70 



(iJ.EANiNGs i.\ iii-;K (•( i;rrkK. 



Jajj. 



T0B^CC0 06MMN- 



SOMETHING FROM THE ,ST. I.OUIS -lOUKNAL OF 

 AORICULTURE ON THE TOBACCO QTESTION. 



FRIEND ROOT:-l don't know whether I am 

 taking- a liberty in thus familiarly address- 

 ing- you; but the good turns you have un- 

 consciously done me in furnishing- in Glean- 

 1N(5S the bee-lore 1 have found so necessary 

 to my purposes h'lve certainly constituted you my 

 friend. I write a brief line to couiniend your good 

 work in flg-hting- the use of tobacco. I was very 

 much struck with the facts related in the Dec. l.')th 

 No., by T. U. Terry (the picture of whom, by the 

 way, is a g-ood one, though a little too solemn-look- 

 ing-); certainly the considerations ottered by Mr. 

 Terry oug-ht to bo sufficient to induce every 

 mmried man, if not everti man, to give up the to- 

 bacco habit. But, unfort\jnately, to g-ive up the 

 confirmed use of tobacco is a most ditticult thing to 

 do. It is true, that I had the nerve to do so, some 

 thirteen years ago, when I found that the use of 

 it was exceeding-i.\- disagreeable to my then sweet- 

 heai-t, now my wife. Hut 1 think it must have 

 been easier for me to do than for most people. I 

 have known men to make honest endeavors to g-ive 

 up tobacco, and suffer so much that they conclud- 

 ed that the use of it was the lesser evil. 



Now, since this is the truth, that the tobacco hab- 

 it once formed is one that is exceedingly ditticult to 

 break, ought we not all to make a g-reater effort 

 l>y individual precept as well as example to dis- 

 courage the use of it by children? Mr. Terry's sug- 

 gestion, to have a national law, is hardly feasible 

 however desirable. There is but little disposition 

 to enact sumptuary laws, whether relating- to to- 

 bacco or whisk}- ;T)Ut if every father of boys did 

 all he could personally to prevent the tobacco hab- 

 it being formed by his sons before they become of 

 age, it is hardly likely that, on arriving- at years of 

 discretion, they -would begin it. As for myself, 

 1 have tried to impress upon my big boy that it is 

 a wretchedly poor specimen of manhood that re- 

 (luires to be bolstered up by either smoking or 

 chewing. That, of course. Is the temptation to 

 boys. The boy's greatest ambition is to be a man, 

 and appear manly. In his ignorance he is apt to 

 mistake for manly things the swagger and loud- 

 ness and disgusting habits of roughs and bullies, 

 especially if any of these habits are indorsed by 

 the example of his own father. Let us all do what 

 we can to teach boys that the best and most cour- 

 ageous manliness is that which is founded on 

 virtue, not on vice. 



The case of fatal poisoning- by tobacco, mention- 

 ed by Mr. Terry, is terrible, but no such extreme 

 case ought to be necessary to make every man 

 who has a decent consideration lor others to leave 

 off a disgusting practice. As disgusting as is to 

 me the nicotine-laden breath of men with whom I 

 have onl>' business relations, how much more have 

 I thougtit would mine be to my wife and my little 

 daughter, when they offer the kisses of att'ection 

 from their clean, sweet lips! There has been no 

 time in my more than twelve years of married life 

 when I thought the solace ottered by tobacco 

 could be worth the one-hundreth part of such evi- 

 dences of affection; and since 1 should very surely 

 refuse to kiss my wife or daughter if she used 

 tobacco, I should find no justification for expecting- 



any thing else from them if I did. As a fighter 

 against tobacco and whisky, you may count me 

 a niembei' of your band alwa.\ s. 

 St. Louis, Mo., Dec. 2(1, 188(). (iEO. B. Morton. 



Many thanks, lirotlu^r, for your hearty 

 (•()(')l)erati()n in tliis work that lies before 

 lis; anil may we h ijie to tiiul every now 

 and then a simihir stirring' exhortation in 

 yonr own journal. And, by the way, why 

 caiTt yon and other brothers of the press 

 start in vour own journals something like 

 thisV 



"Any reader of the Jok ma I of Agriculture 

 who will give up tobacco because of what 

 has appeared in tlu^se pages in regard to the 

 matter, may have the jourmd one j'ear free, 

 he to give us ii written jtromise to pay ns 

 for the journal whenever he shall yield to 

 the temptation, and touch tobacco again in 

 an> form."" 



Tlie letters from those who give it up are 

 to be published as f;ist as received, for the 

 encouragenu'ut of (tthers. The objection 

 has been made. Iliai Ihis is iiiring people to 

 do right; but the am i:iil in tjuestion is so 

 small it is usuall.\ takeu uu)re as a piece of 

 pleasantry, and ii ,;eems to have the effect 

 of api^ealiug in just tlie right way to get a 

 good many to get up and shake themselves, 

 and start out in sometliing they have for 

 years known ought to be done. As the 

 resolution ami iiromise come out in a i)ul)- 

 lic journal, it is pretty well pulilished and 

 niuierstood in au> neighborhood, and few 

 men will care lo be seen using tobacco aft- 

 er tiiey have in this public way announced 

 the determiuatiou to give i.t up. It is like 

 giving testimony in i)rayer-meeting' — it 

 sti'engtlicus and encourages others all along 

 the line. 



I ha\e stopped smoking, and will promise you 

 not to do so again. If you will send me one of 

 j'our smokers, and 1 commence using the weed 

 again, I will send you the price of it. 



Phila., Pa., Oct. 18, 18s6. .los. B. Creaoer. 



I see in Gleanings that you said anyone who 

 (luits the use of tobacco would receive a smoker. 

 Please send me one; and if I use tobacco again I 

 will pay you for the same. Mattie Soheiern. 



Wayland. Mich., Oct. II, 18SH. 



C1-E.\RS HIS CONSCIENCE. 



I have broken my pledge. I quit using tobacco 

 on bees, but still smoke once in a while. When T 

 came to rake up mj- conscience I found that I owe 

 you ')() cts. lor the smoker you sent, although It 

 was worn out long ago. Vou sent it with other 

 goods. .) T. Fletcher.' 



Clarion, Pa. 



HAS USED the WEED AI,I. HIS LIKE. 



1 have been using tobacco in various forms all 

 my life initil the past si.v months. 1 have now 

 abandoned the weed altogether. Seeing your offer 

 in Gleanings, 1 write to know if 1 am entitled to 

 a smoker. I am very willing to pay the price of 

 the smoker should I ever use tobacco again. I 

 have .5 stands of bees. K. B. Johnson. 



Manatee, Fla., Nov. 18, 1886. 



