174 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 



only do well, but even better, tban where 

 provision is made to have a constant circu- 

 lation of air. We thank you for your excel- 

 lent article, because it gives us valuable 

 scientific data for future reference ; but if 

 practice and theory should give different re- 

 sults, I would stick to practice. Friend 

 Terry said that, when scientific men were 

 against ensilage, and the cows were for it. 

 he preferred the testimony of the cows. I 

 believe the cows have come out ahead. 



CALIFORNIA ; CONSISTENCY OF 

 CHRISTIANS, ETC. 



A GOOD BOOK ON THE SUBJECT OF TOBAOCO- 

 . USING. 



R. ROOT:— I have delayed this letter, that 

 Huber and all the home friends might have 

 time to exhaust their store of questions in 

 regard to that wonderful country you have 

 ,'ust visited. My husband traveled over a 

 part of the same country one year ago, and was so 

 well pleased with it, and had such good times with 

 J. Root, that he tells me he left his heart there. I 

 think the orange-tree, with its fruit in all stages of 

 growth, and from which ripe fruit may be picked 

 every month in the year, might remind us some- 

 what of the tree of life, spoken of in Revelation. 

 And did you never think, while admiring them and 

 all the other beautiful things, what wonderfully 

 large tobacco-plants are raised in that rich soil, 

 whose leaves are not for the healing of the nations? 

 No doubt you did, and were saddened by it. I have 

 not seen much about tobacco in Glean in ns of late, 

 and I often wonder if all the tobacco-users who 

 come under the influence of your journal have re 

 formed, and if all the boys whose papas take 

 Gleanings have been careful not to learn to 

 smoke. I prize what has been printed in the "To- 

 bacco Column" more highly than any thing else in 

 Gleanings— not that I undervalue Our Homes, but 

 there are a thousand people who will speak and 

 write on the subject treated there, where one can 

 be found who will say a word against the use of to- 

 bacco, except in a mild and general way; and so 

 unpopular is it, that hardly a newspaper or maga- 

 zine can be found that will print a decidedly out 

 spoken article on the subject. And when we think 

 of the number of professing Christians who are 

 slaves to the use of tobacco, it is appalling; "their 

 name is legion." I can count quite a number in our 

 little neighborhood. They will " speak in meeting," 

 and say they feel that they have reserved nothing- 

 all is laid on the altar. Now, I believe these people 

 are real Christians, but they have not been aroused 

 on the subject ; " their eyes they have closed," etc. 

 I know a man about 30 years of age who has been a 

 professing Christian for 15 years; has used tobacco 

 all the time, and is Sunday-school superintendent 

 in one of the churches of this place. I believe he 

 has never been known to " take a chew " during the 

 hour he is engaged in this exercise. He also 

 teaches a district school near here; and although it 

 is not known that he uses tobacco during school 

 hours, he makes a free use of it morning, noon, and 

 night, giving and receiving it from the boys of the 

 school who are addicted to its use. Now, if it were 

 possible to exclude all superintendents and teach- 

 ers, what shall we say of Christian fathers who 



have an influence over their sons that no teacher 

 can have, and yet indulge in its use without appar- 

 ent shame, and other fathers too? 



1 am very glad of what you are doing to bring 

 about a tobacco reform; and may we not hope, 

 when liquor has been banished from the land, and 

 people are aroused on the subject, to see the boy 

 who now walks proudly with a lighted cigar, slink 

 out of sight behind a corner, or hide in an alley to 

 indulge his morbid taste? And may we not look 

 still further, and confidently expect a time when the 

 American people will arise in their might and put 

 it from them? Let us remember the words the 

 Lord spake to Joshua, that the children of Israel 

 should go up and possess the land—" Only be thou 

 strong and very courageous." 



I have been led to think more on this subject of 

 late, by reading a book, written by an aged minister 

 residing in this vicinity, whom I have known for 

 years. I will send you a copy of the book. His ob- 

 ject in writing the book was to inform the young of 

 the evil effects of tobacco, both on mind and body. 

 He has been studying the subject for a number of 

 years, and finally decided to publish a book at his 

 own expense, that the youth of the land might be 

 warned, giving incidents from his personal observa- 

 tion, and opinions of eminent physicians, etc. He 

 nas not undertaken this work with a view to mon- 

 ey-making, but solely to benefit mankind; and he 

 assures me that, whatever profits are derived from 

 its sale, will be used to print more books. While 

 preparing himself for his life-work, he was a stu- 

 dent at Oberlin for some time, completing his stud- 

 ies afterward. He has spent a long and useful life 

 in the ministry, and now, in his old age, to help rid 

 the world of this tobacco curse, he is willing to give 

 the greater part of his earthly store. Surely a little 

 of that spirit of self-sacrifice manifested by the 

 Savior remains with his followers. The price of the 

 book is 50 cts. Will you be so kind as to read it and 

 give it such notice in Gleanings as you may think 

 best ? Please let me know. 1 wish every subscriber 

 of Gleanings would purchase this book. All hav- 

 ing sons opposed to the use of tobacco, and those 

 having no children, could make it do a good work 

 by placing it where visitors and hired help could 

 easily pick it up; and those having daughters only 

 could make it useful in the same way. I think 

 it would be a good book for Sunday-schools and 

 public libraries. Mrs. J. B. Ratcliffe. 



Amboy. Minn., Feb. 1, 1889. 



My good friend , I am exceedingly obliged 

 to you for having given us a good stirring- 

 up on the tobacco reform. In the crowd of 

 other matter that is sent in for Gleanings, 

 we have sometimes inclined, when deciding 

 what must go in and what might be held over, 

 to say that the Tobacco Column is not of any 

 special importance "for this present issue,'' 

 so it lies over for something else. There is 

 almost always, however, a protest by myself 

 when a single number goes to press without 

 at least something on the subject. 1 am ex- 

 ceedingly obliged to you for the copy of the 

 little book, and I want to say to our readers 

 that it is a perfect gem so far as the subject 

 on hand is concerned. There is not any dry 

 reading in it. It is all, or pretty much all, 

 stories from actual' experience. One is re- 

 minded of an experience meeting where 

 those who attend rise up rapidly, one after 



