# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1850 10 15_S31
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

31

there in a conversation of a higher kind than one is wont to carry on! — This is documentarily true, and at that time found joyful sympathy even in higher circles." —

Gaming.

Three sorts of people are worthy of no pity: gamblers, drunkards, and rope-dancers. If they lose their money, honor, and life, all three have their folly to thank for it. Things which lie within my power to leave undone, though they are committed to my own harm by myself, I must then bear myself with scorn. Nothing is so precious as time: yet it is squandered by most people in dissolute play. What was formerly a disgrace has now become an honor; for what a man was once pronounced blessed, if he knew it not, now makes one bear the name of an ignoramus, who knows it not. When dice and cards first came into the world, those who dealt in them were held to be dissolute people, and had in the end to bear the name of cutpurses; now it is the fashion that the cleverest of the world go about with this trade, and even wish to be called the most distinguished in it. When the spade-knave was first to be wed to the lustful one, the game was given the name of an allowable pastime, or, according to the present universally mixed and embroidered manner of speech, of a divertissement, or, when it came yet more daintily, a passe de temps. Now that the cards are once in the basket, and have won rich, even distinguished lovers, they have become common property, have stolen from our Lord God many a day, and from the neighbor many an honest purse of money, have made many a man a beggar, according to the common proverb: one may play himself weary, but not rich, and if that should not happen at once, yet it has no prospering. Impossible! Easy come, easy go. Be it as it may, and let the card and dice playing be baptized as it will: between two players the third man is the gain, who gives the winner a pleasure, the loser vexation. These laugh, those curse; and though the one should win two pence today, he loses ten dollars tomorrow. He who made the first cards must have pasted a poison on them, so impossible is it for him who has once bitten at this hook to withdraw from it. The hope of becoming rich has made so many a player a beggar, has let so many die in disgrace and shame, who yet served his successors for no example. In this time Hans and Greth play, both for a wager; he who has money in his pocket and he who must borrow it. Be there something or nothing, it must nevertheless be played, and cards and dice now serve as a confection after the meal, which to most men serves to the great defect of their livelihood, and costs the stakeholder commonly the most, some of them also throwing away house and farm and all credit. Time and fashion will have it so, and the appetite for playing so grows that one forgets God and all that is honorable. Of most gamblers it is still said, they rose up to play, Exod. 32, 6. 1 Cor. 10, 7. but not to pray. What, pray? He who has played into the late night, even till the sun has risen again, has his head full of gain or loss, has perhaps even played falsely and cheated his comrade of what is his, and comes in the morning half fish, half flesh, half waking, half sleeping into the church; should he be able to pray? They babble, perhaps, at the most, but do not pray. Should he be able to profit by God's Word, who runs to hear the Word from his playing? and as soon as he gets away from it, runs again to the gaming table? I believe it not; that can never be; this indeed, that he gambles away the Word of God together with his soul. I cannot forbid anyone to seek his pastime where he can; but I will not have it among those to whom I have a word to speak, and who have entrusted their soul to mine, that they should learn this trade of the world, and if they must needs be at it and in it, that they do it as one does with the fire, which one approaches for the winter's sake, yet not too near, lest one be burned. If anyone would play to God with David upon the psaltery (Ps. 144, 9.), let that always be unforbidden to him; otherwise all playing of the time, wherein care for the soul is neglected, which redounds to the dishonor of God, wherein also many a dissolute word is spoken, is a capital sin, and many chief players of the time now sit in the gaming-house of the hellish company, about which the devils play with firebrands of hell; with that heaven and salvation are not to be won, but rather with fear and trembling.

In today's game of cards
Many a one does far too much,
That is the best game
Where at the last there fell to us
The goal of sweet heaven.

(Lassenius.)

Joachim von Ziethen.

Joachim von Ziethen, afterwards a famous general, was in his 11th year a page or noble youth at the court of Frederick the Great. The young nobles had to watch by turns at night in a room next to the king's bedchamber and wait upon the king when he required it. This was too burdensome to many a one, and he gladly paid for it out of his pocket money if another would do it for him. Our good Joachim had no pocket money, for he had no father any more, and his mother was a poor widow. But he too would gladly have had a little pocket money, and so he offered to watch for others for money. This would have turned out almost ill for him. For once the king could not sleep, and wanted a book from another room; he rang for the page, but he did not stir. He rang again and a third time, but no page came. At last the king gets up, goes into the anteroom to see whether there was no one there. Here he finds Ziethen, but sitting asleep at the table. That is a fine watchman, he might think; and you will say: He had good cause indeed to offer himself for others besides! But hear first! The king steps nearer and now sees that he has a letter before him, over which he has fallen asleep. He takes the letter and reads: "My best, dearest Mother! It is now already the third night that I have kept the watch for money. I can hardly bear it any longer. Meanwhile I rejoice that I have again earned and saved ten dollars for you, and these I send you herewith." There you see what Joachim wanted pocket money for.

The king saw it also and thought: he is right; so he laid his letter down again before him, went into his chamber, fetched two rolls of ducats, put one into each of his pockets, and lay down again in bed. But how startled the page was on waking, when he felt into his pocket and perceived from the money that the king had found him asleep. As soon as he saw him in the morning, he begged him most humbly to forgive him his fault, and thanked him for the gracious gift. The king praised his filial love and gratitude, soon after appointed him an officer, and gave him besides a sum of money, to provide himself with all that he needed for his new station.

There the promise of the fourth commandment, "that it may be well with thee!" was truly fulfilled!

(Sent in.)

6.

From the Song of Songs.

To whom shall I compare thee,
Thou incomparable one?
Who will attain thy praise,
The unattainable?

Chorus.

O Solomon, thou prince of splendor,
Thou prince in golden times,
Thou didst gather Egypt's power,
With horses and chariots brought to thee;
Riches on every side.

To the horses of Pharaoh's chariot
I compare my dove;
So pure of gold and mighty so,
The strong she takes for prey.

See how the cheeks stand
Lovely to thee in the rings,
Jewels, fair to behold,
And stones shine upon the neck.

Chorus.

These are the noble stones so good,
Wherewith Zion is adorned,
When Solomon's shield and faithful guard
Rests upon her with looks of love,
And longs to bless for ever.
O wish Jerusalem good fortune, the city
That has such a king and bridegroom!

G. Schaller.