ows who had no right to do so made bets on baseball, football,
and other games. In most instances the money they risked had been
supplied by their parents. They knew their parents would not countenance
gambling, yet they gambled. It was not honorable. No man has a right to
risk money on which any other person has a claim. Now, for instance,
you, Ephraim, would have no right to risk your money on an uncertainty
of this sort. You're married. You have a child. Both your wife and child
have claims on the money you possess. Were you to wager that money and
lose it, you would be robbing them of their just rights. I presume
you've thought of this matter?"

"Never thought of it that way," mumbled the Vermonter huskily. "S'pose I
should put my money into some sort of business and lose it. Would that
be robbin' Teresa and the youngster?"

"That's a different thing. Business is business. No man has a right to
plunge into a reckless venture, but if it seems legitimate and he has
investigated it carefully, he cannot be blamed if the venture proves a
failure. The best and shrewdest men sometimes fail in business
enterprises. I've never yet seen a genuine gambler who was thoroughly
upright, conscientious, and respected by decent people. I have seen
gamblers who were honest to all appearances, but they were not
respected. There's something degrading in gambling. The man who gambles
is compelled, as a rule, to associate with a class of men who have no
standing in respectable society. He places himself on their level. Now,
you, Ephraim, would not care to be estimated on the same level as Casper
Silence. He's not a man you would invite to your home, introduce to your
wife, and dine with at your table."

"Not by a blamed sight!" growled the Vermonter.

"Another bad feature of gambling is the effect on the individual who
indulges in it. It spoils his taste for legitimate money making. If he's
successful for a time as a gambler, the regular methods of making money
seem tame and insipid to him. Very few, if any, thoroughbred gamblers
ever accumulate a fortune or a competence and retain it. Once the germ
of gambling gets into their blood, they never quit. Let them make a
small fortune, and they're determined to double it. Let them make a
large fortune, and they still pursue gambling for the excitement there
is in it. In the end, nine out of ten go broke. If others depend On
them, they bring hardship and suffering upon those dependent ones.