GAMBLING.

Southland Times, Issue 17483, 26 July 1915, Page 2

GAMBLING.

To the Editor. Sir, —A number of clergymen, not only In Invercargill but throughout the dominion, appear to be using their best efforts to suppress the sale of art union tickets in connection withour Wounded Soldiers' Fund, by asking people from the pulpit and otherwise neither to buy nor sell these. 1 am not In a position to go into the ins and outs of this question, "but surely God, to whom at our mother’s knee we have all been taught "to go in our hour of trouble and misery in this world, would not condemn a man for either buying or selling tickets for the noble cause of giving a little help and comfort to the thousands of our wounded soldiers throughout the world, who have given all they had for their country and in many cases are physically ruined for the rest of their lives and left without hope or money to drag out a monotonous existence with the loss of limbs, eyesight. As far us Invercargill is concerned we have some of our best men on the different committees who are giving their brains, time and money to further the sale of tickets for the cause, and they should and will receive the help and support of the great majority of the people, even if a few who are living in peace and comfort should be against them. As far as gambling is concerned the commercial business of tiie world is simply, gambling from one end to the other, one man doing his utmost to feather his own nest at the expense of the other. If the churches wish to convert men they must feed and clothe them first, as preaching to a hungry man is only wasted energy. The way to a man's heart is via his internal machinery, which must be fed, and the sale of art union tickets will go a long way towards doing this.—l am, etc., A HUMBLE SINNER. July 21.