Hartley, in his essay upon man, has the following observation upon gaming.

“The practice of playing at games of chance and skill is one of the principal amusements of life.  And it may be thought hard to condemn it as absolutely unlawful, since there are particular cases of persons, infirm in body and mind, where it seems requisite to draw them out of themselves by a variety of ideas and ends in view, which gently engage the attention.—­But the reason takes place in very few instances.—­The general motives to play are avarice, joined with a fraudulent intention explicit or implicit, ostentation of skill, and spleen, through the want of some serious, useful occupation.  And as this practice arises from such corrupt sources, so it has a tendency to increase them; and indeed may be considered as an express method of begetting and inculcating self-interest, ill will, envy, and the like.  For by gaming a man learns to pursue his own interest solely and explicitly, and to rejoice at the loss of others, as his own gain, grieve at their gain, as his own loss, thus entirely reversing the order established by providence for social creatures.”

CHAP.  III.....SECT.  I.

Music forbidden—­general apology for the Quakers on account of their prohibition of so delightful a science—­music particularly abused at the present day—­wherein this abuse consists—­present use of it almost inseparable from the abuse.

Plato, when he formed what he called his pure republic, would not allow music to have any place in it.  George Fox and his followers were of opinion, that it could not be admitted in a system of pure Christianity.  The modern Quakers have not differed from their predecessors on this subject; and therefore music is understood to be prohibited throughout the society at the present day.

It will doubtless appear strange that there should be found people, to object to an art, which is capable of being made productive of so much pleasurable feeling, and which, if it be estimated either by the extent or the rapidity of its progress, is gaining in the reputation of the world.  But it may be observed that “all that glitters is not gold.”  So neither is all, that pleases the ear, perfectly salubrious to the mind.  There are few customs, against which some argument or other may not be advanced:  few in short, which man has not perverted, and where the use has not become, in an undue measure, connected with the abuse.

Providence gave originally to man a beautiful and a perfect world.  He filled it with things necessary and things delightful.  And yet man has often turned these from their true and original design.  The very wood on the surface of the earth he has cut down, and the very stone and metal in its bowels he has hewn and cast, and converted into a graven image, and worshipped in the place of his beneficent Creator.  The food, which has been given him for his nourishment, he has frequently converted by his intemperance into the means of injuring his health.  The wine that was designed to make his heart glad on reasonable and necessary occasions, he has used often to the stupefaction of his senses, and the degradation of his moral character.  The very raiment, which has been afforded him for his body, he has abused also, so that it has frequently become a source for the excitement of his pride.