The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-02-15

ffeve that no auluSemeHts should br
injurious, either mentally or physi-
caily cr morally to the one who In
! dulged or the one who might be In
spired to indulge in similar things.
| Some one says: What game do YOU
like to play?
! wen. like TO play 5Asenan. y '1As
7 Il neadfIner Iii that. / hka TO play
! golf; / think It's peach of 3 game
| 1 think bowling is fine Lawn ten
mis- don't like II very well; it's too
sissified for me. Mind yqu it's
dandy game, bat it doesn't happen
Ito suit my style. hats ALL l like
basketball and handball and bike
checkers. although | am not much OF
la player. / like to play crokinoiet
but I'm not a good player. / like
chess, although I'm not a very good
player; ] haven't the patience to si.
down and ravel 1t all out.
Somebody says. What In the DIFF
ference between q pack of cards and
Ia pack of authors, between checkerA
and chess?"
About as much as there is bstweeu
heaven and he'll
Many boy has been enveigled into
ia gam bling den and there listens Ia
the roulette wheel, the faro bank and
listens to the ripaldry and the jest
and the blasphemy and Is reminded
iof his home
Isn't it a wonderful heritage 10
bequeath to a ehild,-to have him 60
of his home
Nine-tenths of the gamblers OF this
country today were taught to play
in their own home and eight out q!
ten were taught to play in the homes
OF processing Christian people.
Al the close of the Worlds Fair in
Chicago, the civic federation was or
Eanized there with Thousands OF
gamblers. They took an inventory
and there were thirty-tw-o or thirty
three hundred gamblers there. They
found that eighty-two out of every
hundred of them had been taught 70
play cards in the homes of processing
Christian people. So you find the
percentage all over the land.
l had a friend while in the Y
&c. A. work. an ex-gambler. He was
one of the most expert gamblers in
his day. His name was John r.
Quinn: did You ever hear of him
He was arrested for working a three
and he was tried and sentenced ana
sent TO the penitentiary. He told
me that he didn't do the Job. but he
did a great many things that he
fought to have gone for. so he never
had any kick coming.
While he was in there, his house
burned and his wife died and his
only child, a little girl. died There
he was. q prematurely Old man,
broken in heart and spirit and dis
couraged. He fell on his knees and
said: God. II you will get me out OF
this. | promise you that III never
play cards again as long as I live"
God heard the prayer OF the gamb-
Eler He was pardoned. His friends
heard his resolution and they gather
ed together $500 and got him a
gambling car and fitted IT up with
all the gamblers pararhcrnaiia.
and the railroad companies hauled him
up and down the country. and young
men would come in and he would show
them you can't beat a gambler at Hrs
own game. Where you have one
chance TO win. he has 100 against you.
and you are a fool to go up against
him. The gamblers saw that he was
affecting their game. so they assaulted
him, and IL you ever see him, you VIII
notice that he has nervous witch
ing.
He came in to give series Of talks
for a week in the Y. M. G. A.. hall when
II was secretary. I used to go out TO
lunch with him every day when he was
there He would take q pack Of cards
and shuttle them, and as he shufr1ed
the cards he'd stack them. He'd PM
them in the faro box, little box with
a string in the bottom of 1t, and he'd
hold the box up and a tray OF dia-
monds would show. Then he'd shuttle
the cards and while he was shuffling
| them he'd tell you what card would
come up. He'd tell you the jack OF
hearts was coming up. and the Jack
ohrxn lar HSSvt.
that the hand is quicker than the eye.
He showed the various tricks that they
used to put over.
And I can see hsm az he leaned on
she pulpit and said: After forty-five
years I want TO charge the so-calfed
Christian homes as being the places
where most gamblers learn to gam
Bile.
About the saddest people I meet as
II 60 up and down the land are moth
ers whose boys are gamblers. or wives
whose husbands gamble.
/ was preaching in little town in
Iowa some years ago, and there were
fifteen college men had come home
from college and they had fitted up
little clubroom, had an old piano and
some periodicals scattered around. and
the merchants of that town were dead
sure that they were hitting the booze
land gambling: so positive were they
that they wouldn't hire one Of those
young fellows to go in q bank or put
him In any position OF trust
The parents saw that that was mir
Eating against their boys. They sAiA.
MIR. Sunday. whenever the merchants
want a boy. instead OF taking oar
boys. they go into some other town
and get some other boy: can't you -
something to find out what Is Eotng
|on?"
And 80 i began to investigate and
found out that out Of fifteen charter
me,nbcrs, thirteen OF them had been
taught to play cards In their homes.
and eleven out Of the thirteen had
been taught in the homes OF profess
ing Christians. And the most deroen-
tory things that have been said about
me have fallen from the lips Of those
who have grown up hitting the 6oose
and gambling. Oh, those things drive
people away from God!
In town out in Missouri, . feb
low stood up in a meeting and sid:
This is the first and only sermon I
ever attended. with my fathr ana
mother" He said: II sat rtxht II
this pew where am now when ~
-