,illustration3 ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 ,gamblers and ,gambling ,by ,rev4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher ,philadelphia ,henry ,altemus ,copyrighted1 #ahif1 by ,,henry ,,altemus4 ,,henry ,,altemus1 ,,manufacturer1 ,,philadelphia4 ,,gamblers ,,and ,,gambling ,then the soldiers1 when they had crucified ,jesus1 took his garments and made four parts1 to every soldier a part1 and also his coat4 ,now the coat was without seam1 woven from the top throughout4 ,they said therefore among themselves1 ,let us not rend it1 but cast lots far it1 whose it shall be4 ,these things therefore the soldiers did4 ,i have condensed into one account the separate parts of this gambling transaction as narrated by each evangelist4 ,how marked in every age is a ,gambler's character6 ,the enraged priesthood of ferocious sects taunted ,christ's dying agonies2 the bewildered multitude1 accustomed to cruelty1 could shout2 but no earthly creature1 but a ,gambler1 could be so lost to all feeling as to sit down coolly under a dying man to wrangle for his garments1 and arbitrate their avaricious differences by casting dice for his tunic1 with hands spotted with his spattered blood1 warm and yet undried upon them4 ,the descendants of these patriarchs of gambling1 however1 have taught us that there is nothing possible to hell1 uncongenial to these1 its elect saints4 ,in this lecture it is my disagreeable task to lead your steps down the dark path to their cruel haunts1 there to exhibit their infernal passions1 their awful ruin1 and their ghastly memorials4 ,in this house of darkness1 amid fierce faces gleaming with the fire of fiercer hearts1 amid oaths and groans and fiendish orgies1 ending in murders and strewn with sweltering corpses1--do not mistake1 and suppose yourself in ,hell1--you are only in its precincts and vestibule4 99 99 99 99 99 ,gambling is the staking or winning of property upon mere hazard4 ,the husbandman renders produce for his gains2 the mechanic renders the product of labor and skill for his gains2 the gambler renders for his gain the sleights of useless skill1 or more often1 downright cheating4 ,betting is gambling2 there is no honest equivalent to its gains4 ,dealings in fancy-stocks are oftentimes sheer gambling1 with all its worst evils4 ,profits so earned are no better than the profits of dice1 cards1 or hazard4 ,when skill returns for its earnings a useful service1 as knowledge1 beneficial amusements1 or profitable labor1 it is honest commerce4 ,the skill of a pilot in threading a narrow channel1 the skill of a lawyer in threading a still more intricate one1 are as substantial equivalents for a price received1 as if they were merchant goods or agricultural products4 ,but all gains of mere skill which result in no real benefit1 are gambling gains4 ,gaming1 as it springs from a principle of our nature1 has1 in some form1 probably existed in every age4 ,we trace it in remote periods and among the most barbarous people4 ,it loses none of its fascinations among a civilized people4 ,on the contrary1 the habit of fierce stimulants1 the jaded appetite of luxury1 and the satiety of wealth1 seem to invite the master-excitant4 ,our land1 not apt to be behind in good or evil1 is full of gambling in all its forms--the gambling of commerce1 the gambling of bets and wagers1 and the gambling of games of hazard4 ,there is gambling in refined circles1 and in the lowest2 among the members of our national government1 and of our state governments4 ,thief gambles with thief1 in jail2 the judge who sent them there1 the lawyer who prosecuted1 and the lawyer who defended them1 often gamble too4 ,this vice1 once almost universally prevalent among the ,western bar1 and still too frequently disgracing its members1 is1 however1 we are happy to believe1 decreasing4 ,in many circuits1 not long ago1 and in some now1 the judge1 the jury1 and the bar1 shuffled cards by night1 and law by day--dealing out money and justice alike4 ,the clatter of dice and cards disturbs your slumber on the boat1 and rings drowsily from the upper rooms of the hotel4 ,this vice pervades the city1 extends over every line of travel1 and infests the most moral districts4 ,the secreted lamp dimly lights the apprentices to their game2 with unsuspected disobedience1 boys creep out of their beds to it2 it goes on in the store close by the till2 it haunts the shop4 ,the scoundrel in his lair1 the scholar in his room2 the pirate on his ship1 gay women at parties2 loafers on the street-corner1 public functionaries in their offices2 the beggar under the hedge1 the rascal in prison1 and some professors of religion in the somnolent hours of the ,sabbath1--waste their energies by the ruinous excitement of the game4 ,besides these players1 there are troops of professional gamblers1 troops of hangers-on1 troops of youth to be drawn in4 ,an inexperienced eye would detect in our peaceful towns no signs of this vulture-flock2--so in a sunny day1 when all cheerful birds are singing merrily1 not a buzzard can be seen2 but let a carcass drop1 and they will push forth their gaunt heads from their gloomy roosts1 and come flapping from the dark woods to speck the air1 and dot the ground with their numbers4 ,the universal prevalence of this vice is a reason for parental vigilance2 and a reason of remonstrance from the citizen1 the parent1 the minister of the gospel1 the patriot1 and the press4 ,i propose to trace its opening1 describe its subjects1 and detail its effects4 ,a young man1 proud of freedom1 anxious to exert his manhood1 has tumbled his ,bible1 and sober books1 and letters of counsel1 into a dark closet4 ,he has learned various accomplishments1 to flirt1 to boast1 to swear1 to fight1 to drink4 ,he has let every one of these chains be put around him1 upon the solemn promise of ,satan that he would take them off whenever he wished4 ,hearing of the artistic feats of eminent gamblers1 he emulates them4 ,so1 he ponders the game4 ,he teaches what he has learned to his shopmates1 and feels himself their master4 ,as yet he has never played for stakes4 ,it begins thus3 ,peeping into a book-store1 he watches till the sober customers go out2 then slips in1 and with assumed boldness1 not concealing his shame1 he asks for cards1 buys them1 and hastens out4 ,the first game is to pay for the cards4 ,after the relish of playing for a