MARCH 15, 1916 



253 



in bloom, .and some have fair-sized fruit, 

 not yet ripe. The vei'y first cactus to start 

 down here was Malta, the one I j^ictured 

 last summer (p. 690). I pulled off the 

 eight slabs, packed the whole in my trunk, 

 and in less than 30 days every one was 

 budded, and •now we have from that one 

 slab, sent to Medina last July, 30 growing 

 slabs, counting " children and grandehil- 

 dren." 



A GASOLINE TORCH FOR BURNING WKFnS, AXi) 

 SPINES ON PRICKLY PEAK CACTUS. 



I have been over a year trying to find out where 



I toulJ buy n, gasoline torch to burn weeds and 

 dodder in alfalfa. It was used a few years ae,o in 

 the San Jacinto Mountains to burn the spines -iff 

 cactus for cattle to eat. 



The tank of the torch is strapped across the 

 shoulders, and is easily carried. A pipe about 4 

 ft. long is furnished so as to have the blaze at a 

 distance. It will throw a blaze about inches in 

 diameter, and from one to four feet lonjc if desired. 



David Ciiristii:. 



Veterans' Home, Cal., Sept. 2. 



I think I have seen sometliing of this 

 kind advertised. Can any reader of Glean- 

 ing? tell us wliere it can be found — cost, 

 etc.? 



TEMPERANCE 



DID ABRAHAM LINCOLN EVER USE, SELL, OR 

 RECOMMEND " BOOZE " f 



The following came to me from my son, 

 H. H. Root : 



I am enclosing a bulletin put out by the Method- 

 ist Church Temperance Society, which gives the first 

 denial that I have ever seen of the oft-repeated state- 

 ment by Lincoln that prohibition works a great in- 

 jury to the cause of temperance, etc. Every cam- 

 paign we have had in Ohio, the wet leaders have 

 flooded the state with this statement, supposed to be 

 by Lincoln. I have never believed it, and liave 

 tried to find some one who could give the truth 

 about it. These Methodist men have gone to the 

 trouble of ferreting out the whole shameful process 

 by which Lincoln's temperance utterances were 

 twisted into arguments to favor the wet side. I 

 thought you would like to see this. 



The article mentioned is too long for our 

 nse here; but the whole story may be had 

 by addressing Deets Pickett. 1-6 Shawnee 

 Building, Topeka, Kansas. It covers the 

 whole gTound so completely, there is no 

 possibility of mistake. 



" god's KINGDOM COMING." 



Here is another good thing in that same 

 Methodist Bulletin. We clip as follows: 



NEW -SORK TRIBUNE SOON WILL CEASE TO ADVERTISE 

 LIQUORS ; NEWSPAPERS IN ALL PARTS OF THE 

 COUNTRY ARE CLEANING THEIR COLUMNS IN RE- 

 SPONSE TO THE BIRTH OF A NATIONAL CONVIC- 

 TION. 



In a letter to Rev. Clarence True Wilson, D.D., 

 General Secretary of the Temperance Society of the 

 Methodist Episcopal Church, the New York Tribune 

 announces that after April 1st, next, it will no long- 

 er accept advertising of any alcoholic liquor. The 

 letter reads as follows : 



" February 7, 1916. 



Clarence True Wilson, D.D.: — After April 1st, 

 next, we shall not carry the advertising of any al- 

 coholic liquor. At present we carry this advertising 

 on a non-solicited list entirely, barring all statements 

 which present any such beverage a.s having food or 

 tonic value. Richard H. Waldo." 



This act of the Trilmne will send a thrill of grat- 

 ification thru millions of prohibitionists of thf-. 

 I'nifed States, and will have the approval of millions 

 of other men and women who av^ not prohibitiop,-- 

 ists. 



The Indianapolis News and the Scrantou Reptih- 

 lican are two other papers wnich have recently 

 taken this step. 



In response to an inquiry sent to all of the daily 

 newspapers of the United States, the Methodist Tem- 

 perance Society has received more than 1000 re- 

 plies. There are 2123 daily newspapers published 

 in the English language in the United States, ac- 

 cording to the American Newspaper Directory for 

 1916. 



The result of this inquiry will be announced in a 

 i-pecial bulletin issued by the Temperance Society in 

 a few weeks. It is already apparent that the year 

 1915 brought about an astonishing revolution in 

 the attitude of the newspaper world toward alcoholic 

 Leverages. 



May God bless the Methodist Temperance 

 Society. 



" god's KINGDOM COMING " IN RUSSIA IF NOT 

 IN AMERICA. 



Dear Mr. Root: — The enclosed clipping may be 

 of interest and good use to you in your worthy 

 work. Wm. A. Hunter. 



Terre Haute, Ind., Feb. 14. 



The good friend who sends tlie above 

 gives no clue as to where he clipped it. si 

 we are unable to give proper credit. Below 

 is the clipping: 



RUSSI.\ DRY FOREVER AS RESULT OF YEAR WITHOUT 

 HER VODKA. 



Petrograd, Feb. 10. — Russia has taken a long 

 breath, raised her solemn right hand, and sworn: 

 " Never again I" 



A year without vodka has convinced the officials, 

 from the czar down, that prohibition will always be 

 the rule in Russia. Here are some results of the 

 first twelve-month without liquor, as reported offi- 

 cially and semi-officiall.N from all over the country: 



Crime (all kinds') has decreased 62 per cent. 



Absenteeism in factories has fallen 60 per cent. 



Suicide rate has dropped enormously. 



Hospitals formerly overcrowded are not filled. 



Efficiency in factories increased 10 to 15 per cent. 



Practically every inhabitant is at work. 



Savings deposits have increased 8 per cent. 



Fire damage has fallen off 38 per cent. 



Wages in some districts raised 500 per cent. 

 (This applies to peasants working as day laborers.) 



Peoi)le arc eating better and costlier food. 



Bettor (lothing is worn by the poorer clas.ses. 



.\gricultural-iiuplement sales 60 per cent larger. 



Imprisonment decreased 72 per cent. 



