Henry M. Brooks

“ ON PUBLIC LOTTERIES.
MR. CUSHING,
AS our Legislature have lately had under consideration a bill, for granting a Lottery to Harvard College, I beg you will publish what our countryman, Mr. Barlow, said on the subject of Public Lotteries, in his Letter to the National Convention of France. It is as follows:
"SINCE I am treating of morals, the great object of all political instructions, I cannot avoid bestowing some remarks on the subject of Public Lotteries. It is a shocking disgrace of modern governments, that they are driven to this pitiful piece of knavery, to draw money from the people. ”

“ It has its origin in deception; and depends for its support, on raising and disappointing the hopes of individuals—on perpetually agitating the mind with unreasonable desires of gain—on clouding the understanding with superstitious ideas of chance, destiny and fate—on diverting the attention from regular industry, and promoting a universal spirit of gambling, which carries all sorts of vices into all classes of people. ”

“ Although we have seen lottery tickets signed by Hancock earlier in life.
In some foreign countries and in a few of the States of our Union lotteries are still lawful; yet we believe there is a growing feeling against them. But if stock gambling is destined to take the place of the lottery, we do [Pg 71] not think much will be gained by the change. The losses by lotteries were generally in small sums, and could be better borne by the adventurers than the entire loss of property, health, and reputation which is now too apt to follow a large proportion of the speculative stock operations. ”

“ In lotteries the tickets are really not worth the price which is paid by the original purchasers, and yet they often sell in the market at a considerable advance: the vain hope of gaining some of the great prizes is the cause of this demand. In order to have a better chance for some of the large prizes, some people purchase several tickets, and others small shares in a still greater number. There is not, however, a more certain proposition in mathematics, than that the more tickets you adventure upon, the more likely you are to be a loser. ”

“ Although laws are now in force in Massachusetts and some other States against lotteries, there appears to be no essential difference, as far as the morality of the thing is concerned, between the old lottery and the modern raffle,—and indeed a certain species of stock gambling, it seems to us, is worse than either in its moral effects. ”

“ Lotteries are upheld, we believe, by the Roman Catholic Church in Europe, and many of the priests aid in disposing of the tickets,—at least so we have been told.
The sum of the whole matter as regards this country is that a good work was undoubtedly accomplished through the agency of the lottery in the early days of our national history. By its aid schools, colleges, and charities were founded, bridges, roads, and canals were constructed. In our time public opinion is, of course, as it ought to be, against gambling in any form ”

“ All these, of course, were public lotteries, and were managed by the first men in the community. In relation to private lotteries it would now be difficult to ascertain the facts. There must have been a great number of these; probably they were not always honestly conducted. We have heard that there were shops where the inexperienced were supplied with bogus tickets,—blanks of some drawn lottery. Bad men, unfortunately, are to be found in all kinds of business; but we know that in Salem all the men whose names we have mentioned were among the very best in the community. ”

“ People of the present generation who look over files of old newspapers are filled with astonishment to see the great number of lotteries which are advertised, for many years, down to as late a period as the year 1826. The Faneuil Hall Lottery, the Harvard College Lottery, the Rhode Island College Lottery, the Massachusetts State Lottery, and lotteries for a bridge over the River Parker, for Marblehead, for the Williamstown Free-school, for Episcopal and Congregational Churches, were all advertised, with numerous other projects. ”

“ A FRIEND to religion, and one who wishes the memorial of a certain respectable society may have a happy effect, but a zealous enemy to lotteries, asked a member of an important body, the other day, whether he thought the General Court would grant a Lottery for the purpose of supplying every person in the eastern part of the Commonwealth with a bible, who is unable to purchase one, and for the pay of a missionary.—Let not the serious reader frown, as that member did ”

“ A list of Prizes will be immediately published, and the Prizes paid on demand.
The Managers believe it enough, to induce the Public to become Adventurers, to inform them, that the object of this Lottery is to erect a new Building, at the University in Cambridge, for the further accommodation of the Students. The Friends of literature [Pg 53] are to be found every where, and when its cause can be served, and a good chance for personal emolument at the same time presents itself; this double inducement, it is conceived, must operate in favor of the Lottery. ”

“ On the first of November of that year the following Resolve was passed,—"That a sum of money be raised by way of lottery, to be drawn at Philadelphia." A committee was then empowered to manage this lottery, and agents were appointed in the several States to sell the tickets. From causes difficult now to explain, the drawing, which was to have taken place in 1777, was postponed from time to time, until finally, it is said, the whole scheme proved a failure. Many of the adventurers being large losers, much bad feeling was produced towards the Government. ”

“ Perseverance is highly recommended, and if the wishes are not gratified by the attainment of the desired object, the consoling reflection will recur, that—"there are not quite two blanks to a prize"—which is more than can be said of quackery in general. ”

“ When one considers the place where these views appear to have been adopted, and recollects the horrible scenes of the French Revolution, which were even then being enacted, one wonders whether the French authorities valued human life as much as they did property. ”

“ PERSONS of any age, sex, or capacity, let their Chirography be never so bad, may by one exercise make a very good hand of it. The means are found in the Scheme of Harvard College Lottery, which contains a most superb assortment of capital prizes. Persons desirous of securing the advantage of this dispatchful tuition will apply (wholes $5, quarters 1.38) to Cushing & Appleton, at their Lottery Office and Bookstore, one door west of Central Building. ”

“ In the lottery, too, the risks were generally so small that the ticket-buyer alone suffered; whereas now, whole families are often involved in financial ruin, if not in disgrace, by the operations of a father, brother, or near relative. ”

