BROTHER GARDNER'S VIEWS OF CRANK AND CARDS.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1574, 5 August 1882, Page 6

BROTHER GARDNER'S VIEWS OF CRANK AND CARDS.

"Altf dar' a crank present in de hall to-night ?" softly asked Brother Gardner as the meeting opened. Not a voice answered. " Have cipy of you seen a crank aroun' town dis las' week ?" continued the President. No one had, or at least no one admitted it. ' ' Two weeks ago do kentry was full of 'em. You could find 'era on the street kyar, at the depot, aroun' do hotels, an ebon iv church. All of a sudden you can't skecr up a single crank. De bizness has got to be unhealthy. The plea of insanity doan' go down wid the jury as slick as it did. De time when one man kin put a knife into an anoder an' make de jury believe ho was bo'n ddt way and couldn't help it has 'bout expired. He mus' quit bhootin', stabbin', utealin', an' bein' heard ef in the land. When de crank fust brought f or'tl de idcah dat de Deity was behind him an' urged him on it was sunthin' new an' novel, but dat ideah am played out wid de rest. " " My frens, let de cantankerous bizness alone. Doan, call stealin 1 by any odder name. If your hands itch fur money dat belongs to home one elße, tako it an' skip, an' when the law overhauls you doan' sot up do plea dat an angel from Heaven urged you on. Legal farces have had deir day in divS ketnry. Insanity, kleptomania, sudden emotion, drimkonuess an' loss o' momory will be poo' excuses bsfor' fucher juries." The President stated that ho had received the following personal letter :—: — Bio, Gardner — Is there anylhing wrong in playing a same of cards ? Very truly, V Crvxburry Jonkr. " When Elder Lightfoot an' hia wife come ober to my cabin," replied the President, "an' we sot down fur a game o' fcuohie, we feel as innocent of wiong as a two-year-old child foolin' wid a revolver, but nnder certain odder condi°hun<» a game of cards may result in great evil. If a pusson stacks de keerda, d it's wrong. If he puts the joker up hi-* sleeve, dat/s wrong. Ordinarily speakin' dar's nuffin' wrong in a game of keerds, unless you git all de nine an' ton .spots and the odder man holds all de bowers an' aces."'