stake1 no game can satisfy them without a stake4 ,a few nuts are staked2 then a bottle of wine2 an oyster-supper4 ,at last they can venture a sixpence in actual money--just for the amusement of it4 ,i need go no further--whoever wishes to do anything with the lad1 can do it now4 ,if properly plied1 and gradually led1 he will go to any length1 and stop only at the gallows4 ,do you doubt it8 let us trace him a year or two further on4 ,with his father's blessing1 and his mother's tears1 the young man departs from home4 ,he has received his patrimony1 and embarks for life and independence4 ,upon his journey he rests at a city2 visits the school of morals2 lingers in more suspicious places2 is seen by a sharper2 and makes his acquaintance4 ,the knave sits by him at dinner2 gives him the news of the place1 and a world of advice2 cautions him against sharpers2 inquires if he has money1 and charges him to keep it secret2 offers himself to make with him the rounds of the town1 and secure him from imposition4 ,at length1 that he may see all1 he is taken to a gaming-house1 but1 with apparent kindness1 warned not to play4 ,he stands by to see the various fortunes of the game2 some1 forever losing2 some1 touch what number they will1 gaining piles of gold4 ,looking in thirst where wine is free4 ,a glass is taken2 another of a better kind2 next the best the landlord has1 and two glasses of that4 ,a change comes over the youth2 his exhilaration raises his courage1 and lulls his caution4 ,gambling seen1 seems a different thing from gambling painted by a pious father6 ,just then his friend remarks that one might easily double his money by a few ventures1 but that it was1 perhaps1 prudent not to risk4 ,only this was needed to fire his mind4 ,what6 only prudence between me and gain8 ,then that shall not be long6 ,he stakes2 he wins4 ,stakes again2 wins again4 ,glorious6 ,i am the lucky man that is to break the bank6 ,he stakes1 and wins again4 ,his pulse races2 his face burns2 his blood is up1 and fear gone4 ,he loses2 loses again2 loses all his winnings2 loses more4 ,but fortune turns again2 he wins anew4 ,he has now lost all self-command4 ,gains excite him1 and losses excite him more4 ,he doubles his stakes2 then trebles them--and all is swept4 ,he rushes on1 puts up his whole purse1 and loses the whole6 ,then he would borrow2 no man will lend4 ,he is desperate1 he will fight at a word4 ,he is led to the street1 and thrust out4 ,the cool breeze which blows upon his fevered cheek1 wafts the slow and solemn stroke of the clock1--one1--two1--three1--four2 four of the morning6 ,quick work of ruin6--an innocent man destroyed in a night6 ,he staggers to his hotel1 remembers as he enters it1 that he has not even enough to pay his bill4 ,it now flashes upon him that his friend1 who never had left him for an hour before1 had stayed behind where his money is1 and1 doubtless1 is laughing over his spoils4 ,his blood boils with rage4 ,but at length comes up the remembrance of home2 a parent's training and counsels for more than twenty years1 destroyed in a night6 ,good ,god6 what a wretch ,i have been6 ,i am not fit to live4 ,i cannot go home4 ,i am a stranger here4 ,oh6 that ,i were dead6 ,oh6 that ,i had died before ,i knew this guilt1 and were lying where my sister lies6 ,oh ,god6 ,oh ,god6 my head will burst with agony6 ,he stalks his lonely room with an agony which only the young heart knows in its first horrible awakening to remorse--when it looks despair full in the face1 and feels its hideous incantations tempting him to suicide4 ,subdued at length by agony1 cowed and weakened by distress1 he is sought again by those who plucked him4 ,cunning to subvert inexperience1 to raise the evil passions1 and to allay the good1 they make him their pliant tool4 ,farewell1 young man6 ,i see thy steps turned to that haunt again6 ,i see hope lighting thy face2 but it is a lurid light1 and never came from heaven4 ,stop before that threshold6--turn1 and bid farewell to home6--farewell to innocence6--farewell to venerable father and aged mother6--the next step shall part thee from them all forever4 ,and now henceforth be a mate to thieves1 a brother to corruption4 ,thou hast made a league with death1 and unto death shalt thou go4 ,let us here pause1 to draw the likeness of a few who stand conspicuous in that vulgar crowd of gamblers1 with which hereafter he will consort4 ,the first is a taciturn1 quiet man4 ,no one knows when he comes into town1 or when he leaves4 ,no man hears of his gaining2 for he never boasts1 nor reports his luck4 ,he spends little for parade2 his money seems to go and come only through the game4 ,he reads none1 converses none1 is neither a glutton nor a hard drinker2 he sports few ornaments1 and wears plain clothing4 ,upon the whole1 he seems a gentlemanly man2 and sober citizens say1 his only fault is gambling4 ,what then is this only fault8 ,in his heart he has the most intense and consuming lust of play4 ,he is quiet because every passion is absorbed in one2 and that one burning at the highest flame4 ,he thinks of nothing else1 cares only for this4 ,all other things1 even the hottest lusts of other men1 are too cool to be temptations to him2 so much deeper is the style of his passions4 ,he will sit upon his chair1 and no man shall see him move for hours1 except to play his cards4 ,he sees none come in1 none go out4 ,death might groan on one side of the room1 and marriage might sport on the other1--he would know neither4 ,every created influence is shut out2 one thing only moves him--the game2 and that leaves not one pulse of excitability unaroused1 but stirs his soul to the very dregs4 ,very different is the roistering gamester4 ,he bears a jolly face1 a glistening eye something watery through watching and drink4 ,his fingers are manacled in rings2 his bosom grows with pearls and diamonds4 ,he learns the time which he wastes from a watch full gorgeously carved1 7and not with the most modest scenes17 and slung around his neck by a ponderous golden chain4 ,there is not so splendid a fellow to be seen sweeping through the streets4 ,the landlord makes him welcome--he will bear a full bill4 ,the tailor smiles like ,may--he will buy half his shop4 ,other places bid him welcome--he will bear large stealings4 ,like the ,judge1 he makes his circuit1 but not for justice2 like the ,preacher1 he has his appointments1 but