DUNEDIN AND THE PULPIT.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, Issue II, 19 May 1880, Page 2

DUNEDIN AND THE PULPIT.

Tbe Bey. IT. Davis of Dunedin is mak* ing a considerable stir just now by a course of sermons he is delivering upon the social side of Dunedin ; . $Ie recently (Hsooiirsed upon *he manner in which 'business is conducted, tind afforded some good practical hints to tradesmen. He has now started to, probe some other raw' spots in the city, the subject of * Gambling ' forming his latest topic Io tha course of hia, remacks« he said } 4-t tbe^ game of hazard a tradesman; jliad; been/ known to lose his house, section and busU v JBe.tti.pj! vvu an aJtempHoJorce on^ the escHement in events by calculating ,the chances, and then, by rifking . money, upon them, any unknown event J eould be made the su! j-ct of this practice, and ; at the last Dunedin election the od3s were freely laid upon the position which th? candidates would hold on the poll. There £ were'Bo gambling tfeljs fa tlm city, /but pubitcihousei, Cfiirfele *iodgfng»!iouses, and clubs had gai^d a notoriety for gambling. In one club tbe members had to check it by making a clean sweep of the Committee. He advocated that more of these ' sweeps ' should take place, as the result would be beneficial. 4 Consuls tations ' had ttieir main field in connection with events on the race-course, and unless people took the trouble to look ins to tbe matter they would hardly credit what a hold gambling h id upon the community. He then explained the modus operandi of getting up one of these sweeps and said that the manager of one of these ' consultations ' could afford to keep a clerk. "One enterprising agent was now annonncing a monster sweep on the Derby of 1881. One manager gets off sweeps in Dunedin amounting to £20,000 a»year. During the present week tbe Morning Herald and the Evening Star had each three-quarters of a column ana pounciogsßweeps on tbe Birthday. v Handi« lap alone, The»st#ck-iß*Jrad§fpf a jewel" ler's shop, and a hairdresser's business were in the market in the same way. Two issues of the morning paper contained announcements of sweeps amounting to £20,000. During the last fortnight .sweeps amountjng 4o £|6,500 had beqn adyertised,/ and of this sji^i werc\ on the Queen's Birthday Handicap. The rest Was on land and jewellery. The value of the Handicap was only £80, and these facts showed that 'consultations ' were. the most important part of the racr ing. Clerkr and slidpmeh were more eager to bet than mechanics. One of tbe banks bad resolved that if one of its em< ployes injured himself at foot ball his place Would/ not be., keptf open, yet on race days the Banks wi'l close, and give their clerks the opportunity of taking lessons in one of the best schools for era« bezzlement. It was the same with commercial establishments, and many of those |sfho,prnp|led..a| cloijDgf their^plrfcfs oT ?busiifess*Oß fait-Hays had* %o he'sitetion in doing so on race days. At the last Dunedin meeting two circumstances combined to attract larger gatherings than usual. In tbe flrst place, the highest Subject jih-jtlte, Cukmy, laryftig. aside. .-.He affairs of State, came down from Gtovirv^ ment House, and the result was that society was at the races. The Jofkey Club owed much to this faat. There was nothing to attract & public gathering like We presence of flignataries of tbe Church and State. The second cause of the large attendance was the presence of a mach« me better on the field—he meant the totalisator—and £7000 passed through the bands pf^ ita proprietors, This r epabled theth to* clear £700. ?Even the patronised the totalisator, and they re« quested that the machine should be so placed that they could look upon its beautiful face. He did sot think the totalisator would.upset the betting ring. There was not gf much amusement in betting with a machine as with a gentleman, for ladies, though they received bets, never paid them, and were ' awful welehers.' It was no wonder when Christian deaconesses ventured their crowns that shopgirls, and even domestics would also have something on the Dunedin Cup. There were 2? bookmakers in DunediD, and about 50 racehorses, and the amount of the stakes run for was £3500— 0r £70 for iach hbrse, a sum wh\hh would tidt ifiver half the cost of training. As "races were conducted at present they w mid not pay unless the owner made a g^od book, or was very lacky. The bookmakers had £20,000 on them, so not less than £40, 000 must have changed hands at the last Dunedin races Other places in tbe Colony, Cbristchurch for example, were even more given to betting than Dunedin and altogether he believed a quarter of a million was expended annually in New Zealand on racing. He then went on to attribute the spirit of gambling to the love for money, excitement, and in themse of Yorkshiremen to the love for 1 horse racing. It was contended on behalf of racing that it was in accordance ■ s h human instinct 9 but all e.;.ccssivo gr-riGeUioii wis to be cpndeirnaa. Dndihg tnl j)r;;:u JJiHriir had- been put down by the strong arm of the lawtond by 'public epiriiori. ' It was al#o 'said' that rsteiug was necessary to ith, prove the breed of horses, but he did not think that this was so, and he saw no reason why a horse should carry Bst 91b Over two miles and a distance in Stum 56sec. It was well known that a races borse .W,as a bad _ immediate parent for a plough' horse or- a carriage horse. Ho next replied to ar^nment that raein ; : wjm good for trade by showing that gambling

led to a cessation of business during racemeetings, and also to a large sum of money being employed unreproductively. One of the strongest; arguments- in favor of racing was that it was an amusement, Bat be would put the question ; Was the i game worth the candle P Should amusement be .purchased at the expense of ecqnomy. industry, and morality P Professing Christians and honorable women should discountenance gambling and church and charity raffles. He then cautioned young men against having anjrjhing to? do. wiib gambling, censured deacons who took consultation tickets to ojlease, aJriead .and,.went.,to the races to please themselves. In olden times the Chuneb drove, the gladiatorial exhibitions from Borne, and the Churches had the power nowjo jupßreis. gambling.