THE WORST CRIME

The intelligence that an alderman of Flushing, New York, has accused various candy retailers of inciting gambling among the children and so injuring their morals arouses immediate indignation--against the candy retailers, of course. Not only does the particular game in favor stimulate vice in the coming generation but it actually swindles the confiding children most shamefully. In its intended form, it is naturally unfair,--but when the dealers tamper with the works, and remove the most favorable chances altogether, it becomes worse than selling street-cars to immigrants. That most-reviled deed--taking milk from babies--becomes almost benevolent by contrast.

One is delighted to find that the abused children are not flayed for their gaming instincts. The love of taking a chance is so ingrained that even in these days people still risk pennies in subway slot machines where the possible gain is nothing and the probable loss therefore, comparatively large. The love of slot machines, however, may arise from another source. There have been rumors of people who ride up and down in the rear elevator of Widener Library whenever they go to the Reading Room merely for the animal satisfaction of pressing the buttons. This, at least, entails no pecuniary, loss--and better still, preserves one's morals intact. After all, the moral effect of gambling is very little understood. It is not that the gambler, losing his own fortune, borrows from his friends; nor that having won a large sum he hates to tear himself away. The unfortunate fact is that few gamblers can resist the enticements of fetish and superstition. Faith in luck, in signs, in systems replaces reason and sense and nothing, certainly, could be more fatal.