Back in 1959, at a mass at New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Rev. Bernard P. Donachie spoke out against attempts by some in his state to legalize gambling as a way to end graft and corruption. This, he argued, was a debasing argument because it suggested "no man is capable of resisting temptation," according to an account of the speech in the New York Times.

He went on to predict that legalized gambling eventually would lead to movements toward legalizing other vices.

". . . Today it is big-time gambling, tomorrow it will be dope peddling and narcotics and next week who knows what?" he said. "And the solution is always the same — if you can't stamp it out, then legalize it, control it and tax it. And so the fabric of American morality is gradually weakened." (New York Times, Aug. 17, 1959 p. 31.)

Many in today's world would consider such a speech quaint and old-fashioned. Yet look at where the world has come in the 44 intervening years. Every state in the United States except Utah and Hawaii now allows at least some form of gambling. Most have lotteries, and many allow casino gambling and sports wagering.

And, not surprisingly, growing on the heels of this movement has been a steadily expanding chorus of voices favoring the legalization of harmful narcotics. Already, some states allow marijuana to be consumed for alleged medicinal purposes. Others, including some public office holders, are arguing that the best way to end the corruption associated with the drug trade is to legalize all drugs and tax their sales.

These trends are not unique to the United States. They have become issues of public discussion in many nations, some of which have elected to follow through with permissive legislation.

The Rev. Donachie warned of a slippery slope. Today, the slide is readily apparent for anyone who bothers to look.

And so is the harm to society. An alarming report last month from a series of regional studies found that teenagers are gambling in record numbers, even though they are not of legal age to do so. They are buying lottery tickets, playing card and dice games for money on-line, betting on sporting events and, in some cases, obtaining credit cards and running up against maximum credit limits. An estimated 30 percent of high school students in the United States gamble periodically, and 8 percent of them are believed to be compulsive gamblers. This horrible addiction will doom them to lives of destructive behavior that could end in prison or worse.

The Center for Youth Gambling Problems has found that teens who gamble also are more likely to smoke, drink, use drugs and commit petty crimes.

A psychologist at Canada's University of Lethbridge said the increase in teen gambling is due to the fact that one entire generation has now been raised in a society that generally accepts gambling. "When you suddenly make [gambling] widely available and endorse it through the government and you have parents doing it, it leads to increased use in minors," he told the Calgary Herald.

Imagine how a generation raised on legalized narcotics and other harmful substances would behave.

Throughout this dispensation, prophets have warned members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints against gambling and all other enslaving vices. President Gordon B. Hinckley, responding to a question about the Church's position on government lotteries, reiterated what had been said by previous leaders.

"President Brigham Young spoke out against gambling. President Lorenzo Snow spoke against it. President Joseph F. Smith spoke very strongly against it; and, in 1925, President Heber J. Grant and his counselors said, 'The Church has been and now is unalterably opposed to gambling in any form.' " (October 1985 general conference; Ensign, Nov. 1985.)

Sadly, the wisdom in those warnings is now becoming apparent through destructive results.

Members of the Church have a responsibility to resist the tide toward officially sanctioned vices and to teach their children why this is so important. They have a duty to promote good laws and to vote responsibly. Above all, they cannot ever allow themselves to indulge in these harmful practices.

Vices and addictions are forms of slavery that inhibit the Spirit of God and keep His children from learning the truth about themselves and their potential. The fight against them may well be one of this generation's greatest challenges.