WOMEN GAMBLERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81916, 14 January 1907, Page 2

WOMEN GAMBLERS.

To this Kditor. Sir,—Vet another, ami a very cJear. forcible, and lucid address 011 gambling, Hs evils, and the necessity, for its eradication has been given in New Plymouth, iiut UlO lecturer, though forceful and eloquent, was evidently speaking from book lore. lie could not, upon his remarks, be accused oi having gone to the racecourse for his facts. Like one of the minister* of tlio church in New JMymouth he .seemed to be of the opinion that horse racing was good, so long as it was mereiy horse-racing, bift he declined to attend the race meetings, probably , because he would not mix with the .scum to/ - the earth wlficli certainly congregates on a racecourse. l>ul wore the rev. gentleman to swallow his pride, and visit any race meeting 1 he would find that bridge is not the only form of gambling which is ruining tiie women and blighting the social life of this colony, Ilad lie been present at the recent Taranaki meeting, for instance, he would not have confined his racecourse and totalizator denunciation to the effect on men. He would not have given to the men of the colony the attention that lie did, or have spoken only of the ell'ect 011 our young men of the excessive nerve and brain stress. For the gambling evil has long since crossed the line and attacked our women and girls. ilorseMaeing mul gambling are yife amongst the female pop ulation. Kacli race meeting sees its crowd of gaily dressed women, in fron/.ied excitement as each race is run and won, seeming really as though their whole fortunes, their whole lives, perhaps, depended on the issue of the so-ealled horse race then in progress.

And the end of the day sees llicm excited with their gains and reckless; 01 nerveless and despondent as the rc-

suit of their losses, and reckless, llacing and betting amongst women is robbing the sex" of that gentility and modesty that should characterise good women. The fashionable leader who would almost scorn to recognisel her dressmaker, maid, grocer or butcher in the street can lie found on the racecourse hob nobbing willi jockeys and spielers, looking for "lips." They are on terms of easy familiarity with raceconrsj; frequenters and racecourse slang, and can be seen running here and there among personal friends and casual and race course acquaintances endeavouring to •'make up a ticket" on the latest "good thing' given by one of the racecourse gentry who live by their wits and on I lie follies' of the race-going public.

And can it be said that all this nervous strain and excitement, this wholesale sacrifice of womanly dignity and respect, this gambling m half-crowns and crowns at the expenss of home attention and children's wellbeing is going to bring about a higher morality? No. Here is one of the dangers of the gambling evil to which too little attention is paid. Here is an aspect of. this fatal epidemic which seems to have escaped the notice of the reverend gentlemen who cousti. lute, themselves racecourse reformers without knowing the real state of affairs oa the racecourse. Whilst they hurl strong epithets at the male gambler, and urge him to mend his ways, the daughters and the wife of the gambler listen intently and smile as (hey think of the. "good tiling" they have for the next race meeting. There are evidences that the gambling evil is going to be tackled in earnest, and this phase must receive a full meed of attention—i am, etc., OiiSiiKVEK.