1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



151 



more and more desperate. Just one illustra- 

 tion. The brewers of Cincinnati hired a fasci- 

 nating young woman (of course one without a 

 conscience) to undertake the task of breaking 

 down the morals of the superintendent of our 

 Ohio Anti-saloon League, Rev. P. A. Baker, of 

 Columbus ; or if they could not break him 

 down they planned to get him into a compro- 

 mising predicament. They placed thousands 

 of dollars at the woman's command, and gave 

 her testimonials that any one would consider 

 sufficient. She secured a place among the 

 clerks in the office of the Anti-saloon League 

 as typewriter. By her pleasing address and rare 

 skill and accomplishments as a business wo- 

 man she deliberately won the good opinion 

 and respect of all the clerks and employees. 

 When she had gone far enough in this line she 

 informed Mr. Baker that several thousand dol- 

 lars had been left her, and wished him to ad- 

 vise hf r about putting it out at interest. Of 

 course, he gave her what assistance he could, 

 and the money was soon satisfactorily put out 

 at interest. Mr. Baker soon became suspi- 

 cious, however, that she was in the employ of 

 the enemy, and let her go on until she showed 

 her colors. Then he obliged her to sign an 

 afiidavit admitting that she was hired by the 

 brewers and liquor-men. This affidavit has 

 been published through the papers. The vil- 

 lians, judging by their own depraved hearts, 

 concluded that if they could find a woman with 

 proper accomplishments who would lend her- 

 self to their scheme, they would be sure of vic- 

 tory, not dreaming there are Josephs in these 

 latter days, in the way of unflinching integ- 

 rity, as well as in olden times. Since their 

 scheme has come to light, I have been watch- 

 ing for something in the papers to justify or 

 deny the charge against them ; but so far I 

 have not seen it. 



Just one thing more : Some time ago I got 

 to thinking that, if the whiskey-men would 

 combine with the tobacco-growers and dealers 

 to get out a popular piece of fiction that would 

 have a big run, defending tobacco, beer, and 

 expensive liquors, it might help their hellish 

 traffic and defeat Christains and temperance 

 workers quite a little. Well, they have done 

 this thing already, and it occurs to me that 

 Satan himself stepped forward and made the 

 third one of the trio. What part did he un- 

 dertake, do you ask? Well, I can imagine 

 him saying, "All right, brethren, go ahead. 

 You get up the book, and I will manage to get 

 the ministers and the ministers' wives and 

 prominent church people to read it and recom- 

 mend it to their friends. Oh ! don't you wor- 

 ry ; just give me a chance, and see if I do not 

 do that very thing." And Satan succeeded. 

 The book is called " David Harum." I read 

 the first chapter, and threw it down, declaring 

 I could not waste my time with any book that 

 did not uphold righteousness and temperance. 

 A very good friend of mine, however, and a 

 Christian man of scholarly attainments, urged 

 me to have patience and read the book clear 

 through. I did so, only to find a mock regard 

 for the kind of religion that narrows its scope 

 down to befriending the widows and fatherless, 

 without any Christ about it. I found it a book 



that not only casts ridicule on professing 

 Christians, but upholds swindling and swap- 

 ping horses (even on Sunday), upholds tobacco 

 in all its forms, recommends beer and high- 

 priced liquors, together with tobacco, as sen- 

 sible and consistent remedies for despondency, 

 and thinks it a fine thing to persuade old 

 ladies, who are members of temperance socie- 

 ties and professing Christians, to learn to 

 drink champagne ; yes, and it describes cham- 

 pagne, its taste and effects, so that every school- 

 boy and perhaps many a school^zV/ too would 

 have a curiosity to taste it to see if it is like 

 what the book describes. 



Humbugs and Swindles. 



Mr. Root : — I am bothered by this swindler every 

 week or so with these circulars. See how cleverly he 

 iinitates type-writing. I wish you would show him 

 up. " H. M. Jameson. 



Corona, Cal. 



The circular inclosed comes from Marshall, 

 Mich. It is about electric belts. The reason 

 why "the great professor sent so many letters 

 is, I take it, that he first offers his wonderful 

 belt for $20. A few days after, he comes down 

 to $12 ; then he sends another letter giving 

 some exceedingly good reasons why he will 

 sell the whole thing for $5.00 if you take it 

 right off iiorv. Now, my good friend J., fish- 

 ermen do not keep right on casting bait un- 

 less they get a bite once in a while. This fel- 

 low has been getting bites or he would not 

 keep sending out circulars. Perhaps he has 

 not found out yet that the " absent-treatment " 

 professors are beating all the electropoises, 

 electric belts, etc., by performing most as- 

 tounding cures without any medicine or make- 

 believe apparatus or any thing else. They 

 never see their patient, and in some cases we 

 know they do not even read the letter the pa- 

 tient writes ; but the patient gets well, and 

 the professor gets money hand over hand. 

 We are told there are some people who c in 

 not see through a tub after the bottom has 

 dropped out May be they will after a while 

 — at least we hope so. 



MAGNETIC HEADERS, ETC. 



Magnetic healers are not Christian people, 

 and one of their number says a " healer " can 

 not be a minister of the gospel. Of course, no 

 minister of the gospel would take money from 

 people after he had succeeded in making them 

 imagine t.'h.Qy were cured when they imagined 

 they were sick. It is the old story over again 

 of superstition, and the kind of superstition 

 that gets hold of the most ignorant heathen 

 to be found on the face of the earth. It is go- 

 ing back to the age of incantation and signs; 

 to olden times when doctors performed all their 

 cures by muttering over strange words, and 

 going through with humbug performances. 

 Shall the present age go back again to witch- 

 craft and heathen darkness ? Not while your 

 humble servant is, through God's providence, 

 permitted to live and breathe and protest. 