not for instruction4 ,his circuits are the race-courses1 the crowded capital1 days of general convocation1 conventions1 and mass-gatherings4 ,he will flame on the race-track1 bet his thousands1 and beat the ring at swearing1 oaths vernacular1 imported1 simple1 or compound4 ,the drinking-booth smokes when he draws in his welcome suit4 ,did you see him only by day1 flaming in apparel1 jovial and free-hearted at the ,restaurateur or ,hotel1 you would think him a ,prince let loose--a cross between ,prince ,hal and ,falstaff4 ,but night is his day4 ,these are mere exercises1 and brief prefaces to his real accomplishments4 ,he is a good fellow1 who dares play deeper2 he is wild indeed1 who seems wilder2 and he is keen indeed1 who is sharper than he is1 after all this show of frankness4 ,no one is quicker1 slyer1 and more alert at a game4 ,he can shuffle the pack till an honest man would as soon think of looking for a particular drop of water in the ocean1 as for a particular card in any particular place4 ,perhaps he is ignorant which is at the top and which at the bottom6 ,at any rate1 watch him closely1 or you will get a lean hand and he a fat one4 ,a plain man would think him a wizard or the devil4 ,when he touches a pack they seem alive1 and acting to his will rather than his touch4 ,he deals them like lightning1 they rain like snow-flakes1 sometimes one1 sometimes two1 if need be four or five together1 and his hand hardly moved4 ,if he loses1 very well1 he laughs2 if he gains1 he only laughs a little more4 ,full of stories1 full of songs1 full of wit1 full of roistering spirit--yet do not trespass too much upon his good nature with insult6 ,all this outside is only the spotted hide which covers the tiger4 ,he who provokes this man1 shall see what lightning can break out of a summer-seeming cloud6 ,these do not fairly represent the race of gamblers1--conveying too favorable an impression4 ,there is one1 often met on ,steamboats1 travelling solely to gamble4 ,he has the servants1 or steward1 or some partner1 in league with him1 to fleece every unwary player whom he inveigles to a game4 ,he deals falsely2 heats his dupe to madness by drink1 drinking none himself2 watches the signal of his accomplice telegraphing his opponent's hand2 at a stray look1 he will slip your money off and steal it4 ,to cover false playing1 or to get rid of paying losses1 he will lie fiercely1 and swear uproariously1 and break up the play to fight with knife or pistol--first scraping the table of every penny4 ,when the passengers are asleep1 he surveys the luggage1 to see what may be worth stealing2 he pulls a watch from under the pillow of one sleeper2 fumbles in the pockets of another2 and gathers booty throughout the cabin4 ,leaving the boat before morning1 he appears at some village hotel1 a magnificent gentleman1 a polished traveller1 or even a distinguished nobleman6 ,there is another gambler1 cowardly1 sleek1 stealthy1 humble1 mousing1 and mean--a simple blood-sucker4 ,for money1 he will be a tool to other gamblers2 steal for them1 and from them2 he plays the jackal1 and searches victims for them1 humbly satisfied to pick the bones afterward4 ,thus1 7to employ his own language17 he ropes in the inexperienced young1 flatters them1 teaches them1 inflames their passions1 purveys to their appetites1 cheats them1 debauches them1 draws them down to his own level1 and then lords it over them in malignant meanness4 ,himself impure1 he plunges others into lasciviousness2 and with a train of reeking satellites1 he revolves a few years in the orbit of the game1 the brothel1 and the doctor's shop2 then sinks and dies3 the world is purer1 and good men thank ,god that he is gone4 ,besides these1 time would fail me to describe the ineffable dignity of a gambling judge2 the cautious1 phlegmatic lawyer1 gambling from sheer avarice2 the broken-down and cast-away politician1 seeking in the game the needed excitement1 and a fair field for all the base tricks he once played off as a patriot2 the pert1 sharp1 keen1 jockey-gambler2 the soaked1 obese1 plethoric1 wheezing1 bacchanal2 and a crowd of ignoble worthies1 wearing all the badges and titles of vice1 throughout its base peerage4 ,a detail of the evils of gambling should be preceded by an illustration of that constitution of mind out of which they mainly spring--,i mean its ,,excitability4 ,the body is not stored with a fixed amount of strength1 nor the mind with a uniform measure of excitement2 but both are capable1 by stimulation1 of expansion of strength or feeling1 almost without limit4 ,experience shows1 that within certain bounds1 excitement is healthful and necessary1 but beyond this limit1 exhausting and destructive4 ,men are allowed to choose between moderate but long-continued excitement1 and intense but short-lived excitement4 ,too generally they prefer the latter4 ,to gain this intense thrill1 a thousand methods are tried4 ,the inebriate obtains it by drink and drugs2 the politician1 by the keen interest of the civil campaign2 the young by amusements which violently inflame and gratify their appetites4 ,when once this higher flavor of stimulus has been tasted1 all that is less becomes vapid and disgustful4 ,a sailor tries to live on shore2 a few weeks suffice4 ,to be sure1 there is no hardship1 or cold1 or suffering2 but neither is there the strong excitement of the ocean1 the gale1 the storm1 and the world of strange sights4 ,the politician perceives that his private affairs are deranged1 his family neglected1 his character aspersed1 his feelings exacerbated4 ,when men hear him confess that his career is a hideous waking dream1 the race vexatious1 and the end vanity1 they wonder that he clings to it2 but he knows that nothing but the fiery wine which he has tasted will rouse up that intense excitement1 now become necessary to his happiness4 ,for this reason1 great men often cling to public office with all its envy1 jealousy1 care1 toil1 hates1 competitions1 and unrequited fidelity2 for these very disgusts1 and the perpetual struggle1 strike a deeper chord of excitement than is possible to the gentler touches of home1 friendship and love4 ,here too is the key to the real evil of promiscuous novel-reading1 to the habit of reverie and mental romancing4 ,none of life's common duties can excite to such wild pleasure as these2 and they must be continued1 or the mind reacts into the