226 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



Mar. 



love progress ; I love education ; I love nie- 

 chanics and machinery ; I love gardens and 

 greenhouses; I love churches and 1 love 

 Sunday-schools ; I love Christian people as 

 I never loved them before ; and I love you, 

 dear friends, whom God in his inhnite liier- 

 cy has seen fit to permit me to talk to, and 

 to cheer and to encourage with these lines ; 

 and I want to see you hold fast to the faith, 

 and not faint. When our pastor read the 

 words, "' Lest I come unto thee quickly and 

 remove thy candlestick out of its place, excejit 

 thou repent," it occurred to me at once 

 that, if I should go on stepping back, I 

 should lose my place among Christian peo- 

 ple ; I should lose my privdege to speak in 

 these Home Papers ; faith in Jesus Christ 

 would be gone, and then I should have what 

 Satan has to offer — that and nothing else, 

 and he is always offeriug something that is 

 not his to give. '" When he speaketh a lie, he 

 speaketh of his own : for he is a liar, and the 

 father of it." 



JF0B^cc0 GmnW' 



CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH WE GIVE SMOKERS TO PERSONS WHO 

 STOP USING TOBACCO. 



First, the candidate must be one of those who have given up 

 tobacco in consequence of what he has seen and read in this 

 department. Second, he promises to pay tor the smoker 

 should he ever resume the use of tobacco in any form, after 

 receiving tlie smoker. Third, he must be a subscril)er to 

 Gleanings. Any subscriber may, however, liave smokers sent 

 to neighbors or personal acquaintances whom he has labored 

 with on the matter of tobacco-using, providing he give us his 

 pledge that, if the one who receives the smoker ever uses to- 

 bacco again, he (the subscriber) will pay forthe smoker. The 

 one who receives the smoker in this case need not be a sub- 

 scriber to Gleanings, though we greatly prefer that he be one, 

 because we think he would be strengthened by reading the 

 testimonials from time to time in regard to this matter. The 

 full name and address of every one who makes the promise 

 must be furnished for publication. 



QUITTING ALL KINDS OF "MEANNESS." 



Will you allow me thank you for the great bless- 

 ing which has come to me through your writings 

 against the use Of tobacco? I have been chewing 

 and smoking for at least 20 years. To quit seemed 

 too much for me, although I had been wanting to 

 do so for quite a while, and had made one or two 

 attempts, hut could not get the consent of my mind 

 fully, until at last I was convinced by you that a 

 man can quit his '• meanness," and, as Sam .Tones 

 puts it, " mi(,sf quit his meanness;" and when I un- 

 derstood it I found it easy indeed to stop short; and 

 I have not smoked or chewed one crumb of tobacco 

 for about 13 weeks, and am hearty and healthy, 

 weighing more than I ever did. Oh how many peo- 

 ple there are, who want to be called "nice folks," 

 who are using the cursed stuff! 



I was under its power for so long I thought I could 

 not let it go; but it was all knocked out of me by 

 one stroke; and when I am tempted I am now able 

 to say, " No, thank you." Bro. R., don't take back 

 what you have said against tobacco; and make no 

 apology to any one using it; for, indeed, it is a 

 great sin; and shall we be afraid to rebuke it? I 

 shall not be afrflid. for T know the evils thereof. 

 I have been reproving our two ministers here, who 

 are users of tobacco. I talked to them kindly, in 

 strong language, saying that the chewing and 

 smoking of tobacco is a very mean, dirty, sinful 

 habit. Bro. C. said it was recommended to him by a 

 physician thirty years ago, and he had used it ever 

 since. He knew it was a very dirty practice, yet 



could not see that it was a sni to use it, and did not 

 think it was. Said I, "Very well, my good brother. 

 I think you have not given the matter much 

 thought. Let us look at it for a moment. We 

 adults look to you for instruction by your practice 

 as well as precept. Now, for our children what is 

 the example you set? I tell my four little children 

 (Oldest ten), that I quit smoking (as I never chewed 

 before thern) because it was a sin, and that no good 

 man or woman should use tobacco. Now, they 

 think as we do— that the picachcr is a good man, as 

 he prays for them in our home. Surely it can't be 

 that he chews and smokes before them? Yes, he 

 docs, and he ought to 'quit his meanness.' " 



A French chemist claims that he has traced the 

 cause of many cases of poisoning from nicotine, 

 absorbed from tobacco smoke in the meat-market; 

 and he avers that no amount of cooking will de- 

 stroy the poison. So we are not only killing our- 

 selves by its use, but are liable to kill others as 

 well. T. J. Anderson. 



Joseph's Mills, W. Va., Feb. .5, IbliO, 



Friend A., I am exceedingly glad to 

 know that you have been delivered from the 

 bondage of the tobacfco habit; bitt, dear 

 brother, please let us be careful in our criti- 

 cisms of others who have not seen fit to do 

 as we have done. I am glad you did remon- 

 strate with your minister; but let us careful- 

 ly and prayerfully prepare ourselves for such 

 a task, and be sure that we choose such words 

 as will do the most good, and not do harm. 

 There is only a very narrow line that sepa- 

 rates between saying just enough and say- 

 ing just a little too much. When we each 

 and all commence in real earnest to " quit 

 our meanness,"' then shall a great reform be 

 ushered in. 



A DAUGHTER TAKES A PLEDGE FOR HER FATHER. 



My father's name is Alexander Carruthers. He 

 has stopped the use of tobacco in all forms, for 

 good. He has stopped from what he has read in 

 Gleanings. Please send the price of your smo- 

 ker; and if be ever uses tobacco he will pay you. 

 Susie Carruthers. 



Osaca, Ont., Can., Jan. 27, 1890. 



May God bless you, Susie, for getting 

 your father to take the pledge and for send- 

 ing us his name. Most gladly do we pend 

 the smoker, and may more of the daughters 

 of our land take courage from what you 

 have done, and go and do likewise. 



TOBACCO, AND ITS EFFECT ON THE MIND. 



I have two boys, almost young meu, who don't 

 use tobacco in any form. I have had a fearful ex- 

 perience with it. It affected my mind to that ex- 

 tent that 1 was forced to quit my trade. I quit its 

 use, but it took a long time to get over its evil ef- 

 fects. I look upon you as a benefactor to the hu- 

 man race; and may your life be spared beyond the 

 ordinary length allotted to us. F. M. Jeffrey. 



Waynesvilie, 111.. Feb. 20, 1890. 



1 am thankful for the Tobacco Column and the 

 intiuence it is exerting for good in that direction. 

 It seems to me that one of the greatest services of 

 Christianity, properly applied, is to lift men and 

 women out of every kind of uncleanness and bond- 

 age to injurious physical habits, " so that, whether 

 we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, we shall do all 

 to the glory of God." C. F. Parker. 



Mentone, Ala., Feb. 7. 



