would be impossible. The immense waste of money and
time (and time is money) by those persons who are in the habit of
buying tickets, to say nothing of the cigars smoked, the spirits, wine,
and ale drank, the suppers eaten, and the money lost at cards, while
lounging about lottery offices, although even this constitutes but a
_part_ of the waste, is absolutely incalculable. The suffering of
wives, and children, and parents, and brothers, and sisters, together
with that loss of health, and temper, and reputation, which is either
directly or indirectly connected, would swell the sum to an amount
sufficient to alarm every one, who intends to be an honest,
industrious, and respectable citizen.

It is yours, my young friends, to put a stop to this tremendous evil.
It is your duty, and it should be your pleasure, to give that _tone_ to
the public sentiment, without which, in governments like this, written
laws are powerless.

Do not say that the influence of _one person_ cannot effect much.
Remember that the power of example is almost omnipotent. In debating
whether you may not venture to buy one more ticket, remember that if
you do so, you adopt a course which, if taken by every other individual
in the United States (and who out of thirteen millions has not the same
_right_ as yourself?) would give abundant support to the whole lottery
system, with all its horrors. And could you in that case remain
guiltless? Can the fountains of such a sickly stream be pure? You would
not surely condemn the waters of a mighty river while you were one of a
company engaged in filling the springs and rills that unite to form it.
Remember that just in proportion as you contribute, by your example, to
discourage this species of gambling, just in the same proportion will
you contribute to stay the progress of a tremendous scourge, and to
enforce the execution of good and salutary laws.

With this pernicious practice, I have always been decidedly at war. I
believe the system to be wholly wrong, and that those who countenance
it, in any way whatever, are wholly inexcusable.

SECTION III. _On Theatres._

Much is said by the friends of theatres about what they _might_ be; and
not a few persons indulge the hope that the theatre may yet be made a
school of morality. But my business at present is with it _as it is_,
and as it has hitherto been. The reader will be more benefited by
existing _facts_ than sanguine anticipations, or visionary predic