lethargy of fatigue and ennui4 ,it is upon this principle that men love pain2 suffering is painful to a spectator2 but in tragedies1 at public executions1 at pugilistic combats1 at cock-fightings1 horse-races1 bear-baitings1 bull-fights1 gladiatorial shows1 it excites a jaded mind as nothing else can4 ,a tyrant torments for the same reason that a girl reads her tear-bedewed romance1 or an inebriate drinks his dram4 ,no longer susceptible even to inordinate stimuli1 actual moans1 and shrieks1 and the writhing of utter agony1 just suffice to excite his worn-out sense1 and inspire1 probably1 less emotion than ordinary men have in listening to a tragedy or reading a bloody novel4 ,gambling is founded upon the very worst perversion of this powerful element of our nature4 ,it heats every part of the mind like an oven4 ,the faculties which produce calculation1 pride of skill1 of superiority1 love of gain1 hope1 fear1 jealousy1 hatred1 are absorbed in the game1 and exhilarated1 or exacerbated by victory or defeat4 ,these passions are1 doubtless1 excited in men by the daily occurrences of life2 but then they are transient1 and counteracted by a thousand grades of emotion1 which rise and fall like the undulations of the sea4 ,but in gambling there is no intermission1 no counteraction4 ,the whole mind is excited to the utmost1 and concentrated at its extreme point of excitation for hours and days1 with the additional waste of sleepless nights1 profuse drinking1 and other congenial immoralities4 ,every other pursuit becomes tasteless2 for no ordinary duty has in it a stimulus which can scorch a mind which now refuses to burn without blazing1 or to feel an interest which is not intoxication4 ,the victim of excitement is like a mariner who ventures into the edge of a whirlpool for a motion more exhilarating than plain sailing4 ,he is unalarmed during the first few gyrations1 for escape is easy4 ,but each turn sweeps him further in2 the power augments1 the speed becomes terrific as he rushes toward the vortex2 all escape now hopeless4 ,a noble ship went in2 it is spit out in broken fragments1 splintered spars1 crushed masts1 and cast up for many a rood along the shore4 ,the specific evils of gambling may now be almost imagined4 ,i4 ,it diseases the mind1 unfitting it for the duties of life4 ,gamblers are seldom industrious men in any useful vocation4 ,a gambling mechanic finds his labor less relishful as his passion for play increases4 ,he grows unsteady1 neglects his work1 becomes unfaithful to promises2 what he performs he slights4 ,little jobs seem little enough2 he desires immense contracts1 whose uncertainty has much the excitement of gambling--and for the best of reasons2 and in the pursuit of great and sudden profits1 by wild schemes1 he stumbles over into ruin1 leaving all who employed or trusted him in the rubbish of his speculations4 ,a gambling lawyer1 neglecting the drudgery of his profession1 will court its exciting duties4 ,to explore authorities1 compare reasons1 digest1 and write1--this is tiresome4 ,but to advocate1 to engage in fiery contests with keen opponents1 this is nearly as good as gambling4 ,many a ruined client has cursed the law1 and cursed a stupid jury1 and cursed everybody for his irretrievable loss1 except his lawyer1 who gambled all night when he should have prepared the case1 and came half asleep and debauched into court in the morning to lose a good case mismanaged1 and snatched from his gambling hands by the art of sober opponents4 ,a gambling student1 if such a thing can be1 withdraws from thoughtful authors to the brilliant and spicy2 from the pure among these1 to the sharp and ribald2 from all reading about depraved life1 to seeing2 from sight to experience4 ,gambling vitiates the imagination1 corrupts the tastes1 destroys the industry--for no man will drudge for cents1 who gambles for dollars by the hundred2 or practise a piddling economy1 while1 with almost equal indifference1 he makes or loses five hundred in a night4 ,,ii4 ,for a like reason1 it destroys all domestic habits and affections4 ,home is a prison to an inveterate gambler2 there is no air there that he can breathe4 ,for a moment he may sport with his children1 and smile upon his wife2 but his heart1 its strong passions1 are not there4 ,a little branch-rill may flow through the family1 but the deep river of his affections flows away from home4 ,on the issue of a game1 ,tacitus narrates that the ancient ,germans would stake their property1 their wives1 their children1 and themselves4 ,what less than this is it1 when a man will stake that property which is to give his family bread1 and that honor which gives them place and rank in society8 ,when playing becomes desperate gambling1 the heart is a hearth where all the fires of gentle feelings have smouldered to ashes2 and a thorough-paced gamester could rattle dice in a charnel-house1 and wrangle for his stakes amid murder and pocket gold dripping with the blood of his own kindred4 ,,iii4 ,gambling is the parent and companion of every vice which pollutes the heart1 or injures society4 ,it is a practice so disallowed among ,christians1 and so excluded by mere moralists1 and so hateful to industrious and thriving men1 that those who practise it are shut up to themselves2 unlike lawful pursuits1 it is not modified or restrained by collision with others4 ,gamblers herd with gamblers4 ,they tempt and provoke each other to all evil1 without affording one restraint1 and without providing the counterbalance of a single virtuous impulse4 ,they are like snakes coiling among snakes1 poison and poisoning2 like plague-patients1 infected and diffusing infection2 each sick and all contagious4 ,it is impossible to put bad men together and not have them grow worse4 ,the herding of convicts promiscuously1 produced such a fermentation of depravity1 that1 long ago1 legislators forbade it4 ,when criminals1 out of jail1 herd together by choice1 the same corrupt nature will doom them to growing loathsomeness1 because of increasing wickedness4 ,,iv4 ,it is a provocative of thirst4 ,the bottle is almost as needful as the card1 the ball1 or the dice4 ,some are seduced to drink2 some drink for imitation1 at first1 and fashion4 ,when super-excitements1 at intervals1 subside1 their victim cannot bear the deathlike gloom of the reaction2 and1 by drugs or liquor1 wind up their system to the