216 TOBACCO. 



gations are unwilling to receive ministers who in- 

 dulge in tobacco. Many families almost dread the 

 visits of such ministers, lest their growing sons 

 may be led to adopt a practice which they so ear- 

 nestly discountenance and oppose." 



A presiding elder in the Methodist Church, in 

 answer to inquiries on this subject, writes : " Our 

 Conferences have been srrowinof more exact from 

 year to year. In the New England Conference, 

 we never receive any man as a preacher without 

 questioning him on this point." 



Rev. Mr. Evans, presiding elder in the Central 

 Illinois Conference, writes : " I am glad to say that 

 for about twenty years, the Conference, at nearly 

 every session, has adopted radical anti-tobacco reso- 

 lutions : while the use of the weed has been uni- 

 formly denounced as expensive, filthy, injurious, 

 and unchristian. The Conference refuses to admit 

 any one addicted to the tobacco-habit, unless a 

 pledge of abstinence be given : and it has also re- 

 quested the Bishop not to transfer to the Confer- 

 ence, nor appoint to the office of presiding elder, 

 any tobacco-user. The discussions of every year 

 have served to make it more unaminous and radi- 

 cal in its action." 



With the Free Methodists no one is allowed to 

 become a church-member who uses tobacco in any 

 form, — a rule strictly enforced upon the ministers. 



Of the Primitive Methodist Church, the "Cana- 

 dian Discipline " declares : rf Xo preacher on proba- 

 tion shall be received into full connection unless it 



