1898 



GLEANINGS IN BKE CULTURE. 



813 



the wronp: doing: of a man you have failed to caution, antl you 

 are i esponsible to the company for any loss occurring because 

 of failure to discharge hiin when you Hnd your caution is not 

 heeded. 



There are two points of special significance 

 in the above. First, a gambler is always a 

 dangerous man. In fact, this express com- 

 pany declares that a man who gambles shall 

 not be retained a single day. They regard 

 gambling, in some respects at least, as worse 

 than moderate drinking. Secondly, in view 

 of the above, why do not our express com- 

 panies refuse to cany liquors any longer? 

 Very likely it would make a big hole in the 

 amount of business the}' do. But if their men 

 handle liquors constanth', and in great quan- 

 tities, and furnish them to others, how can 

 they expect them to be total abstainers ? 



SOCIAL-PURITY DEPARTMENT OF THE 

 W. C. T. U. 

 Our readers may remember that, three or 

 four years ago, we discussed here in these col- 

 umns the possibility of suppressing the Police 

 Gazelle from our news-stands, barber-shops, 

 etc., inasnmch as it had already been ruled 

 out of the mails by the postal authorities. Dr. 

 Miller, Dr. Mason, and several others, wrote 

 to the authorities at Washington, but our ef- 

 forts did not seem to avail very much — at least 

 not to our knowledge. Finding a copy of this 

 periodical recently in one of our barber-shops 

 here in this place, I mentioned the matter to 

 Mrs. Dora Webb when sending in my yearly 

 contribution. I am sure our readers will be 

 interested in her rep)}' : 



Dear Brother Root: — I thatik you mo'^t sincerely for 

 your financial encouragement just received. 



I can not see how the law under consideration could 

 be more explicit in drawing the lines against the Po- 

 lice Gazette and Police .Ve-L's. Personally I have had a 

 little experience. In Steubenville two news-dealers 

 were selling the Police dazette. We. in a sisterly way, 

 remonstrated with the woman dealer, informing her 

 concerning the law: but she retorted that she had not 

 been officially warned. So we proceeded to "official- 

 ly" warn her. We got a man (we had not the courage 

 to do it ourselves, at that time, early in my work) to 

 buy copies of the Police Gazette at each place. Armed 

 with this evidence we went to the prosecuting attor- 

 ney (who did not enjoy enforcing moral laws) and 

 asked him to compel the dealers to desist, or enforce 

 the State law, telling him we did not care to prosecute 

 if they would cease their doings. The attorney at 

 once did his duty, and created quite a feeling of un- 

 rest, to .say the lea.st, with the dealers; for within 24 

 hours they itifortned him they had burned every copy 

 in their poise.ssion, and promised to cease, a«rf thev 

 did cease. 



In another place where I lived, a young newsboy 

 was bringing in the papers, and they were being kept 

 at barbershops. One day as I was passing the shop I 

 saw a little bov about six years old (it was summer) 

 sitting in the window, on the sill, looking at pictures. I 

 stepped pnr[)osely to the child and talked with him, and 

 at the same titne took notice that the paper was the 

 Police Gazette. The little child was the .son of the pros- 

 ecuting attorney, who sat in the chair, being barbered. 

 A brief time afterward I went to the attorney's office 

 and a.sked him if he knew how his little boy was en- 

 tertained while he was being shaved. He had not 

 even noticed. I informed him, called his attention to 

 the law, and asked him to see that it was complied 

 with, telling him I was willing to appear as witness 

 in the case, if need be. This put a stop to the business 

 there. This was in St. Clairsville. The newsboy 

 stopped bringing them when informed what the con- 

 sequences would be. 



In Steubenville, after the dealers cease 1, we learned 

 that two papers came to two men for their own use. 

 They were expressed to them, and we could not reach 

 thetii. The Police Gazette and iXezcs make criminals 



■wherever thev go. They are outlawed I am glad you 

 are taking hold of the work of clearing them out of 

 Medina. God bless von. Dora Leslie Webb. 



Cadiz, Ohio, Oct. 21. 



Accompanying the above was a copy of ex- 

 cerpts of the laws of Ohio in regard to the pro- 

 motion of social purity; and I presume a copy 

 of these laws will be furnished to any one who 

 applies to Mrs. Webb, either in this State or 

 out of it. Just now we make an extract from 

 section 7027, concerning obscene literature 

 and pictures : 



Sec. 7027. Every person who, within the State of Ohio, 

 sells or lends or gives away, * * * * or who sells., 

 gives a7i'ay, or shows to any minor child any book, 

 pamphlet, magazine newspaper, .story-paper, or other 

 paper deivted to the publication, or principally made up of 

 criminal news, police reports, or accounts of criminal 

 deeds, or pictures and stories of imtnoral deeds, lust, 

 or crime, or exhibits upon any street or highway, or 

 in any place within the view, or which may be within 

 view of any minor child, any of the above-described 

 books, papers, or pictures, shall, on conviction, be im- 

 prisoned not more than five years, or fined not less 

 than fifty dollars nor more than two thousand dollars, 

 with cost of prosecution for each offen.se. or both im- 

 prisoned and fined, at the discretion of the court. 



Now, then, readers of Gleanings, shall we 

 not look about us and see who it is that 

 is transgressing this just and righteous law? 

 Whenever we go into a barber-shop or to a 

 news-stand, look out for the Police Gazelle ; 

 and if there is much manliness about us we 

 can surely do as well as those good women 

 did in Steubenville, Ohio. If I am correct the 

 above law was passed in 189(3 — not very long 

 after the readers of Gleanings sent in their 

 petitions to Washington. Is it not probable 

 that our united petitions had more effect than 

 we thought or knew of ? 



At Mammoth Hot Springs I saw some high- 

 pressure gardening on a small scale that 

 equaled any thing I ever saw anywhere. It 

 was near the large hotel. The ground was 

 made exceedingly rich with old well-rotted 

 manure — perhaps sheep manure. Every thing 

 in that little garden was mammoth in propor- 

 tions, and wonderful in luxuriance. Potatoes 

 stood up with the tops between two and three 

 feet high, and the foliage was so gigantic 

 in proportion that at first I thoitght it could 

 not be common potatoes, but some special 

 strain. In that locality there seem to be no 

 bugs, flea-beetles, nor any of the leaf-eating 

 enemies of the potato. Every leaf was per- 

 fect, and a model of health. Cabbages, beets, 

 cauliflower, and every thing else seemed to be 

 doing equally well. Very likely the garden 

 was irrigated' with warm water from the hot 

 springs close by. 

 gardening in MEDINA DURING OCTOBER. 



At present writing, Oct. 26, we are yet with- 

 out frost — at least, the tomato-vines are bright 

 and green, and tomatoes are ripening slowly 

 every day in full view of the window right 

 before me. The exceeding wetness has pre- 



