496 



JL in the habit 

 of giving oc"- 

 easionally in 

 these colli inns 

 k i n <1 \\' o r d s 

 from some of 

 our readers. 

 Once oi- twice 1 

 have permitted 

 sometliing' e x - 

 1 1- a V a g a n 1 1 y 

 kind to ap])ear. 

 Now, to be fair 

 7 sho-.dd also 

 g^ve place, at 

 least once in a 

 while, to some of the criticisms. So far as 

 unkind words ai'e concerned they are very 

 few. Along this line just two letters have 

 been received in regai-d to what 1 said 

 about cigarettes and testaments on page 

 389 of our last issue. One of the letters 

 said that the soldiers who are offering- 

 their lives to protect our libei'ties and our 

 nation " should have everything they 

 want." 1 have mislaid the letter, but h.ere 

 comes a second one along the same lire: 



Mr. Root: — Noting your article in July Glean- 

 ixos 071 cigarettes and testaments, I wish to say I 

 have many times wished to be where, I could have a 

 good long talk with you — one where plain but sharp 

 words would show you and prove to you what you 

 really are but are not sensible of it. Those who 

 have gone forth to fight for such as you and all 

 others, if they want cigarettes they should have them. 

 If they ever were entitled to them they are now ; 

 and if a man or a wo-nan, as to that matter, is 

 clean spiritually, cigarettes will not in any way make 

 such impure. 



But men of your caliber are always interfering 

 and reforming almost all innocent things while Tip- 

 holding and ])raeticing things thousands of times 

 worse and not comprehending it. In fact, you are 

 of those who strain at a gnat and swallow a 

 camel: and your favorite diversion is showing your 

 readers " unknowingly on your behalf," how blind, 

 seltiish, and hypocritical you are. 



Perhaps at one time you were an industrious and 

 useful producer for the world's good; but now you 

 fail to realize that you are only a non-producing 

 parasite, living off the toil of hireling slaves whose 

 surplus profits above their wage you are .spending 

 on self only by playing at " intensive " gardening, 

 e'ectric automobi'es, electric windmill generators, 

 estates in Florida, and e.xpen.sive trips back and 

 forth — deluding yourself into believing you are do- 

 ing something useful, and not being sensible of its 

 bsing the contrary. And I wish to add .iust this 

 m\ich more: 



That .Vlmighty God is alile to and does reach un- 

 to al! t1i();e he wishes to teach and to lead unto 

 righteousness, and has absolutely no use for your 

 hel]). There be some blind yet who caniu)t per- 

 ceive the spiritual teachei-s ; therefore they turn 

 to material ones of your caliber who keep their 

 backs always turned to the light of ti'ue godly right- 

 eousneiss, and following man-made doctrines which 

 are a Babylon of confusing sects and creeds, lead 

 ing the careless into everlasting darknc-.s iiiul M)r 

 row because they do not seek light. 



Trinceton, Mo.. .Inly 3 -f. F. -1. .Sak.vrik. 



GLEANINGS IN B F F CULTURE 



AUGJ.ST, 1918 



OUR HOMES 



A. I. ROOT 



Know ye not that your body is the temple of the 

 Holy Ghost which is in you, which je have of God, 

 and ye are not your own? — I. COR. 6:19. 



Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which 

 believei in me, it were le'ter for bin that a mill- 

 stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were 

 drowned in the depth of the sea. — M.4TT. 18:6. 



M y good 

 brother, while I 

 thank you for 

 wishing you 

 could have a 

 good long talk 

 with nie, I am 

 a little a f r a i d 

 you would have 

 to climb down a 

 little from the 

 high perch yon 

 seem to have 

 chosen w li i 1 e 

 you 1 a y down 

 the law, making 

 yourself, as it 

 seems to me, both judge and jury. You 

 say, " If they want cigarettes they should 

 have them." Why not go on and say the 

 same thing about "booze?" And it just 

 o?curs to me that Germany would likely 

 fall right in with youi- suggestions. I can 

 imagine that even the kaiser himself might 

 say something like this : " Why, yes ; if 

 tlie boys want cigarettes, let them have 

 them of course, and booze also, which would 

 give them courage to fight. And right along 

 this line why not abolish the war zone 

 around the soldiers^ encampments'? Sure 

 tiling; let them have anything they want." 

 J wonder, friend S., if it has ever o?- 

 curred to you that I have heaps of maga- 

 zines and periodicals from all over our 

 nation, constantly piled on my desk. Of 

 course I cannot read them all; but 1 try to 

 ghmce over them enougli to keep fairly 

 well posted up to date. I fear a good 

 many })eo])le are getting the idea that tliere 

 is something patriotic about smoking a 

 cigarette, especially since cigarettes have 

 been sent in such quantities to the soldiers. 

 And speaking of patriotism reminds me of 

 something else along this line. Quite re- 

 cently when a lot of soldiers were getting 

 off a train a crowd of women (I believe 

 they called themselves girls) rushed up to 

 kiss the soldiers, thinking it would be ac- 

 cepted as a patriotic act; but it was not 

 lon.i;' before the authorities put a stop to 

 the kissing. This gang of women that 

 wanted to kiss the soldiers were not exactly 

 girls, and I am afraid they hardly deserve 

 lo be classed as women, notwithstanding 

 their gaudy attire. Should we say of them, 

 as you have just said of the cigarettes, "if 

 the soldiers want them they should have 

 theiiif" May God be praised that I^ncle 

 Sam steps in right here and objer-ts. 



'I'he American Tobacco Go. is, of course. 

 u\'\v m\(] on the alert along this same I'ne 

 of " patriotism"; and a magazine* that lies 



* No-Tobacco Journal. Butler, Ind. 



