RACING FOR GAIN by W. N. G.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 21, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 25.

RACING FOR GAIN.

By W. N. G.

EFFORTS were made during the last session of the California Legislature to so curb the horse-racing enterprise as to practically do away with it. The good people of this city have several times censured the Fabiola Hospital managers for accepting a day's receipts from the race-track as a gift to assist that institution in its charitable work. Foot-racing on the part of professionals is also deemed very bad. It would hardly be expected that those who so loudly condemn such things would publicly indulge in them. It would hardly be expected that they would announce to the papers that they intended to conduct racing games on a set day, and invite the public, and afterward publish the result. But all this is just what has happened recently.

In the Tribune of May 25 there was the announcement of "the grand outing of Oakland churches and Sunday-schools." It was promised that it would be "one of the biggest affairs of the kind on record here." A general invitation was extended to "all church people and friends." The place was Sunset Park, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The special inducement was a program of twenty-two races, with two prizes attached to each race—making forty-four prizes to be gambled for in one day. The first race was for boys from 5 to 7 years old, and the second race was for girls of the same age. Think of it! the churches and Sunday-schools beginning with children of that age to teach them racing for gain! What good will it do to tell those children how wicked it is for people outside of the church to do such things? Imagine these children being taught that racing for gain is terrible when conducted by men of the world, but is all right when carried on under the auspices of the "churches and Sunday-schools."

But the day's instruction and the example did not stop here; there were races for all classes—7 to 9 years, 9 to 11 years, 11 to 14 years, races for "all ages" and both sexes, and of all conditions of people who could run at all; and each race was for "prizes." Had there been a horse-race or a professional foot-race for a "purse" anywhere in that region, it would have been "awful." But these races for prizes were under the management of the "churches and Sunday-schools," and not conducted by wicked men of the world. True, it was gambling; and it was teaching children to strive for gain under the influence of the gambling spirit,—but it wasn't on Sunday.

One of the races was especially attractive, and that was a race (professionals would call it a "single dash") by the "pastors and superintendents." The first prize was a hat, and the second prize was a pair of shoes. Both prizes were won by Methodist pastors.

In this connection we would call attention to a prize for which the apostle Paul strove, making a life-long race for it. He mentions it in this way: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus," Phil. 3:13, 14. With the Christian the world's races and prizes ought to be of "those things which are behind," and to be forgotten. Christians ought to be able to find entertainment for an "outing" without having to imitate the gambling devices of the world, without having to gather up and adapt the things which they so loudly condemn in others.

W. N. G.