glowing point again4 ,therefore1 drinking is the invariable concomitant of the theatre1 circus1 race-course1 gaming-table1 and of all amusements which powerfully excite all but the moral feelings4 ,when the double fires of dice and brandy blaze under a man1 he will soon be consumed4 ,if men are found who do not drink1 they are the more noticeable because exceptions4 ,v4 ,it is1 even in its fairest form1 the almost inevitable cause of dishonesty4 ,robbers have robbers' honor2 thieves have thieves' law2 and pirates conform to pirates' regulations4 ,but where is there a gambler's code8 ,one law there is1 and this is not universal1 pay your gambling debts4 ,but on the wide question1 how is it fair to win--what law is there8 ,what will shut a man out from a gambler's club8 ,may he not discover his opponent's hand by fraud8 ,may not a concealed thread1 pulling the significant one2--one1 two2 or one1 two1 three2 or the sign of a bribed servant or waiter1 inform him1 and yet his standing be fair8 ,may he not cheat in shuffling1 and yet be in full orders and canonical8 ,may he not cheat in dealing1 and yet be a welcome gambler8--may he not steal the money from your pile by laying his hands upon it1 just as any other thief would1 and yet be an approved gambler8 ,may not the whole code be stated thus3 ,pay what you lose1 get what you can1 and in any way you can6 ,i am told1 perhaps1 that there are honest gamblers1 gentlemanly gamblers4 ,certainly2 there are always ripe apples before there are rotten4 ,men always begin before they end2 there is always an approximation before there is contact4 ,players will play truly till they get used to playing untruly2 will be honest1 till they cheat2 will be honorable1 till they become base2 and when you have said all this1 what does it amount to but this1 that men who really gamble1 really cheat2 and that they only do not cheat1 who are not yet real gamblers8 ,if this mends the matter1 let it be so amended4 ,i have spoken of gamesters only among themselves2 this is the least part of the evil2 for who is concerned when lions destroy bears1 or wolves devour wolf-cubs1 or snakes sting vipers8 ,in respect to that department of gambling which includes the roping-in of strangers1 young men1 collecting-clerks1 and unsuspecting green-hands1 and robbing them1 ,i have no language strong enough to mark down its turpitude1 its infernal rapacity4 ,after hearing many of the scenes not unfamiliar to every gambler1 ,i think ,satan might be proud of their dealings1 and look up to them with that deferential respect1 with which one monster gazes upon a superior4 ,there is not even the expectation of honesty4 ,some scullion-herald of iniquity decoys the unwary wretch into the secret room2 he is tempted to drink2 made confident by the specious simplicity of the game2 allowed to win2 and every bait and lure and blind is employed--then he is plucked to the skin by tricks which appear as fair as honesty itself4 ,the robber avows his deed1 does it openly2 the gambler sneaks to the same result under skulking pretences4 ,there is a frank way1 and a mean way of doing a wicked thing4 ,the gambler takes the meanest way of doing the dirtiest deed4 ,the victim's own partner is sucking his blood2 it is a league of sharpers1 to get his money at any rate2 and the wickedness is so unblushing and unmitigated1 that it gives1 at last1 an instance of what the deceitful human heart1 knavish as it is1 is ashamed to try to cover or conceal2 but confesses with helpless honesty1 that it is fraud1 cheating1 stealing1 robbery1--and nothing else4 ,if ,i walk the dark street1 and a perishing1 hungry wretch meets me and bears off my purse with but a single dollar1 the whole town awakes2 the officers are alert1 the myrmidons of the law scout1 and hunt1 and bring in the trembling culprit to stow him in the jail4 ,but a worse thief may meet me1 decoy my steps1 and by a greater dishonesty1 filch ten thousand dollars1--and what then8 ,the story spreads1 the sharpers move abroad unharmed1 no one stirs4 ,it is the day's conversation2 and like a sound it rolls to the distance1 and dies in an echo4 ,shall such astounding iniquities be vomited out amidst us1 and no man care8 ,do we love our children1 and yet let them walk in a den of vipers8 ,shall we pretend to virtue1 and purity1 and religion1 and yet make partners of our social life1 men whose heart has conceived such damnable deeds1 and whose hands have performed them8 ,shall there be even in the eye of religion no difference between the corrupter of youth and their guardian8 ,are all the lines and marks of morality so effaced1 is the nerve and courage of virtue so quailed by the frequency and boldness of flagitious crimes1 that men1 covered over with wickedness1 shall find their iniquity no obstacle to their advancement among a ,christian people4 ,in almost every form of iniquity there is some shade or trace of good4 ,we have in gambling a crime standing alone--dark1 malignant1 uncompounded wickedness6 ,it seems in its full growth a monster without a tender mercy1 devouring its own offspring without one feeling but appetite4 ,a gamester1 as such1 is the cool1 calculating1 essential spirit of concentrated avaricious selfishness4 ,his intellect is a living thing1 quickened with double life for villany2 his heart is steel of fourfold temper4 ,when a man begins to gamble he is as a noble tree full of sap1 green with leaves1 a shade to beasts1 and a covert to birds4 ,when one becomes a thorough gambler1 he is like that tree lightning-smitten1 rotten in root1 dry in branch1 and sapless2 seasoned hard and tough2 nothing lives beneath it1 nothing on its branches1 unless a hawk or a vulture perches for a moment to whet its beak1 and fly screaming away for its prey4 ,to every young man who indulges in the least form of gambling1 ,i raise a warning voice6 ,under the specious name of ,,amusement1 you are laying the foundation of gambling4 ,playing is the seed which comes up gambling4 ,it is the light wind which brings up the storm4 ,it is the white frost which preludes the winter4 ,you are mistaken1 however1 in supposing that it is harmless in its earliest beginnings4 ,its terrible blight belongs1 doubtless1 to a later stage2 but its consumption of time1 its destruction of industry1 its distaste for the calmer pleasures of life1 belong to the very beginning4 ,you will begin to play