1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



315 



house had any of them read the law, and real- 

 ly knew whether or not they were acting ac- 

 cording to law, therefore our county is a good 

 deal in debt, and there are rumors of crooked- 

 ness. A committee is, however, at work, and 

 we think it will all be straightened out. I am 

 pretty well acquainted with most of the com- 

 missioners. Some of them I have known 

 from childhood up. They have been mostly 

 hard-working farmers — good, reliable, honest 

 men — that is, they used to be, and I hope they 

 are still ; but if they ever believed in the little 

 text at the head of this chapter, I am really 

 afraid they have forgotten it. One thing 

 about them troubled me — I mean about their 

 behavior after they got to be commissioners. 

 I have thought a good many times I would not 

 say any thing about it, because it hits so many 

 good people ; but how can I hold up a word 

 of warning unless I speak plainly and clear- 

 ly? 



I presume a good many think I make too 

 much of little things, or that I demand too 

 much of frail humanity ; but I hope all these 

 friends whom I may happen to hit in what I 

 say will believe that I speak out with a kindly 

 feeling in my heart, and without narrowness ; 

 for I am trying to love all humanity, even as 

 Jesus loved the men and women of the whole 

 wide world. 



One day, when it was all bustle and hurry 

 about good roads, I saw one of the commis- 

 sioners, whom I had known for years, with a 

 cigar in his mouth as he was giving directions. 

 I was greatly astonished, for I had never even 

 heard the man used tobacco before. He must 

 have commenced after he was about sixty 

 years of age. Soon after, another commis.sion- 

 er was put in to fill a vacancy like the first 

 one, and he was a professing Christian besides. 

 In a little time he had a cigar while he was 

 riding about the county looking after things. 

 I spoke of it to one old gray-headed veteran 

 in the church — a particular friend of mine, 

 and he replied something like this: "Mr. 

 Root, I have watched this thing almost all my 

 life ; and our county commissioners all begin 

 to use tobacco sooner or later when they get 

 into office. I do not know of an exception, 



unless it is Bro. . He co)ni>ienced to 



smoke ; but I went right to him, and protest- 

 ed so earnestly that he admitted I was right, 

 and gave it up." 



Now, some of you will say right here, and 

 may be some of my very best friends, " Why, 

 Mr. Root, you must let other men decide 

 questionable matters like these themselves. 

 You yourself enjoy the liberty of regulating 

 your eating or drinking so as to suit your own 

 notions. Are you not getting a little ' off ' 

 when you make a fuss about so small a matter 

 as smoking a cigar when perhaps more than 

 half the men you meet right and left use to- 

 bacco ? ' ' 



Dear friends, I have thought of all this ; 

 and I would not mind so much about the ci- 

 gar if I did not feel sure it was an indication 

 of or a stepping-stone, if you choose, to some- 

 thing else. A man with a cigar in his mouth 

 is more apt to be overbearing, and to tell peo- 

 ple they know their own business than a man 



who is not a smoker.* Our commissioners, as 

 I have said, are good men — or at least they al- 

 ways have been. Well, nobody questions that 

 they have filled our county with iron bridges 

 when there was no money in the treasury to 

 pay for them, and nobody knows where it is 

 coming from to pay for them ; and I believe it 

 is agreed, too, that these bridges were bought 

 from one company, instead of receiving bids 

 from different firms, according to law. The 

 tax-payers remonstrated with them ; but the 

 commissioners got a going, and told the tax- 

 payers they knew their own business. Both 

 parties have found out to their sorrow, how- 

 ever, that the commissioners did not know 

 their own business. Now for our texts. 



Jesus knew what was in humanity. He 

 knew what sort of spirit prompts men to use 

 stimulants, to be proud and overbearing be- 

 cause they were put in ofBce, to become care- 

 less and indifferent to the best interests of the 

 people who put them into office. Years ago a 

 good business man (or so he was considered) 

 was given an office in our court-house. Little 

 by little he and his family began to wear fine 

 clothes, and to ride around in a gay equipage. 

 Finally their extravagance went to such great 

 lengths people began to inquire and look into 

 things. It was soon found that this man had 

 been appropriating money belonging to the 

 county, right and left. At first he charged 

 the county for the fine equipage with which he 

 and his wife went to a neighboring city on 

 business for the county. As nobody made any 

 objection he became bolder and bolder, and 

 finally kept ?io account at all — used money as 

 freely, almost, as if he were a millionaire. 

 The poor hard working farmers who signed 

 his bond had to make it good ; and about the 

 time the whole thing came out, this man died 

 of apoplexy — perhaps caused by high living 

 that the county paid for. 



The Savior did not say, "Blessed are the 

 poor in spirit, even if you put them into of- 

 fice ; " but I think it was in his mind. He did 



* After the above was in print I read it over again, 

 and it occurs to me that many good people who have 

 used cigars all their lives ^or pretty much all) may mi.s- 

 understand me. Let me try again. Suppose a young 

 man with Christian parents, or say a minister's son, 

 who has all his life carefully avoided not only cigars 

 but stimulants of every .sort. Now suppose this young 

 man all at once get into the tobrcco habit: it indicates, 

 at least in his case, that he is Itreaking away from his 

 former habits, former teachings, and, I guess I may 

 truthfully sav, from his former associates. It means 

 much more in his case, liecause a boy with such a 

 training, when he gets started, goes down pretty fast. 

 Well, tiie same thing is to a certain extent true with 

 a middle-age man. If he has worked hard all his life, 

 and kept clear of these things liecause of the expense 

 of such habits, if nothing more, when he gets in with 

 a new crowd, and starts lo puff a cigar, it is usually 

 the outward indication of a Iftting-down of principles 

 within his heart. O my friends, 3-ou need not argue 

 the case. When we have a candidate for ofhce, and 

 you can truthfully say, " Why, this man has the very 

 best of habits; he never drinks, and does not even use 

 toliacco in any form," the whole wide world admits 

 that such a statement is in the man's favor. The very 

 men who sell liquors and tobacco subscribe to what I 

 have been saying. A young minister once provided 

 himself with some cigars, and went out and mixed in 

 with some of his congregation who were smoki'igin 

 the horse-sheds at noon time. He expected to win 

 their favor by showing that Iw could smoke loo ; but 

 he was sadly disappointed. He actually lo2vered him- 

 self in their estimation as well as in his own. 



