CHURCH RAFFLES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4511, 4 September 1875, Page 2

CHURCH RAFFLES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sill, —I think Mr. Bouar and Mr. Waterhouse deserve public thanks for drawing the attention of the Government to the state of the law —or rather of its administration—as respects rallies and lotteries. This method of appealing to the gambling propensity of human nature is being worked to such an extent in our midst that the thing lias become a public nuisance. Business men departing from legitimate modes of selling their goods have recourse to this device, which gives them such an advantage over respectable traders, and secures largo and speedy returns, Religious teachers, instead of trusting to tho liberality and voluntary efforts of those who receive their teaching, fall back upon the raffle and lottery as a more expeditious, and I suppose, successful way of replenishing the exhausted Church treasury. And so among the new methods of raising money for the maintenance and extension of religious institutions—one most frequent in use—under the highest ecclesiastical sanction is the raffle and cheap lottery, A short time ago a bazaar was held in New Zealand in connection with another section of tho Christian Church, for which a beer license was procured. In another colony I remember an amateur dramatic performance being given in aid of church funds, and one wonders what will bo the next venture of the clerical body to recruit failing resources. It is a most saddening spectacle to see religion thus wounded in tho house of its friends, and how tho clergy can rebuke tho gambling spirit which is rampant, and bids fair to debase by its presence so many of our innocent amusements. How they can pretend to be exemplars of morality as long as they resort to such means. In support of religion, it is difficult for me to imagine, unless on tho principle that the end justifies the means. I had tine curiosity to look into the legal aspect of the question, and in Stephen’s Commentaries, vol. iv,, p. 350, I find several statutes quoted, showing that “ nil private lotteries, by tickets, cards, or dice, are specifically prohibited.” The Cabinet Lawyer, an acknowledged authority, in p. 603 says, “All raffles and other devices under tho denomination of saletf which are equivalent to lotteries, are prohibited under a heavy penalty by a great variety of statutes.” Now, tho common and .the statute law of England up till January 14, 1840, as far as applicable to the circumstances of the colony, is tho law of New Zealand. I think, therefore, that there can be no doubt that raffles and lotteries, though employed to further the spread of religion, are in direct antagonism to the law. But tho chief objection I have to them is that they foster and develop a gambling spirit, which is specially hurtful to the young, and most inimical to the moral health, not to say religious welfare of the community. As some of our Church dignitaries have been recently defending their beliefs against tho attacks of rationalists and sceptics, perhaps passing from tho abstract to tho concrete, they might furnish us with a defence of tho raffle and lottery as an apostolical and approved method of providing funds for tho spread of tho Gospel in scattered districts.—l am, &c., Morality.