1897 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



209 



oO cts., or 70 by mail, there is not very much at 

 stake a^uy way. A man can easily bo released 

 from his promise if ho should at any time so de- 

 sire. Below are the conditions on which we 

 have been sending these smokers during the 

 past years: 



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 for the smoker 

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

 ret'eiviiiff the smoker. Third, he must be a subscriber to 

 Gleanings. Any subscribei- may, hnwever, have smokers sent 

 to neig-hborsor p. r 1. 1 ' 1:1 ,;; ' n . whom he has labored 

 with oh thematti ■ • ' ■ - viding he give us his 



pledge that, if th , , -moker ever uses to- 



bacco again.he (tti 11 ,;, I. jr the smoker. The 



one who receiver ihf -Ml k' 1 1:1 lin- ■:i>e need not be a sub- 

 scriberto Oleanings, though wefrreatlv preferthat he beone 

 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. 



Before dismissing the subject of cigarettes I 

 submit a letter from my diiughter, Constance 

 M. Root,. The facis came under her observation 

 while she was making a visit to the State Asy- 

 lum at Columbus, for educating the blind chil- 

 dren of our State. 



Duriag a recent visit to the Ohio Institution for 

 tlie Blind, at Columbus, 1 found myself constantly 

 woudeiing- what b;id caused these boys and giils to 

 be so afflicted; and on questioning the teachers and 

 otlieis I found that a great many of them were in 

 that institution as a result of transgression of God's 

 and nature's laws. The sins of the parents are 

 beinsf visited on their children. 



But to me the saddest case in that institution is 

 that of a young man who brought this terrible 

 attlii'tion on himself. He is the sou of well-to do 

 parents, has had many advantages of educaticm 

 and retinement; but like many other boys he con- 

 tracted the habit of cigarette-smoliing- while very 

 young. He was working into his father's business, 

 and had a great desire to appear manly. Tiie habit 

 grew on him to such an pxient that he was seldom 

 without a cigarette in his mouth during the day. 

 When he was about eighteen years of age his health 

 suddenly broke down, and for months he was in 

 such a nervous state that he could not endure the 

 slightest sound in his room. By the doctor's orders 

 he was finally removed to a hospital, wliere not even 

 his mother was permitted to see him. When he at 

 last crept back to a degree of h-alth his sight was 

 hopelessly gone. He can see just enough to dis- 

 tinguish light from darkness, and to avoid running 

 into people on the street; but his physicians say he 

 can never hope to see more than that; and not only 

 is his sight gone, but the poison of the cigarettes 

 has injured his lungs tosucli an extent that it is 

 very difficult for him to draw a long breath. He 

 may some lime 'O-mpletely regain his health; but 

 his life secrns blighted by the loss of his pight. I 

 said, "seems blighted;" but that is ouly to those 

 who are not well acquainted with him. He has 

 recently become an earnest Christian, and I believe 

 God has yet some work for him to do in this world. 

 [J I know he means to flght the tol)acco habit in 

 every way he can, and it is by his permission that I 

 tell these facts; for although he is very sensitive, 

 he is willing to have his sad story told if there is a 

 possibility that it may keep some other young man 

 from suffering what he has. 



It may be well to add. that all the physicians who 

 have had the care of him say that his blindness is 

 undoubtedly the direct result of his cigarette- 

 smoking. His physician published an account of 

 his sickness and subsequent blindness in one of the 

 daily papers In the large city where he lives, giving 

 the cause as cigarette-smoliing. One of the dealers 

 In that part of the city said his sale of cigarettes had 

 fallen off fifty per cent since that time. 



THE PROGRESS OF THE CIGARETTE CRUSADE. 



