rational society. Organize such as
benefits christian conception which is
as far above the other in high andhon-
orable things as the dome of St Peters
is above the fever breeding marshes of
the Campagna. A society that exalts
the ENJOYMENT of intelligent conversa-
ton, music and art studies; that meets
for improvement, that finds rest and re-
creation in rational activity, that vio-
lates no law of physical health, that
fosters no animal passions or propensi-