The Games Of Children And The Gambling Of Men

Ás our eldcrly and niiddle-ged retidors reca.ll their childhood, thcy oüd tcmember but few gaines ot' ohanoo or skill that wero considerad legitimate to the family, and these wero such ganu u ia Checkcrs, lAx and Geest; and Tirdve-men Morris, played with rod and ycllow kernels of cora on designs scratchcd on the opposite side of a plain pino boitrrt. The vorioiis gaines of Ciirds wero generally coDiidered contraband, and henee had wonderfiil obftrms for the boys wüo kecnly enjoyed the stolen fruit in back garrets, woodslieds, and haymowg. In the youthful days of the yonnger of our adult readers the games of Dr. Hm-f'tj nd the Mansión ' Happine&i wcre added to the list rf'nniTTiiznd liv thn hpmisof mnnt lies, and we weïl remember our doubt concerning the propriety of reporting a. homo the fact that wo hnd been exceed ingly fnscinated with the game of ]i Bvxhy at the house of a playmnte, am also our bappiness when the game, nfte becoming a little known in the noighbor hootl, was introdr.ced to our fireside by parents who had the good aense to be lieve in making home pleasant to th youngateis. From these simple begimiings a feu other games carne into general use, anr parents bogan to learn that it was no boneath their dignity to devote a part o their evenings to making hornea inter esting and attractiye to the children. The word " games " is at present pse( to denote a wide range of amusement and recreations adapted to the home cir ole, snch as charades, parlor magie, for tunes, wax figures, pantomimos, etc., a well as games of chance and still playei with various kinds of cania, or on board with dice and men, al! of which ws be lieve are each year beooming more pop ular in American homes. But while this is so, we wóuld no have a parent forget for a mement thii the line should be drawn between inno oent home amusementa and what we un derstand as g,imbling. Many are un able to see where this line is and in wha it consists, and while they admit the necessity ofmaking home the niost at tractive place to the children, argue tha rfmes played at home in childhood ten to ganibling in manhood. ïhis is no eo ; it is the usa of the game that decide which side of the line it must be placed That delight of every boy, the game o marbles, is as innocent as any other child ish recreation, and yet many boys havt roceived their first lessons in gambling wlirn playing marbles for guiña, anc many parents have allowed the;r sons to 3ount over the content of their marble baga t night in their presnce, Tho would have hela up their hands in hel] tiorror at a game of Betiqui eround the evening lamp. Here is ju3t the Una ,vt would draw. Never contonance any game played for a permanent gain, or in which money or its equivalent is the obect played for. That this must be the one and only distinction between innocent recreatiun and harmful gambliag rauet bo seen f rem the f;ict that the simplest rsoreation or amusement of chance or skill raay be used for ï;ambling pv.rpoaes, end henee no dividiug line can be drawa beiv7L3n wo games unless, indeed, one of them nvolvea vicious halits or praotices in ïtself. ut il all games are made Gimpjy matters of amusement, it is not likely that those boyE who stay at home in tha ?ening to play them with theirparents and sisters will be attracteu in their manhood by the temptations of the gambliiig tab!e. On the other hand, a boy who has een encouraged to be proud of bis contantly-increasing bag ot' marbles, as the reward of hÍ3 ghrewdneis aad skill in )laying, will bs apt enough to consiJer t legitímate iu after yeftxs io kce nis urse filled in the same rjanner, altlwugh vory balk and pieces of card may be ubstituted for the marbles. It is a ;aacer of satisfaction to all who ïirvve givon ihe pubject thought, that injiocent games and home amuseaients are fast becomiug i prominent feature in ouriomes, there)y estublishing counter-atíraotions to hose of the saloons and haunta of vice bat CiOwd so closely to onr doors, not only in the larger cities but ia every