though they were often covered with a garb of outward morality, were
full of rottenness within. Some, who pass for moral and religious
persons, have in this thing exhibited a moral obliquity that has often
astonished me.

From a careful examination, I have learned the lamentable fact, that the
most prominent opposers of moral reforms are composed of two classes,
THE HARDENED SINNER, who makes money his god, and THE EXTREMELY
IGNORANT. Let not the reader understand, however, that I suppose there
are not ignorant rich men as well as poor--the latter have their share
of bad men, and so also have the former--but that vice and ignorance are
common to both.

In the year 1843, I commenced lecturing against the fearful vice of
gambling, for no other reason than to stay the gambler in his ruinous
course, and save the youth of our land from his alluring wiles. For this
I received IN PUBLIC the "God speeds" of ALL classes, and the prayers of
all Christians in secret. I soon learned I had much with which to
contend--opposition from directions I little anticipated. The gambler,
unfortunate man! he carried upon his countenance an expression of open
hate, indicating a deadly hostility to my reformatory movements. The
ignorant man, I found, was disposed to make his avarice the highway to
happiness. He was unwilling to favour any reform that would invade the
territory of his contracted selfishness. His reply, if he had any, would
be that stereotyped one, "such a course will have a tendency to make
more gamblers than it will cure." If his reasons were asked for such a
statement, you could get no satisfactory answer. Perhaps he would say,
"I am satisfied of the fact from my own disposition." He might as well
give a child's reason at once, and say, "CAUSE!" Such persons have
seldom heard a lecture, or read a syllable, and yet are always prating