with every generous feeling4 ,amusement will be the plea4 ,at the beginning the game will excite enthusiasm1 pride of skill1 the love of mastery1 and the love of money4 ,the love of money1 at first almost imperceptible1 at last will rule out all the rest1--like ,aaron's rod1--a serpent1 swallowing every other serpent4 ,generosity1 enthusiasm1 pride and skill1 love of mastery1 will be absorbed in one mighty feeling1--the savage lust of lucre4 ,there is a downward climax in this sin4 ,the opening and ending are fatally connected1 and drawn toward each other with almost irresistible attraction4 ,if gambling is a vortex1 playing is the outer ring of the ,maelstrom4 ,the thousand pound stake1 the whole estate put up on a game--what are these but the instruments of kindling that tremendous excitement which a diseased heart craves8 ,what is the amusement for which you play but the excitement of the game8 ,and for what but this does the jaded gambler play8 ,you differ from him only in the degree of the same feeling4 ,do not solace yourself that you shall escape because others have2 for they stopped1 and you go on4 ,are you as safe as they1 when you are in the gulf-stream of perdition1 and they on the shore8 ,but have you ever asked1 how many have escaped8 ,not one in a thousand is left unblighted6 ,you have nine hundred and ninety-nine chances against you1 and one for you2 and will you go on8 ,if a disease should stalk through the town1 devouring whole families1 and sparing not one in five hundred1 would you lie down under it quietly because you have one chance in five hundred8 ,had a scorpion stung you1 would it alleviate your pangs to reflect that you had only one chance in one hundred8 ,had you swallowed corrosive poison1 would it ease your convulsions to think there was only one chance in fifty for you8 ,i do not call every man who plays a gambler1 but a gambler in embryo4 ,let me trace your course from the amusement of innocent playing to its almost inevitable end4 ,scene first4 ,a genteel coffee-house1--whose humane screen conceals a line of grenadier bottles1 and hides respectable blushes from impertinent eyes4 ,there is a quiet little room opening out of the bar2 and here sit four jovial youths4 ,the cards are out1 the wines are in4 ,the fourth is a reluctant hand2 he does not love the drink1 nor approve the game4 ,he anticipates and fears the result of both4 ,why is he here8 ,he is a whole-souled fellow1 and is afraid to seem ashamed of any fashionable gaiety4 ,he will sip his wine upon the importunity of a friend newly come to town1 and is too polite to spoil that friend's pleasure by refusing a part in the game4 ,they sit1 shuffle1 deal2 the night wears on1 the clock telling no tale of passing hours--the prudent liquor-fiend has made it safely dumb4 ,the night is getting old2 its dank air grows fresher2 the east is grey2 the gaming and drinking and hilarious laughter are over1 and the youths wending homeward4 ,what says conscience8 ,no matter what it says2 they did not hear1 and we will not4 ,whatever was said1 it was very shortly answered thus3 ,this has not been gambling2 all were gentlemen2 there was no cheating2 simply a convivial evening2 no stakes except the bills incident to the entertainment4 ,if anybody blames a young man for a little innocent exhilaration on a special occasion1 he is a superstitious bigot2 let him croak6 ,such a garnished game is made the text to justify the whole round of gambling1 ,let us1 then1 look at ,scene the second4 ,in a room so silent that there is no sound except the shrill cock crowing the morning1 where the forgotten candles burn dimly over the long and lengthened wick1 sit four men4 ,carved marble could not be more motionless1 save their hands4 ,pale1 watchful1 though weary1 their eyes pierce the cards1 or furtively read each other's faces4 ,hours have passed over them thus4 ,at length they rise without words2 some1 with a satisfaction which only makes their faces brightly haggard1 scrape off the piles of money2 others1 dark1 sullen1 silent1 fierce1 move away from their lost money4 ,the darkest and fiercest of the four is that young friend who first sat down to make out a game6 ,he will never sit so innocently again4 ,what says he to his conscience now8 ,i have a right to gamble2 ,i have a right to be damned too1 if ,i choose2 whose business is it8 ,scene the third4 ,years have passed on4 ,he has seen youth ruined1 at first with expostulation1 then with only silent regret1 then consenting to take part of the spoils2 and finally1 he has himself decoyed1 duped1 and stripped them without mercy4 ,go with me into that dilapidated house1 not far from the landing1 at ,new ,orleans4 ,look into that dirty room4 ,around a broken table1 sitting upon boxes1 kegs1 or rickety chairs1 see a filthy crew dealing cards smouched with tobacco1 grease and liquor4 ,one has a pirate-face burnished and burnt with brandy2 a shock of grizzly1 matted hair1 half covering his villain eyes1 which glare out like a wild beast's from a thicket4 ,close by him wheezes a white-faced1 dropsical wretch1 vermin-covered1 and stenchful4 ,a scoundrel-,spaniard1 and a burly negro1 7the jolliest of the four17 complete the group4 ,they have spectators--drunken sailors1 and ogling1 thieving1 drinking women1 who should have died long ago1 when all that was womanly died4 ,here hour draws on hour1 sometimes with brutal laughter1 sometimes with threat1 and oath1 and uproar4 ,the last few stolen dollars lost1 and temper too1 each charges each with cheating1 and high words ensue1 and blows2 and the whole gang burst out the door1 beating1 biting1 scratching1 and rolling over and over in the dirt and dust4 ,the worst1 the fiercest1 the drunkest1 of the four1 is our friend who began by making up the game6 ,scene the fourth4 ,upon this bright day1 stand with me1 if you would be sick of humanity1 and look over that multitude of men kindly gathered to see a murderer hung6 ,at last1 a guarded cart drags on a thrice-guarded wretch4 ,at the gallows' ladder his courage fails4 ,his coward-feet refuse to ascend2 dragged up1 he is supported by bustling officials2 his brain reels1 his eye swims1 while the meek minister utters a final prayer by his leaden ear4 ,the prayer is said1 the noose is fixed1 the signal is given2 a shudder runs through the crowd as he swings free4 ,after a moment1 his convulsed limbs stretch