“ In 1791 the Massachusetts Legislature granted to the proprietors of the Cotton Manufactory in Beverly four hundred tickets in the lottery about to be drawn, and three hundred in the next Semi-annual State Lottery. "Some people, out-doors," says the "Salem Gazette," March 8, 1791, "murmur at this as an ill-judged act of liberality; but perhaps they are not acquainted with the arguments which induced the grant. The disposition of Government to foster our infant [Pg 59] manufactures is certainly laudable." ”

“ NUMEROUS are the instances that can be cited of a less, a much less, sum than Twenty Thousand Dollars having restored to their pristine vigor precarious circumstances, and of making the poor become rich! ”

“ Of the necessity of these for the establishment of a complete system of liberal education, [Pg 50] every one must be sensible who entertains a just conception of the vast extent of science.—Those who are disposed to promote the Lottery now brought forward, may be assured that the whole business will be transacted with the utmost exactitude and fidelity. ”

“ THE OLDEN TIME SERIES GLEANINGS CHIEFLY FROM OLD NEWSPAPERS OF BOSTON
AND SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS SELECTED AND ARRANGED, WITH BRIEF COMMENTS BY HENRY M. BROOKS Curiosities of the Old Lottery
"Old and new make the warp and woof of every moment. There is no thread that is not a twist of these two strands. ”

“ Boston, May 22, 1790.
Williamstown FREE SCHOOL Lottery.
We are authorised to assure the Publick, and we do assure them—that the 7th Class of this Lottery will not only commence drawing on Monday next, but will positively be completed on Tuesday morning—and a list of Prizes will be published in the Centinel the same week. [Pg 43]
The metropolis of Massachusetts hath ever been celebrated for the attention it hath paid to the education of its youth. In the elder world, a Franklin hath been a living testimony of it, as well as in the younger. ”

“ THE serious evil which has fallen upon a great many adventurers, by purchasing Tickets in former lotteries, and drawing blanks which were worth nothing; appears now to be remedied.—The managers of the Fifth Class of Harvard College Lottery, have in their wisdom taken the misery of this evil into consideration and have given us a scheme preferable to any former one ”

“ A lottery was proposed for the purpose of finishing Bunker Hill Monument, although the scheme was not carried out. It is perhaps not generally remembered that this monument was at length completed by means furnished by a Ladies' Fair, in 1840, and handsome [Pg 8] contributions by several individuals. Among other contributors was the celebrated danseuse Fanny Ellsler, who was at that time giving performances in Boston. Some of the best men in the community were interested in recommending the various schemes, and members of churches, men in high repute, bought and sold the tickets. ”

“ AND since the said Bridge so well answers the Expectation of the Public, and the Travelling that Way thereby is rendered much more easy and pleasant; the Managers doubt not there will be a great Demand of the Tickets, from a Principle of encouraging and promoting a Work of such general Utility, if there were no other Inducement. But when they consider how much this Scheme is calculated in Favour of the Adventurers, there being many Prizes of great Value, and but two Blanks to a Prize; they doubt not of a very speedy Sale of the Tickets. ”

“ A new and thrilling novel of literary life in New York, written with masterly skill. One of the most exacting of reviewers says that it will "convince and touch thoughtful and sensitive readers"; and another, a well-known novelist and poet, says: "The plot and situations are original and natural. It is out of the common run, and sparkles with life—real life—and deep feeling."
AMERICAN WHIST. By G.W.P. 1 vol. 16mo. Sixth Edition, Revised. ”

“ Colonel Henry Whipple, who is remembered as one of our best citizens, kept, in connection with his bookstore, a "Fortunate Lottery Office." Other names might be mentioned, but we think we have given enough to show the respectability of the calling. The better the man, the better the agent. Indeed, it was generally thought to be just as respectable to sell lottery-tickets as to sell Bibles ”

“ Those which will not support [Pg 56] themselves, it is true, will not benefit the community; but there are very important ones, which in their infancy require the nursing hand of government—to such the produce of lotteries might be beneficially applied. There exists a spirit of adventure in all societies, which will lead a number to throw themselves into the hands of Chance in one way or another, & which, under the direction of a wise Legislature, may be made to subserve their best interests. ”

“ Lotteries have of late been a very productive source of revenue in this State.—The moral tendency of them has been supposed by some to be injurious to society; and government have been careful to grant them for such purposes only, as that the probable benefit should outweigh the evil. ”

“ That one man in the company should be selected as president; that this president should be duly sworn to keep entirely secret all the communications that should be forwarded to him in his official department that night: and each unmarried gentleman and lady should write his or her name on a piece of paper, and under it place the person's name whom they wished to marry; then hand it to the president for inspection, and if any gentleman and lady had reciprocally chosen each other, the president was to inform each of the result ”

“ Although the paper addresses itself primarily to architects and builders, by its discussions upon matters of interest common to those engaged in building pursuits, it is the object of the editors to make it acceptable and necessary to that large portion of the educated classes who are interested in and appreciate the importance of good architectural surroundings, to civil and sanitary engineers, draughtsmen, antiquaries, craftsmen of all kinds, and all intelligent readers. ”

“ A ROMANTIC YOUNG LADY. By Robert Grant, author of "The Confessions of a Frivolous Girl," "An Average Man," etc. 1 vol. 12mo. $1.50.
This is the latest and one of the strongest works of the successful delineator of modern society life and manners. It will be read eagerly and enjoyably by thousands of lovers of the best fiction.
A NEW AND ENLARGED CONCORDANCE TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. By Rev. J.B.R. Walker.
This monumental work of patient industry and iron diligence is indispensable to all students of the Bible, to which it is the key and introduction. ”