We take the following from a recent issue of 

 the Chicago Advance: 



r The campaign against cigarettes is increasing in 

 strength. Like most reforms of the kind, it is large- 

 ly dependent on women; but women are a persist- 

 ent power in these days, and they are pushing anii- 

 cigarette bills into the legislatures of the various 

 States. In Tennpssee the governor has just signed 

 an absolutely prohibitory cigarette law. The Con- 

 necticut law forbids the sale of cigarettes to persons 



under 16 years of age. The Kentucky law makes 

 the age-limit 18 The Massachusetts law, which is 

 generally ol)eyed, forbids the sale of cigarettes to 

 minors. Tlie anii-cigarette law in Iowa was declar- 

 ed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. In 

 North Dakota a prohibitory law was passed two 

 years ago, but it has remained a dead letter. In 

 the Colorado legislature the lady members stood 

 bravely for a bill to stop the sale of "coffin-nails," as 

 cigarettes are appropriately ealkd, but the male 

 contingent of tlie body laughed the bill down. The 

 Utah legislature almost unanimously killed the bill 

 as soon as introduced, and the South Dakota legis- 

 lature did the same. But these legislatures proba- 

 bly think that there are too many people in the 

 world anyhow. In the Alabama legislature the 

 House passed the bill, hut it was defeated in the 

 Senate by a trick. In a majority of the other States, 

 bills are pending in the 1. gislature, and they will 

 slowly, but surely, get on the statute-book, for the 

 cigarette is too deadly an enemy to permit this 

 movement to go up in smoke. 



N OTESnFROMlTHEc EVANGELISTIC ]"WHEEL.; 



I was making calls in the village with the pastor. 

 We called to talk and pray witli one of his former 

 deacons, now a well-known drunkard. Of course I 

 was interested to know how such a terrible fall 

 , came about. The pastor told me the circumstanc- 

 es. He had been a drinking man years before, but 

 had become converted, joined the church, became 

 an earnest ana consistent working Christian, and 

 was finally elected deacon. All had nearly forgot- 

 ten his former habits. One fall they had some cider 

 in the house. The wife, a church member, and his 

 grown up son were drinking, and asked him to do so. 

 He refused decidedly, whereupon they began to 

 liugh ai him, as a very weak and foolish man. 

 They kept this up till, chagrined and mortified at 

 what they called his weakness, he yielded, and 

 drank the cider. From that time he has been a 

 drunkard. A. T. Reed. 



The above should not only be a warning to us 

 all, but it should be a te;Tili?e warning. 1 know 

 it is true, because I have seen the same thing 

 myself— yes, in my own neighborhood, here at 

 home. It seems as if nothing could make peo- 

 ple understand— even good Christian people — 

 the danger that constantly hangs over the re- 

 formed inebriate. People have sometimes won- 

 dered vphat that strange passage in Mattnew 

 means: "A man's foes shall be they of his own 

 household." The illu-tration that Bro. Reed 

 has given us makes it clear. In following up 

 the story of many a sad downfall, I have found 

 that the victim was not nearly as much at fault 

 as were his friends; yes, and many times the 

 members of his own "family. This poor man 

 knew his danger, and very decidedly refused to 

 tamper with the old temptation. His wife and 

 his grown-up son laughed at him for his weak- 

 ness. It was so long since he had been addicted 

 to strong drink everybody had forgotten it. To 

 them the idea was ridiculous and absurd, that 

 he, a worthy deacon and Christian worker, 

 should drink to excess. May God help us all. 

 Dear friends, I have had glimpses of the bot- 

 tomless pit, but it was long years ago. I often 

 look back at those old times and wonder if it 

 could really have been I— myself. The idea 

 that I should long for or even think of anything 

 so foolish and wicked! Why.it is absurd. I 

 have often had this feeling: but. dear friends, 

 within a single hour after, that old temptation 

 has come back, and has towered above me like 

 a veritable giant. As 1 felt his clutches closing 

 down upon me I could only say as did poor 

 Peter, " Lord, save, or I perish." Apples have 

 been exceedingly plentiful, and no doubt cider 

 is also, in many places now. Many good peo- 

 ple drink it. and make sport of "temperance 

 fanatics " because they refuse to touch it. Re- 

 member this sad story, and do not ever again 

 urge anybody to touch or taste that which con- 

 science tells him to let alone. And can't we go 