down1 and hang heavily and still2 and he who began to gamble to make up a game1 and ended with stabbing an enraged victim whom he had fleeced1 has here played his last game1--himself the stake6 ,i feel impelled1 in closing1 to call the attention of all sober citizens to some potent influences which are exerted in favor of gambling4 ,in our civil economy we have ,legislators to devise and enact wholesome laws2 ,lawyers to counsel and aid those who need the laws' relief2 and ,judges to determine and administer the laws4 ,if ,legislators1 ,lawyers1 and ,judges are gamblers1 with what hope do we warn off the young from this deadly fascination1 against such authoritative examples of high public functionaries8 ,with what eminent fitness does that ,judge press the bench1 who in private commits the vices which officially he is set to condemn6 ,with what singular terrors does he frown on a convicted gambler with whom he played last night1 and will play again to-night6 ,how wisely should the fine be light which the sprightly criminal will win and pay out of the ,judge's own pocket6 ,with the name of ,,judge is associated ideas of immaculate purity1 sober piety1 and fearless1 favorless justice4 ,let it then be counted a dark crime for a recreant official so far to forget his reverend place1 and noble office1 as to run the gantlet of filthy vices1 and make the word ,judge1 to suggest an incontinent trifler1 who smites with his mouth1 and smirks with his eye2 who holds the rod to strike the criminal1 and smites only the law to make a gap for criminals to pass through6 ,if ,god loves this land1 may he save it from truckling1 drinking1 swearing1 gambling1 vicious ,judges6,a ,a ,the general eminent integrity of the ,bench is unquestionable--and no remarks in the text are to be construed as an oblique aspersion of the profession4 ,but the purer our ,judges generally1 the more shameless is it that some will not abandon either their vices or their office4 ,with such ,judges ,i must associate corrupt ,,legislators1 whose bawling patriotism leaks out in all the sinks of infamy at the ,capital4 ,these living exemplars of vice1 pass still-born laws against vice4 ,are such men sent to the ,capital only to practise debauchery8 ,laborious seedsmen--they gather every germ of evil2 and laborious sowers--at home they strew them far and wide6 ,it is a burning shame1 a high outrage1 that public men1 by corrupting the young with the example of manifold vices1 should pay back their constituents for their honors6 ,our land has little to fear from abroad1 and much from within4 ,we can bear foreign aggression1 scarcity1 the revulsions of commerce1 plagues1 and pestilences2 but we cannot bear vicious ,judges1 corrupt ,courts1 gambling ,legislators1 and a vicious1 corrupt1 and gambling constituency4 ,let us not be deceived6 ,the decay of civil institutions begins at the core4 ,the outside wears all the lovely hues of ripeness1 when the inside is rotting4 ,decline does not begin in bold and startling acts2 but1 as in autumnal leaves1 in rich and glowing colors4 ,over diseased vitals1 consumptive laws wear the hectic blush1 a brilliant eye1 and transparent skin4 ,could the public sentiment declare that ,,personal ,,morality is the first element of patriotism2 that corrupt ,legislators are the most pernicious of criminals2 that the ,judge who lets the villain off1 is the villain's patron2 that tolerance of crime is intolerance of virtue1--our nation might defy all enemies and live forever6 ,and now1 my young friends1 ,i beseech you to let alone this evil before it be meddled with4 ,you are safe from vice when you avoid even its appearance2 and only then4 ,the first steps to wickedness are imperceptible4 ,we do not wonder at the inexperience of ,adam2 but it is wonderful that six thousand years' repetition of the same arts1 and the same uniform disaster1 should have taught men nothing6 that generation after generation should perish1 and the wreck be no warning6 ,the mariner searches his chart for hidden rocks1 stands off from perilous shoals1 and steers wide of reefs on which hang shattered morsels of wrecked ships1 and runs in upon dangerous shores with the ship manned1 the wheel in hand1 and the lead constantly sounding4 ,but the mariner upon life's sea1 carries no chart of other men's voyages1 drives before every wind that will speed him1 draws upon horrid shores with slumbering crew1 or heads in upon roaring reefs as though he would not perish where thousands have perished before him4 ,hell is populated with the victims of harmless amusements4 ,will man never learn that the way to hell is through the valley of ,,deceit8 ,the power of ,satan to hold his victims is nothing to that mastery of art by which he first gains them4 ,when he approaches to charm us1 it is not as a grim fiend1 gleaming from a lurid cloud1 but as an angel of light radiant with innocence4 ,his words fall like dew upon the flower2 as musical as the crystal-drop warbling from a fountain4 ,beguiled by his art1 he leads you to the enchanted ground4 ,oh6 how it glows with every refulgent hue of heaven6 ,afar off he marks the dismal gulf of vice and crime2 its smoke of torment slowly rising1 and rising forever6 and he himself cunningly warns you of its dread disaster1 for the very purpose of blinding and drawing you thither4 ,he leads you to captivity through all the bowers of lulling magic4 ,he plants your foot on odorous flowers2 he fans your cheek with balmy breath2 he overhangs your head with rosy clouds2 he fills your ear with distant1 drowsy music1 charming every sense to rest4 ,oh ye6 who have thought the way to hell was bleak and frozen as ,norway1 parched and barren as ,sahara1 strewed like ,golgotha with bones and skulls reeking with stench like the vale of ,gehenna1--witness your mistake6 ,the way to hell is gorgeous6 ,it is a highway1 cast up2 no lion is there1 no ominous bird to hoot a warning1 no echoings of the wailing-pit1 no lurid gleams of distant fires1 or moaning sounds of hidden woe6 ,paradise is imitated to build you a way to death2 the flowers of heaven are stolen and poisoned2 the sweet plant of knowledge is here2 the pure white flower of religion2 seeming virtue and the charming tints of innocence are scattered all along like native herbage4 ,the enchanted victim travels on4 ,standing afar behind1 and from a silver-trumpet1 a heavenly messenger