Pious Gambling Excepted by M. E. Cornell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 9, 1873

Pious Gambling Excepted.

By M. E. Cornell

The policy of lying and cheating for God’s sake, so prevalent in the mother church, is becoming quite general among the daughters. Laws favoring their schemes are being enacted in different places. Games of chance are becoming so common in the socials, fairs, festivals, and donation parties, as no longer to occasion remark. The practice of games and gambling, no less than the pride, conformity to the world, and love of pleasure, marks with sad and fearful certainty the great body of the Protestant sects as a part of the fallen Babylon of the Apocalypse. When they can gamble by law, they may consider themselves safe so far as earthly tribunals are concerned.

The following speaks for itself:—

“SECTION 1. Be it ordained by the City Council of the City of Bloomington, Ill., That no person or persons shall hereafter within the city limits sell any lottery or gift enterprise ticket or tickets of any kind whatever, nor any prize package or packages containing or purporting to contain a prize or prizes of any kind whatever, nor sell or give in a drawing, a chance or pretended chance for the purchaser or receiver to draw a prize of any kind whatever, provided nothing in this ordinance shall prevent any society or organization using an election or other means to raise money for educational, charitable, or religious purposes.”

M. E. CORNELL.