p. 68 | Church Lotteries by J. H. Waggoner; J. G. H.

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 15, 1867

Church Lotteries.

By J. H. Waggoner; J. G. H.

[BRO. SMITH: The following article is from the Portage Co. Democrat of Ravenna, Ohio. It is not written by a fault-finding infidel, to deride the church, but by a professor of religion and church-member. It speaks of a common evil, and is calculated for any latitude: J. H. WAGGONER.]

MR. EDITOR.—I read lately, in a New York paper, the following sentence:—“The word lottery has become distasteful to refined ears, because it is associated

with gaming and dishonesty, with immorality and ruin.” And the same paper adds:—“In Mexico, Spain, and Italy, where lotteries are permitted, treachery, debauchery, theft, and every kind of villainy, are practiced in connection with them, and their whole history has been one of immorality and abomination.”

Such being the complexion, and history of lotteries, England, and many, if not most of the States of our American Republic, have prohibited them, under the penalty of fines, more or less heavy. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Jersey, forbid them under a pain of two thousand dollars for each offence. And Ohio forbids them, under a pain of a money penalty; and takes particular pains to exclude every form, and description of them, however disguised under softer names, such as raffles, &c. And Ohio expects her citizens to regard her laws, and uphold and honor them, and not tread them contemptuously in the dust. This she expects of every true-hearted citizen; and she says that if he do not so do, he is worthy only of a fine or the States’ Prison. And having so said, what does she expect of CHURCHES? She would feel awkward in putting a church into the States’ Prison, or imposing upon it a fine. But is that any reason why a church should tread on the civil laws? Because a church can possibly violate a State Statute unchallenged, should she therefore do it?

The church has the credit, deserved or undeserved, of having furnished a prominent part of those reforming influences which brought about the enactment of civil laws against lotteries. Suppose the credit is deserved; as I think it is, what now? Shall she be among the first to assault these prohibitory laws or to undermine them, or to tear them down and to set up lotteries again? Shall she go to work to poison public sentiment with the old love of lotteries, and to encourage this sorceress of universal iniquity to open up once more her seething cauldrons of dissipation in the bosom of Christian communities around? And yet she so does, when she opens lottery schemes, under whatever soft names, in her fairs, got up for good and benevolent purposes. She so does, when she flings her saintly banners to the breeze, inscribed with the names of all tempting things to be disposed of by lot. And yet she holds on to her old name as the church, the house of the Lord among men.

I have no inclination to revile. But I would simply ask, in all truth and solemnness, Are these things so? Report says they are. I heard not long since, of a cow, that at a church fair in this village, brought the large sum of four hundred dollars. How so? Why by tickets sold for her. By lot. She would have brought this enormous sum in no other way. Also, as I understand, at a still later fair, a large variety of fine articles were disposed of in a similar manner. They were sold by lottery. Some were the property of the church, by gift, and others were sold by them on commission. They brought large prices. The money obtained for them was for a good purpose. The lucky ones who got the articles got them for a small price; much less than their real value. Ah, me! What is all this, but what our plain, blunt English calls gambling? Disguise it as we may, God writes it as gambling. And the world writes it as gambling. The world knows what gambling is, for itself gambles. It is familiar with its face. And when it sees it in the bosom of the church, though disguised with a pious hood, it knows it. It is its old friend gambling. And it will require more than all the rains of this one passing generation to wash the smut of it off from the church’s face.

Trampling thus the Statutes of the State under her feet, and pioneering schemes of money making by the aid of lot and chance, it might be well for the church to do, as Daniel Webster, in his speech against Hayne, said that sailors did, after having been many days driven by fierce winds, under a cloudy sky; viz: take an observation and see where she is. Has she drifted into the seas of Mexico, Spain, or Italy? Or, where is she? Let some skilled mariner tell us.

But, says an apologist, this is for a good cause, and more money is obtained in this way than without it; and the price of the tickets is small, and willingly given, &c., &c. To which we answer; that there is a vast difference between Pagan ethics, and Christian ethics. Pagan ethics hold, that the end justifies the means. But Christian ethics hold no such thing. Pagan ethics permit a man to steal a pig, provided he will offer it to the idol. But Christian ethics would permit no such operation. It would debar the stolen pig from the altar. And if the church is for turning back her shadow, on the dial-plate of morals, so far as to throw herself within the precincts of Pagan ethics, it is high time indeed, that she took her observation to see for herself, where she is.

A worthy citizen, in speaking with me of the matter, owned, that if it had been an open affair anywhere else, in the street or the like, he would have had nothing to do with it. “But you know,” said he, “it was for a good cause.” Well, my friend, one step further; knock down the next man you meet, in daylight or dark, and rob him of his money, and hand it over to the church. It is in a good cause; the end will justify the means! The church will have so much gained, that would otherwise be lost to her.

Besides, if the church may set up lotteries, then why not an individual? Why not any other association of individuals? And then, lo! and behold, a brood of lotteries; as in the good old times, when there were no statutes against them; and as in the choice lands of Mexico, Spain, and Italy, where vice is the rule and virtue the exception, and where churches are not expected to have a morality higher than that which prevails around them, and may gather money into their coffers in any way that seems the most productive, or successful. If the key-note of church-life, now-a-days, is only money, or money above morals, then, in truth, have we fallen upon evil times. If the church says, “Money I want, and money I will have, let the civil statutes be as they may, and let what will become of public morals;”—then the shadow of the dark ages, without a question, is beginning to come back upon us. And in the darkness of those ages, the church, we fear, will be much like the passenger in one of the wrecked California steamers, a few years since, who, in the frenzy of his avarice, filled his pockets with his shining treasure, jumped over into the sea, and sank.—J. G. H.