These, then, are games of chance.
Yet so far from being immoral, they are indispensable to the existence
of man, and every one has a natural right to choose for his pursuit such
one of them as he thinks most likely to furnish him subsistence. Almost
all these pursuits of chance produce something useful to society. But
there are some which produce nothing, and endanger the well-being of the
individuals engaged in them, or of others depending on them. Such are
games with cards, dice, billiards, &c. And although the pursuit of them
is a matter of natural right, yet society, perceiving the irresistible
bent of some of its members to pursue them, and the ruin produced by
them to the families depending on these individuals, consider it as a
case of insanity, _quoad hoc_, step in to protect the family and the
party himself, as in other cases of insanity, infancy, imbecility, &c,
and suppress the pursuit altogether, and the natural right of following
it. There are some other games of chance, useful on certain occasions,
and injurious only when carried beyond their useful bounds. Such are
insurances, lotteries, raffles, &tc. These they do not suppress, but
take their regulation under their own discretion. The insurance of
ships on voyages is a vocation of chance, yet useful, and the right to
exercise it therefore is left free. So of houses against fire, doubtful
debts, the continuance of a particular life, and similar cases.
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