sends down the wind a solemn warning3 ,,there ,,is ,a ,,way ,,which ,,seemeth ,,right ,,to ,,man1 ,,but ,,the ,,end ,,thereof ,,is ,,death4 ,and again1 with louder blast3 ,,the ,,wise ,,man ,,foreseeth ,,the ,,evil2 ,,fools ,,pass ,,on ,,and ,,are ,,punished4 ,startled for a moment1 the victim pauses2 gazes round upon the flowery scene1 and whispers1 ,is it not harmless8--,harmless1 responds a serpent from the grass6--,harmless1 echo the sighing winds6--,harmless1 re-echo a hundred airy tongues6 ,if now a gale from heaven might only sweep the clouds away through which the victim gazes2 oh6 if ,god would break that potent power which chains the blasts of hell1 and let the sulphur-stench roll up the vale1 how would the vision change6--the road become a track of dead men's bones6--the heavens a lowering storm6--the balmy breezes1 distant wailings--and all those balsam-shrubs that lied to his senses1 sweat drops of blood upon their poison-boughs6 ,ye who are meddling with the edges of vice1 ye are on this road6--and utterly duped by its enchantments6 ,your eye has already lost its honest glance1 your taste has lost its purity1 your heart throbs with poison6 ,the leprosy is all over you1 its blotches and eruptions cover you4 ,your feet stand on slippery places1 whence in due time they shall slide1 if you refuse the warning which ,i raise4 ,they shall slide from heaven1 never to be visited by a gambler2 slide down to that fiery abyss below you1 out of which none ever come4 ,then1 when the last card is cast1 and the game over1 and you lost2 then1 when the echo of your fall shall ring through hell1--in malignant triumph1 shall the ,arch-,gambler1 who cunningly played for your soul1 have his prey6 ,too late you shall look back upon life as a ,,mighty ,,game1 in which you were the stake1 and ,satan the winner6 ,,altemus' ,,eternal ,,life ,,series4 ,selections from the writings of well-known religious authors' works1 beautifully printed and daintily bound in leatherette with original designs in silver and ink4 ,,price1 #be ,,cents ,,per ,,volume4 ,,eternal ,,life1 by ,professor ,henry ,drummond4 ,,lord1 ,,teach ,,us ,,to ,,pray1 by ,rev4 ,andrew ,murray4 ,,god',s ,,word ,,and ,,god',s ,,work1 by ,martin ,luther4 ,,faith1 by ,thomas ,arnold4 ,,the ,,creation ,,story1 by ,honorable ,william ,e4 ,gladstone4 ,,the ,,message ,,of ,,comfort1 by ,rt4 ,rev4 ,ashton ,oxenden4 ,,the ,,message ,,of ,,peace1 by ,rev4 ,r4 ,w4 ,church4 ,,the ,,lord',s ,,prayer ,,and ,,the ,,ten ,,commandments1 by ,dean ,stanley4 ,,the ,,memoirs ,,of ,,jesus1 by ,rev4 ,robert ,f4 ,horton4 ,,hymns ,,of ,,praise ,,and ,,gladness1 by ,elisabeth ,r4 ,scovil4 ,,difficulties1 by ,hannah ,whitall ,smith4 ,,gamblers ,,and ,,gambling1 by ,rev4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,,have ,,faith ,,in ,,god1 by ,rev4 ,andrew ,murray4 ,,twelve ,,causes ,,of ,,dishonesty1 by ,rev4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,,the ,,christ ,,in ,,whom ,,christians ,,believe1 by ,rt4 ,rev4 ,phillips ,brooks4 ,,in ,,my ,,name1 by ,rev4 ,andrew ,murray4 ,,six ,,warnings1 by ,rev4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,,the ,,duty ,,of ,,the ,,christian ,,businessman1 by ,rt4 ,rev4 ,phillips ,brooks4 ,,popular ,,amusements1 by ,rev4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,,true ,,liberty1 by ,rt4 ,rev4 ,phillips ,brooks4 ,,industry ,,and ,,idleness1 by ,rev4 ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,,the ,,beauty ,,of ,a ,,life ,,of ,,service1 by ,rt4 ,rev4 ,phillips ,brooks4 ,,the ,,second ,,coming ,,of ,,our ,,lord1 by ,rev4 ,a4 ,t4 ,pierson1 ,d4,d4 ,,thought ,,and ,,action1 by ,rt4 ,rev4 ,phillips ,brooks4 ,,the ,,heavenly ,,vision1 by ,rev4 ,f4 ,b4 ,meyer4 ,,morning ,,strength1 by ,elisabeth ,r4 ,scovil4 ,,for ,,the ,,quiet ,,hour1 by ,edith ,v4 ,bradt4 ,,evening ,,comfort1 by ,elizabeth ,r4 ,scovil4 ,,words ,,of ,,help ,,for ,,christian ,,girls1 by ,rev4 ,f4 ,b4 ,meyer ,,how ,,to ,,study ,,the ,,bible1 by ,rev4 ,dwight ,l4 ,moody4 ,,expectation ,,corner1 by ,e4 ,s4 ,elliot4 ,,jessica',s ,,first ,,prayer1 by ,hesba ,stretton4 ,,henry ,,altemus4 #ejg1 #eji1 #eaa1 #eac ,cherry ,street1 ,philadelphia4 ,,altemus' ,,belles-,,lettres ,,series4 ,a collection of ,essays and ,addresses by eminent ,english and ,american ,authors1 beautifully printed and daintily bound in leatherette1 with original designs in silver4 ,,price1 #be ,,cents ,,per ,,volume4 ,,independence ,,day1 by ,rev4 ,edward ,e4 ,hale4 ,,the ,,scholar ,,in ,,politics1 by ,hon4 ,richard ,olney4 ,,the ,,young ,,man ,,in ,,business1 by ,edward ,w4 ,bok4 ,,the ,,young ,,man ,,and ,,the ,,church1 by ,edward ,w4 ,bok4 ,,the ,,spoils ,,system1 by ,hon4 ,carl ,schurz4 ,,conversation1 by ,thomas ,de ,quincey4 ,,sweetness ,,and ,,light1 by ,matthew ,arnold4 ,,work1 by ,john ,ruskin4 ,,nature ,,and ,,art1 by ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4 ,,the ,,use ,,and ,,misuse ,,of ,,books1 by ,frederic ,harrison4 ,,the ,,monroe ,,doctrine3 ,,its ,,origin1 ,,meaning ,,and ,,application1 by ,prof4 ,john ,bach ,mc,master 7,university of ,pennsylvania74 ,,the ,,destiny ,,of ,,man1 by ,sir ,john ,lubbock4 ,,love ,,and ,,friendship1 by ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4 ,,rip ,,van ,,winkle1 by ,washington ,irving4 ,,art1 ,,poetry ,,and ,,music1 by ,sir ,john ,lubbock4 ,,the ,,choice ,,of ,,books1 by ,sir ,john ,lubbock4 ,,manners1 by ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4 ,,character1 by ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4 ,,the ,,legend ,,of ,,sleepy ,,hollow1 by ,washington ,irving4 ,,the ,,beauties ,,of ,,nature1 by ,sir ,john ,lubbock4 ,,self ,,reliance1 by ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4 ,,the ,,duty ,,of ,,happiness1 by ,sir ,john ,lubbock4 ,,spiritual ,,laws1 by ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4 ,,old ,,christmas1 by ,washington ,irving4 ,,health1 ,,wealth ,,and ,,the ,,blessing ,,of ,,friends1 by ,sir ,john ,lubbock4 ,,intellect1 by ,ralph ,waldo ,emerson4 ,,why ,,americans ,,dislike ,,england1 by ,prof4 ,geo4 ,b4 ,adams 7,yale74 ,,the ,,higher ,,education ,,as ,a ,,training ,,for ,,business1 by ,prof4 ,harry ,pratt ,judson 7,university of ,chicago74 ,,miss ,,toosey',s ,,mission4 ,,laddie4 ,j4 ,,cole1 by ,emma ,gellibrand4 ,,henry ,,altemus1 #ejg1 #eji1 #eaa1 #eac ,cherry ,street1 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