Gamblers and Gambling (Beecher Henry Ward).

«Gamblers and gambling» is a book by the American writer Henry Ward Beecher. It tells the story of an unassuming professor of philosophy who had a strong passion for gambling, and how this pursuit impacted his relationship with his wife, his career, and eventually his life.

The protagonist of the novel, named Sam Ableman, begins his journey into gambling as a young college student. As he begins to indulge in this dangerous pastime, he struggles to balance his passion for it with his commitment to his education and his family, which he must provide for.

As time passes, Sam's gambling becomes more and more reckless, and he begins to squander his earnings to the point that he neglects all aspects of his life except for his obsession. His wife begins to suffer as a result of his neglect, including physical and emotional neglect. She even divorces Sam after he bet away their money on a racehorse that didn't win.

Eventually, Sam realizes the error of his ways and attempts to turn his life around. He reconciles with his former wife and his son and goes back to his teaching job. However, his gambling passion is too deep-rooted in him to be overcome, and Sam finds himself slowly losing his mind, pushed further and further down a dark road until his death.

Генри Уорд Бичер утверждал, что азартные игры – это зло, и подкреплял свою позицию статистикой смертности среди участников игp, которая была выше, чем в других слоях населения на сопоставимой стадии индустриализации. По статистике, приведенной Бичеpом, каждый мужчина-игрок за свою жизнь ставит на зеро больше людей, чем участвует во всех войнах своего времени – Американской революции против Великобритании, борьбе за независимость США, наполеоновских войнах и Мексиканской войне. Автор заявил, что "каждый мужчина, вступающий на стезю азартных игр на доллар или монету, убивает одного человека из четырех своих соотечественников". Такое умноженное на 10 миллионов по числу американцев, как утверждал Бичер, приводит к преступлениям и моральному разложению нации.